Perdomo Cigars revamped their Estate Selección Vintage (ESV) line at the IPCPR 2019 trade show. They don’t come out with a ton of new releases and recently they have been revamping some older lines with new packaging and blends. The original ESV came out in 2005 and was then revamped again in 2016. Those were regular production cigars while this latest version is limited production. The original line was made as a tribute to Nick Perdomo Sr., who passed away in 2005.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
A new feature of this version of ESV is the box-press; previous versions were all round. Also it has a new secondary band that simply says “ESV.” Like many other Perdomo lines it comes in three wrapper variations: Ecuadorian Connecticut, Sun-Grown, and Maduro. ESV is the company’s top of the line cigar. Nick Perdomo says that the tobacco used in the blend only come from the top five percent of the crop at Finca Natalie, a tobacco field named after Nick Perdomo‘s daughter and owned by the company. This tobacco is the first crop from that farm. The ESV line is available at 133 retailers. It comes in five sizes: Regente (5 x 54) – $12, Imperio (6 x 54) – $12.50, Prestigio (6 1/2 x 54) – $13, Phantom (6 1/2 x 60) – $14, Aristocrata (7 x 54) – $13.50.
“The wrapper had a nice golden glow and a seamless appearance. It felt delicate in the hand.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Aroma: 91
“I didn’t pick up any aroma on the foot, however when taking a snort down the length of the cigar, leather and earth are detectable ” –Randy B. (randobush)
Flavor: 89 Strength: Mild-Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“I was really impressed by the initial blast of white peppercorn and cedar when first lighting, but that went away rather quickly. The cigar settled in with a main flavor of lumber with a pinch of white pepper. There were occasional notes sourdough bread or a yeasty bread dough, very similar to what I was smelling at the beginning before lighting. There was a savory quality I couldn’t quite put my nose on.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Notes of white pepper, wood, earth and a warm spice that hit the back of the throat.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
Flavor: 90 Strength: Mild-Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Butter, salt, graham cracker, creamy with baking spices. Tongue zing has diminished, but was never dominant anyway.” –Randy B. (randobush)
“Started off with salt and nuts. Within the salty flavor you also received a nice creaminess. I also started to get a little bit of a char flavor. This was not a very peppery cigar but you did at times get a bit of a tickle on the back of the throat.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
Final Third
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Finalizing this cigar, the flavor components remain the same as they had been the whole time, though they certainly became more pronounced. Fresh breads and woods continued to mingle on the palate, and my lighter never left my hand.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Started to get a few major cracks towards the end. Tea and grass are the major flavors starting the final third. Ended with some salt and carmel and some slight cinnamon.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 95
“This cigar had a pretty decent draw with a v-cut. I think a straight cut might have been too loose.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Burn: 91
“A few touch ups here and there, nothing unusual.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
Construction: 89
“This cigar had some hard spots and some soft spots. Did not seem to affect the burn.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
Overall Strength: Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 87
“This was a very flavorful and enjoyable cigar as a whole, with no issues at all. The retrohale was absolutely, enjoyably smooth from first light to nub. The cigar never got hot towards the nub and burned cool and effortlessly throughout with no relights.” –Randy B. (randobush)
“A very enjoyable smoke, I liked the combo of the flavors and how they changed throughout.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“When this cigar was burning, the flavors were quite nice and, I’d say, unique. But, the key, is to keep the cigar burning, and that is just too much work for this cigar.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“This was a nice easy smoke. If you are drinking I would not pair with something strong at first because it would most likely wash out and flavor from the cigar. Sweet and cedar I saltiness to be the backbone of this cigar. Mix that with some saltiness. ” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
Blind Cigar Review: Perdomo | ESV Connecticut Imperio
Summary
"This was a nice easy smoke. If you are drinking I would not pair with something strong at first because it would most likely wash out and flavor from the cigar. Sweet and cedar I saltiness to be the backbone of this cigar. Mix that with some saltiness. " -Jake P. (Jake P.)
