Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Connecticut Cigar Review

So what is double aged tobacco you may ask? Perdomo Cigars has an answer for you. Back at the 2014 IPCPR Nick Perdomo and Team Perdomo releases what they called the Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Connecticut Cigar. Now when it comes to whiskey, especially single malts, I know what a double aging is but with cigars you may not be aware of the process. For this cigar, Perdomo used bales  of tobacco that have been essentially resting for 10 years and then moved the leaf from the bales to white oak bourbon barrels for two more years. The process picks up additional nuances of flavor that would not be in the original leaf.

The Perdomo Cigar company describes the blend as:

• Wrapper– Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
• Binder – Nicaragua
• Filler – Nicaragua

The Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Connecticut Cigar is available in 4 vitolas and come packaged in 24-count boxes:

• Churchill – 7 x 56 MSRP $11.00
• Epicure – 6 x 56 MSRP $10.50
• Gordo Extra –  6.5 x 60 MSRP $11.50
• Robusto – 6  x 56 MSRP $10.00
• Salomon – 6 1/8 x 50/60 MSRP $12.00 (packaged in 8-count boxes)

Like all Perdomo cigars – the Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Connecticut is manufactured at Tabacalera Perdomo S.A, in Esteli, Nicaruagua.

For this review I sampled the Gordo Extra vitola which I received from my good friend and Stogie Press associate Alton Otto.

Pre-Light Examination 

Looking at the Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Connecticut the first observation is the smooth golden brown Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper that has a beautiful oily sheen to it. It is finished with a well applied double cap and has a terrific feel to it.  There are very few veins and just a few bumps along the barrel. I really like the look of the filler from the foot. Dark black and brown leaf all weaved together.

The cigar is adorned with one large single band that has a lot of information on it. The Perdomo Logo is centered on the top of the band, followed by a bright red and gold section that states “Vintage” and finally a black and gold section that notes “Aged 12 Years” along with some side notes about the cigar that describe it as “a smooth smoke with a creamy complexity, slight hints of caramel and cedar, with a rich, buttery finish”

I like the look of this cigar, so now it was time to check out the pre-light aromas. I picked up a sweet curing barn aroma off the foot but not much along the barrel. I have to say I am a big fan of cigars that have that pre-light “curing barn aroma”, it brings me back to the many barns I have visited with the leaf hanging, slowly turning from green to brown and filling the barn with such a delectable nostril filling aroma.

I chose to use a punch to open this one up, and doing so there was a slight restriction to the draw with a scrumptious natural tobacco sweetness with some cayenne pepper building on the lips.

So far so good –  looks good – draws well – has a nice hint of flavor of whats to come. It is now time to fire it up go on a Perdomo journey.

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Cigar Review Notes

• Initial light brings some hefty red pepper on the nose
• Hiding in the background is a sweet butter cream that builds as the pepper recedes
• Medium grey ash rests on a medium char line
• Nutty aroma develops
• Sweet oak enters after the ash fell after 2 inches
• Nice well centered burn cone
• Pleasant lingering nut moves in midway
• Cedar notes enter end of second third
• Sweet citrus like grapefruit dipped in sugar
• There is a slight off burn moving into final third that required a mild touch up
• Final third brings forth a caramel and a touch of mint – very tasty
• Medium Strength
• Total Smoking Time was a long one hour and fifty minutes to the nub !!

Overall, the Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Connecticut was an outstanding Connecticut Shade cigar that delivered a pleasurable and flavor filled smoking experience. I have said this before and will say it again, I love what the blenders are doing with Connecticut Shade these days bringing bolder full body flavors to the smoking experience and the Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Connecticut  is a perfect example of this.