Staff Reviews

Nick Perdomo is widely known for his super-high-end handmades, including Edicion de Silvio, ESV '91 and the amazing La Tradicion series. However, some of our top-selling brands happen to be his value-priced blends, like Slow-Aged Lot 826 and Tierra del Sol. It's clear, Tabacalera Perdomo can craft a top-notch smoke for enthusiasts of all shapes, sizes and incomes. He furthers this point with Perdomo Lot 23, a beautiful Nicaraguan blend with a generous, middle of the road price point.

Here’s the scoop. Perdomo Lot 23 is named after a small farm owned by Nick Perdomo. On this farm, every leaf of tobacco found in every Lot 23 cigar is grown. One may think, so what’s the big deal? In the words of Nick himself, “lemme tell ya something...” The luxury of using tobaccos from multiple farms aids consistency. If a certain crop from one farm is bad or doesn’t provide the color, quality or flavor needed to make a particular cigar, the maker can easily use leaves grown from another farm to deliver the same experience you’ve become accustomed to. Nick does not have this luxury with Lot 23, but his strict quality control measures combined with an uncanny ability to grow superior tobaccos with each crop more than make up for it.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I thoroughly enjoy Perdomo Lot 23. I’ve burned my way through two boxes and am currently 8 cigars into my third. (The price point makes this pleasantly cumbersome habit quite convenient – more on that later.) Each cigar has performed perfectly. A perfect draw, razor sharp burn, smooth, cool flavor and amazing consistency. Every cigar has been medium-bodied from start to finish, coating my palate with rich, creamy flavors. Peanuts and light espresso are apparent, with a subtle earthiness at the end. No twists and turns here, just a solid, straightforward flavor that’s far from boring. This truly is a cigar you can puff on all day long; believe me, I’ve been doing it for weeks.

The best thing about Lot 23 is the price. The MSRP ranges from $4.25 to $5 a stick! Of course, we then sell it for even less. Because of this, Perdomo Lot 23 scores huge points in my book.

I must say, it’s been some time since I’ve last enjoyed the wonder that is the Partagas Black and I owe it all to an email I received from Angela who requested that I provide some thoughts on this blend. I think we all have tendency to write reviews on cigars we enjoy on a regular basis so when I received this request to review the Partagas Black, I was all too happy to oblige! For my review I choose to smoke the 6X54 Magnifico size. Generally speaking, I prefer cigars with ample ring gauges to those with thinner rings because the smoke is typically cooler which allows more of the nuances and flavors to present themselves. This is doubly important in my opinion with a cigar that is as full-bodied as the Partagas Black.

As is usual procedure, I scampered into CI’s cavernous humidor and nabbed myself a 5’er of the Magnifico. Arriving back at my desk I opened the bag and pulled all 5 samples to compare them for construction. What I found was pretty typical of many cigars produced by General Cigar. Each stick was solid yet not overfilled and gave slightly with a little pressure from my fingers. I couldn’t find any “knots” that would indicate an issue with the draw so I cut two of them and found both to draw well. I grabbed my trusty torch, lightly toasted the foot and was greeted by a pleasant aroma followed by a slight peppery sensation in my nose. Upon lighting the cigar I found the flavors to be quite smooth and almost buttery in texture. At approximately the one inch mark I noticed a distinct change in the overall character of the cigar. The smooth and buttery texture that was so pronounced in the first few draws gave way to a more robust flavor that was accented by a slightly peppery finish. No doubt this is attributable to the sungrown wrapper and generous helping of Cuban-seed ligero filler! At the half-way mark the cigar has graduated entirely from smooth and buttery to a full-bodied and spicy powerhouse that almost leaves your eyes tearing and your head dizzy with delight! The Partagas Black may not fit the bill for your first smoke of the day but, after a good dinner or accompanied by a stiff drink it has all the makings of a very enjoyable experience. For those of you who slobber all over yourself when you see or hear mention of the fabled and overrated Opus X, I urge you to give the Partagas Black its due diligence. I think the Black is a very comparable alternative and is readily available to you at an affordable everyday price. Sure it may not have a colorful or ornate a band as the Opus but then again, it doesn’t have that ridiculous price tag that accompanies that band either.

Bottom Line – Bang for the buck the Partagas Black will deliver by the truckload. General Cigar has been in the cigar game for a very long time and is a company that prides itself on quality and its ability to produce consistent and well-constructed cigars year after year. As a side note – if you fall in love with the Partagas Black, make sure you try the 5 Vegas Series ‘A’. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

Davidoff is a name that needs no introduction. Whether you’ve managed to pony up the dough and buy one for yourself or not, there’s no doubt you’ve heard the name at least a hundred times over. Davidoff, founded by the late Zino Davidoff, is a symbol of pleasure and the good life. Well, naturally...you have to have a ‘good life’ to enjoy a Davidoff cigar with any type of regularity.

I think I have a pretty good life. I work for the greatest cigar retail company on earth and enjoy a wide variety of premium, hand-rolled cigars from around the world on a daily basis. And, it’s part of my job description to do so. But, I am always open to bettering my quality of life, so I decided to see if Zino Davidoff could help me out with his Zino Platinum.

I purchased a ‘drum’ of Zino Platinum Scepter Series in the Grand Master size. A stout, 5.5” x 52 robusto shape wrapped in a shimmering Connecticut-seed leaf from Ecuador. This wrapper is exceptionally smooth with small veins and a nice, caramel hue. Inside, the Dominican and Peruvian long-fillers give off a sweet, but subtle aroma. The flavor opens nicely, smooth and woody. These woody (I’d say cedary) undertones dominate throughout the smoke. A hint of white pepper develops on the aftertaste about an inch in, welcoming my taste buds to Peru. This aftertaste diminishes within just a few seconds after each puff, but remains a prominent element of the cigar’s flavor profile until the end. The aroma is soft and pleasant, filling the office along with thick, billowing clouds of white smoke overhead. Strength...it hardly grows beyond the upper tier of gentle, while the flavors neither grow more intense, nor change. It's like a perfect dive in the Olympics losing points for a big splash on entry. The potential was there.

I’ve burned my way through half the drum over the past 3 days, and each Grand Master has performed in the same manner. Incredible consistency, one which smooth-bodied fans will drool over and appreciate after each cigar. Me, I just wanted more...something magical to happen. Don’t get me wrong. I won’t hesitate to finish the drum and will enjoy the Scepter Series for what it is: an elegant, smooth-bodied cigar. But, I also know this cigar will not do a hearty meal or tough day at the office justice. If you’re a fan of Macanudo, consider this a well-deserved step up in the food chain. If you’re like me and want to be “wow’d”, seek elsewhere.