Perdomo Legacy Maduro Staff Review
Perdomo Legacy is the newest line in the Perdomo portfolio, and I’m smoking the Legacy Maduro in a 6-by-54 Epicure for today’s review. This hearty smoke hails from Nicaragua, where brand founder Nick Perdomo operates a growing network of farms and a modern factory in Estelí. The Legacy series is distinct from other Perdomo cigars as Nick’s son, Nicholas Perdomo III, blended the collection in honor of his father’s 60th birthday.
Not only are Legacy series cigars blended by Nicholas III, but he also chose a special new hybrid tobacco that the company hasn’t used previously. The crop was created from Cuban and Cameroon seeds grown in Nicaragua under shade. Legacy Maduro features the new hybrid tobacco as the binder, as does the Legacy Connecticut blend. For the third cigar in the line, Legacy Shade Grown, the new tobacco is utilized for the wrapper. For Legacy Maduro, Nicholas III completed the blend with well-aged Nicaraguan long-fillers, grown in Estelí, Condega, and Jalapa. The whole package is finished in an oily Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper aged for ten years and matured for an additional fourteen months in a bourbon barrel.
The Legacy Maduro is available in five chunky sizes, handcrafted at the Perdomo factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Nicholas III chose an ornate design for the boxes and bands for the Legacy series. Vivid red, gold, and blue details sparkle around the Perdomo logo. The cigars come in 24-count boxes, except the 6-by-60 Gran Belicoso, which comes in a 10-count box. When I choose an Epicure from a new box, the cigar’s wrapper shimmers with a dark, chocolaty complexion, and the cigar is firm from head to foot when I give it a gentle pinch.
With the cellophane removed, Perdomo Legacy Maduro emits a hearty aroma of leather, bittersweet chocolate, and damp soil with hints of pepper. After slicing the cap with my Xikar Enso cutter, the cold draw offers tasting notes of vanilla, cedar, and gourmet coffee. My initial impression is that Legacy Maduro is bold but balanced and offers the hallmarks of quality for which Perdomo cigars are known.
After slowly toasting the foot, a solid profile of charred oak and chocolate picks up as the binder, filler, and wrapper start to combust at a smooth and even pace. Pronounced notes of crushed red pepper flakes and cedar linger in the nose. After ten minutes, tasting notes of espresso bean and leather round out the cigar’s spicy intonations on the back end. A subtle sweetness intensifies.
After thirty-five minutes, Legacy Maduro resonates with a delicious profile of chocolate and espresso over a strong foundation of cedar. Hints of minerals settle on the palate throughout a big, complex smoke. The draw has been perfect from the first puff throughout the second half. A stable ash keeps the foot of the cigar burning at a cool and mellow pace.
Perdomo Legacy Maduro deserves a 92-point score in my book. The Epicure performed flawlessly, and its flavor ranks up there with the best Perdomo cigars I’ve ever smoked. The finish was bold, smooth, and satisfying right up until the cigar expired in my ashtray after more than an hour of smoking. Its flavor transitions were tasteful and swift, offering a healthy complexity in the blend.
The Legacy series is an exciting new project, as Nicholas III proves that his instincts for crafting great cigars are worthy of the ‘Legacy’ name. Add the Legacy Maduro to your next order and smoke it slowly with a vintage whiskey. The newest cigar from Perdomo is one you won’t want to put down.
