If there was ever a cigar that I was ready to love, it is the Lot 23 by Perdomo. From its lovely wrapper and exquisite ‘30s style sketch on the band to the idea of a cigar lovingly crafted from tobaccos grown on a single farm, Perdomo created a romantic appeal that is hard to resist.

Including details such as the name of the farm supervisor and when the tobacco was fermented and aged, Perdomo seems to have taken a leaf from the playbook of vintners and purveyors of single-origin coffee. Just holding the stick brought on images of the many people involved in making a fine stogie, from the fields to the factories.

The pre-light aroma was soft and pleasant. The six inch toro I bought for $4.50 at a local shop clipped and lit perfectly. The draw on the 50 ring gauge was smooth. Construction, from cap to foot, would match cigars costing four or five times as much.

The problem came with the flavor. At first, I noticed a pleasing spice on my lips, but that quickly dissipated. What followed was an odd combination of pepper and dryness for about the first third of the cigar. After that, the taste leveled off to such a mild level I found myself drawing deeply to try to find flavors of any kind. But the dryness didn’t fade, so I drank glass after glass of water.

Perdomo touts the cigar as medium to full, with the Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper adding “an elegant creaminess which complements the robust Nicaraguan fillers.” I would have to disagree on nearly all counts.

I am looking forward to the introduction of the Lot 23 maduro. Perhaps it will better suit my palate. I hope so. It really is a beautiful stick, but the lack of flavor means the Perdomo Lot 23 Toro only earns three out of five stogies.

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-George E

Tags: cigars