Brand: Perdomo Patriarch Maduro
Blender: Nick Perdomo Jr.
Vitola: Robusto
Ring Gauge: 50
Length: 5.00
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Origin: Nicaragua
MSRP: $125.99 per box of 20

Brand:

The Perdomo Patriarch Maduro is a brand that I am not completely familiar with. During some online research I was only able to come up with very generic information. This information appears to have been passed down direct from Perdomo as sales literature.

With that said, it appears as though this cigar is blended the same as the Perdomo Patriarch but sports a Maduro wrapper instead of the usual Corojo. Cigars are packaged twenty sticks to a box and are available in traditional Cuban sizes. Those sizes include a Corona Extra (46 x 5.625), Lonsdale (42 x 6.50), Robusto (50 x 5.00), Epicure (50 x 6.00), Churchill (48 x 7.00), and a Torpedo (54 x 6.50).

The blend of this stick is said to be modeled after Nick Perdomo’s fathers (Nick Perdomo Sr.) favorite blends. The makeup consists of tobacco from Esteli, Jalapa, and Condega in Nicaragua. At this point in time the Patriarch line is available as a Connecticut, Corojo, and Maduro.

Pre Light:

Before lighting up my Perdomo Patriarch Maduro, I removed it from the cellophane and gave it a quick once over. The first thing to catch my eye was the dark wrapper on this cigar. The color was deep brown with a slight oily sheen. The color and sheen were both consistent from head to foot and held a very uniform appearance.

Upon closer inspection, I found a small chip in the wrapper leaf which exposed a bit of the binder. Due to its small size, this chip did not concern me from a burning standpoint. The aroma on both the wrapper and exposed foot were rich and would best be described as barnyard-like aroma meets cocoa powder.

When pinched, the cigar was firm from head to foot and felt consistently packed. I was only able to find one small hollow spot just above the band. When handled, the toothy wrapper had a gritty sort of texture about it.

After clipping with a guillotine cutter, I moved along to check the pre light draw. What I found had some resistance to it but was not alarming. Because of the firmness of the cigar, I expected the draw to be a bit too firm to my liking. Fortunately, that was not the case.

First Third:

After about thirty minutes of smoking, I was about through the first third of my Perdomo Patriarch Maduro. The thing I find most common about this particular line of cigars is that they don’t take any time to “warm up”. By the time you take your second or third puff, the flavor begins to pop.

The same pop can be said about the body of this cigar. It seems to immediately start off in the medium range and does a very nice job of easing, ever so slightly, up the scale as the first third progresses. The finish has a slight edge to it and comes across a bit aggressive at times. The aggressiveness I’m speaking of is sort of like a mild acidic tingle (think orange or lemon juice) across the palate and broad section of the tongue.

Among the flavors presented, the most dominant is a mixture of coffee and cocoa powder. As the primary flavor begins to fade, I’m left with a sweetness that is very common among Maduro cigars. The level of flavor would best be described as full while the level of nicotine is going completely unnoticed at this time.

Second Third:

As I rounded the fifty minute mark, the second third of my Perdomo Patriarch Maduro was coming to a close. Just like I expected with previous samples, the flavor just kept on coming and never let up. The Maduro lovers out there will probably find the flavors of this stick very comfortable as they don’t seem to stray from what would be expected of this type of cigar. The main flavor component remains a mixture of coffee and cocoa powder. As the primary flavor fades, I’m left with a nice sweet taste to tie the cigar together.

The body continues to ease on up the scale but never becomes anything more than a solid medium. The finish still seems a little rough around the edges with its acidic quality. I find that this roughness can be controlled fairly easily by eating a heavier meal before smoking. In times when I’ve had food with less than bold flavor, this roughness has been more apparent.

The burn line is thin and even, for the most part. While the burn line has never had more than a slight wave, it really isn’t anything to complain about. The ash is fairly light in color and holds a nice compacted shape. The strength of that ash is a bit lacking and has a tendency to drop at less than an inch long. The draw is good with a slight bit of resistance, providing an ample supply of dense smoke.

Final Third:

After nearly ninety minutes of smoking, it was about time to wrap up my Perdomo Patriarch Maduro. The smoke time on this robusto sample seemed on par with other cigars of these proportions. The draw had a bit of resistance but provided lots of smoke with each puff. While idle in the ashtray, the amount of resting smoke was about average and the room aroma was relatively pleasant.

While the stand-out flavors didn’t change much, they did seem to become richer as the cigar grew shorter. This richness and complexity were what held my attention firm in the later stages of this cigar. The focus remained on the coffee and cocoa powder mixture which was followed up by a nice Maduro sweetness. To tie everything together, the last flavor to leave the palate is the zing of the Nicaraguan tobacco.

In terms of burning characteristics, this cigar did very well overall. No touchups or relights were required, the only minor problem to present itself was the occasional wave in the burn line. The body slowly crept up into the shallow end of full as the cigar came to a close. The finish still had a bit of edginess to it but overall it wasn’t too bad. This edginess was more apparent across the palate and went unnoticed when the smoke was passed through the sinus.

Final Thoughts:

All in all, I think that the Perdomo Patriarch Maduro is an excellent cigar that has a flavor profile that is right up my alley. From the very start, this stick delivers loads of flavor with a medium bodied texture. The paring between the two make for a well rounded and balanced smoke.

The price point makes this sick a little iffy for me. I would probably pass these up more often than I would buy them at the local B&M level. Online however, these carry a much more appealing price point. If I could manage to buy these at $4.00 and $5.00 on one of the auction sites, I could certainly see them becoming a daily smoke for me. If you are into rich Maduro flavors, you should definitely give the Perdomo Patriarch Maduro a try.

Please Note
All samples smoked for this review came
courtesy of Ace from the Stogie Review Fan Forums