Perdomo Edicion de Silvio Maduro Torpedo

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Perdomo Edicion de Silvio Maduro Torpedo

Today’s review is another trip down the Rodeo Drive aisle of the humidor with what has been called the Perdomo family’s crowning tobacco achievement, the Edicion de Silvio. Created with a secret blend of rare cuban-seed tobaccos, this uber premium cigar was produced in Nicaragua to commemorate Nick Perdomo’s late grandfather, Silvio Perdomo who worked for both H. Upmann and Partagas in Cuba. Reportedly the tobaccos for these cigars began their aging process back in 1997 in 50-year old spiced oak casks. I’m not sure how the age of the casks is important, but that’s the scoop, and it sounds impressive.

There’s not too much more to tell about this cigar, and unfortunately, no clever back story as to why I selected this cigar either. To be honest, I saw these in a local shop recently, and recoiled as though burned when I saw the price tag. I hadn’t heard anything about them in the past, and resolved to find an affordable way to review them. A few months and some aggressive cigar auction bidding later I’m ready to check ’em out. Time to bring the fire.

Cigar Stats:
Size: 6.1 x 54
Wrapper: Unknown
Binder: Unknown
Filler: Unknown
Smoking Time: 2 hours
Beverage: Water
Price: MSRP $25

The Pre-Smoke
This sharply pointed torpedo is a great looking cigar. A very dark wrapper with fine veins, smooth, very firm and free of any obvious imperfections. And like most of Perdomo’s smokes, it’s decorated with a beautiful and intricate band that really flatters the stick. It’s almost a shame it comes in cellophane, but considering how clumsy I can be, I also appreciate the additional wrapper protection.

The scent of the wrapper was a tangy compost with a little bit of chocolate. I noticed that the foot had the customary potent hay aroma, but with noticeable chocolate notes as well. After a quick slightly angled cut I tasted more chocolate in the cold taste.

The Burn
The Edicion de Silvio’s only crime in this department was an often seriously uneven burn. We’re not talking a little uneven, but really off at points. But the blow was softened a bit by the cigar’s tendency to self correct. The torch was on standby, but I never had to call it into duty.

The ash itself was beautiful combination of really light whites and darker shades of gray. (Up close it’s not quite as light as it appears in the tower of burn.) It was solid, and just looked great against the dark maduro wrapper leaf.

The draw was also fine, but I found that due to the taper of the torpedo, it was easy to clip the cigar too lean. The first cigar I smoked for this review I probably did not clip deeply enough.

The Flavor
I did notice a difference in flavors between the cigars I smoked for this review, and I think it had to do with the difference in cuts. Halfway through the first cigar, I considered re-clipping, but then decided to instead compare notes with the next one. Generally speaking, the leaner cut cigar was a bit sweeter all around.

The first third opened with a rich combination of flavors, cocoa, nuts a bit of earth and cinnamon, before settling into a predominantly black coffee flavor. The cigar became sweeter as it neared the second third, producing sweet coffee, nougat and caramel notes. There also seemed to be a hint of spices throughout this third, but it was hard to put my finger on just what it was.

Chocolate and smoother cocoa flavors took center stage in the second third. At the beginning of this third there was a great moment of leather, smoky coffee and caramel that was very impressive.

By the beginning of the final third, the chocolate had transitioned into a velvety cocoa that had a great texture that’s difficult to describe. The spices (possibly a little bit of cinnamon) were back shortly and then the cigar moved back into darker coffee and chocolate flavors.

The Price
No matter how nuanced the flavor, aged the tobacco, skilled the roller or rare the cigar, I can’t justify $25 for a single cigar. That isn’t to say I haven’t paid that much before, because I have. But generally it’s been on a whim or under special circumstances. Like enjoying a rare stogie with seldom-seen friends at Casa Fuente in Vegas. The rest of the time, there are just too many fantastic sticks available at half the price (or less) to justify the cost.

The Verdict
The Edicion de Silvio is a great looking cigar with very enjoyable nuanced flavors. The fact that I was thinking in terms of “texture” in the final third of the cigar was proof enough to me there’s quality stuff under that pretty band. As the tower of burn will show, I nubbed this cigar every time. The only problem is, that quality stuff carries a heavy price, one that eclipses my enjoyment of the cigar. If it were half the price, it’d be a cigar I would buy again occasionally, and would probably recommend to others to try.

Liked It: Yes
Buy It Again: No
Recommend It: Maybe. As the popular ad slogan goes, what’s in your wallet?

Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.




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enjoying cigars since 1997

15 thoughts on “Perdomo Edicion de Silvio Maduro Torpedo

  1. Awesome review and great cigar but sure as heck not for that price LOL!!! Fortuneately I got a few five packs a long time ago from that evil site before people figured out they were good heh

  2. Nice review. I have noticed these often, but haven’t pulled the trigger. The price is just way too high. Maybe I’ll put a few low bids out there. I may get lucky.

  3. just got some of these from the devil site in the natural wrapper for 9 dollars a piece. amazing cigar for 9 bucks. 25 bucks….. I dunno about that

  4. I also have scored a Nat, Maduro, and Cameroon all for $9. I have yet to smoke them, though. I’d never pay $25 for a cigar unless I was on vacation and it was something REALLY special!

  5. Thanks for all the comment love guys!

    Yeah, at $9, this is a cigar that I’d buy more of and would recommend them to others. In fact, I cleared out the stock at a local shop that was discontinuing them at $10. Unfortunately, none were the maduro. But I was also impressed with the one I smoked (I believe it was a Cameroon).

  6. Nice review Brian. I have had these in the natural and the maduro and they are pretty good, but to me they seem very similar to the Perdomo ESV91 line. That is a lot more price freindly IMO.

  7. Nice review! I was particularly interested in the fact that your cut made the cigar taste different, as I never knew that could happen! At $25 a stick, the wife would divorce me..lol. Maybe if I can find a couple on the devil site at $9 or less, I might pull the trigger (when she isnt looking 😉 )

    Mike

  8. Mike – KnightRid,
    The way you cut a cigar will have some impact on the flavor, as it will alter the flow and volume of smoke. In this particular case, the leaner clip seemed to be replicating the experience of a very tight draw. It seemed be be simplifying the flavors by preventing some of the smoke from getting through, or through in enough quantity to register.

    Joe,
    I’ll have to check out the ESV91 line. If the flavor profile is similar and the costs reduced, I think we have a winner!

  9. Brian, first off, great review. I love the difference in your review and what a rag like CA publishes. I can’t believe sometimes that that magazine claims they don’t cater to advertisers. Maybe it isn’t there job to comment on value when it obviously isn’t there, but I think it is a big part of the overall picture.

    That said, I think Perdomo has come up in quality dramatically in the past four or five years. Now they are starting to remind of me of a house like Padron. I guess that means you need to explore these upper price regions from the point of building a brand identity. Thanfully, they have quite a few very reasonably priced sticks such as the 10th Anniversary that gives a true “world class” stick at less than Padron prices.

    Back to the Edicion de Silvio…I will now seek this cigar out as your review confirms that this will stand with many of the best available no matter where they originate. I will, of course, seek to get some kind of better price than retail and that will mean I may wait and wait to do so. The robusto size seems to be the gentler one on the wallet so I will attempt to find some of those. Not long ago I was gifted a Perdomo Patriarch and that solidified my thoughts the 10th Anniversary wasn’t at all unusual: That is that Perdomo is now one of the finest Non-Cuban brands out there. Thanks for the info on this stick. I’ll definitely comment back if I snag some.

    1. Hi James. 12 years ago when this review was published, the MSRP was $25/stick. A lot has changed since then. Including Perdomo famously reducing prices across the board some years ago, and re-releasing discontinued lines like this one.

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