The Perdomo ESV caught my eye the other day at the shop and it occurred to me that I haven’t really smoked anything from them in a while. Nothing against the brand and, I have a drawer full of them in one of my humidors, I just don’t think to go tho them. But I digress. The Perdomo ESV is emblazoned with an ornate large double band which is what drew me to it. After looking at them for a bit I picked up a few of both the sun grown and the maduro (future article coming on that one soon) and skipped the Connecticut as I don’t generally go for those.

The wrapper is the color of milk chocolate with a subtle hint of red with a slight oil sheen to it. There is little veining and the seams are well hidden and tight. The body feels full but unlike most box pressed cigars it doesn’t have that pillowy feel to it and instead feels dense. While I stay away from describing bands since you can see what they  look like in the photo in this case it is worth noting. It has been my experience that most cigars with a large ornate band tend to be made of heavy material and become difficult to remove without damaging the body of the cigar however, this is not the case with he Perdomo ESV. The band is made from a lightweight material that comes off easily leaving no damage when you’re ready to remove it.

From the body there is the smell of cocoa and barnyard, from the foot I pick up notes of dried fruit. From the cold draw I notice spices, cedar and a slight sugary flavor. There is lite resistance but it is not loose.

In the first half it has the flavor of spice, hay, some sweetness and oak that all combine well. The burn is fairly even and it produces plenty of light weighted smoke with a great aroma. The ash is tight and holds easily for nearly an inch before I break it free.

During the second half the flavor picks up with the spice becoming greater and the addition of a nutty flavor with salt but there is still a fair amount of sweetness to it. Reaching the very end Earth and nutty flavor are the most prominent with a black pepper finish. The burn stays even for the duration and there is plenty of smoke production.

Perdomo describes their cigar this way “PERDOMO Estate Selección Vintage Limited Edition Box-Pressed is hand-crafted using the top five percent of the Perdomo family’s estate grown tobaccos from the prestigious Finca Natalie Farm in Estelí, Nicaragua. The PERDOMO ESV Limited Edition Box-Pressed is an elegant smoking experience with rich aromas and bold, complex flavors. cigar, easy draw makes it easy to smoke.”  I found this to be a fairly Mello smoke and thoroughly enjoyed it. If you see them at your B&M these are worth picking up a few. once you Strat smoking it you will ned up nubbing it, not because it’s a $12 stick but because it’s that good. Looking forward to trying the maduro.