Cigar Review: Perdomo 10th Anniversary Maduro

 

I bought my old home place recently and after all the moving, unboxing and settling in, took time to relax and look around. Behind the old house is a nice size pump house that has not had a pump in years but my father used it as a shop instead. I took a Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Maduro with me as I went through old items in the pump house. Walking to the back yard I sat on our old bench for a moment to light my cigar. Constant Perdomo grand construction is evident, and the cigar carries a nice deep cocoa color. Once the foot is toasted and the cigar lit, my mind is enthused by the greeting of rich wood, cocoa, spice and shortly in, hints of mild sweetness as in molasses cookies begins to appear. The smoke is bountiful and gives a smooth effect to the palate. As I enjoy the cigar, I walked into the old pump house and memories came flooding back. On one wall hung my fathers climbing spurs he used for years to climb telephone poles with as he worked with the phone company for 33 years. 

As I plunder around the pump house the cigar moves into the second third. This blend is wonderful and shows its pureness as flavors of rich high content cocoa powder move ahead mixing lusciously with dark coffee and now only a touch of smoky wood. The spice is still evident as it envelopes the flavors giving the smoker a nice combination of flavor additions in each draw. The mild sweetness I mentioned early is still present, but in the background, still the delectable molasses cookie essence, beautiful.

On one wall I find and old pair of mule bits, it’s what they would use to guide the mule as they plowed the fields. Old saws, hand drills and wood working tools showing their age. Moving a wooden crate I found the corn sheller. When I was in my early teens, my dad brought this home. Until then we shelled corn by hand and with this it made things faster. It is cast iron with a crank handle and what you did was hold an ear of corn down in it and turn the crank. As you did so, two cast iron round plates with small teeth on it would knock the kernels off the cob. If you were not careful it would get fingers too, I found that out.

Moving old things on the floor with my foot as memories flooded my mind the cigar moves into the final third. The flavors continue but the coffee backs off with the cocoa and smoky wood moving up. The spice still is wrapping the superb flavors and the sweetness now morphs into a dark black strap molasses essence. Farther into the final third, a hint of dried fruit appeared which combines perfectly in the mix. As I was leaving the pump house my foot stepped on something in a crack in the old floor, I found a pocket knife my dad lost many years ago which, for a moment, stopped me in my tracks. As I held it in my hand so many memories came pouring in. I took a deep breath and placed it in my pocket, it now has a new home. Getting back in my truck and leaving, I took the last draws from the wonderful cigar with the last showing the spice ramping up and leaving a velvety smooth finish. 

Smoke and Peace,

Gator