Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Epicure Champagne

Perdomo 10th

I've been smoking cigars for quite some time. That said, I have not smoked a ton of Perdomos. From my limited experience with the Lot 23s, I'm aware the brand is known for great construction and consistency. Therefore, I'm quite excited by the opportunity to review the Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Epicure Champagne.

Pre-light
The presentation of the 10th Anniversary is pretty impressive, what with its golden cellophane and detailed cigar band. The cigar has an absolutely flawless Connecticut wrapper, which is topped by a perfectly constructed double cap.

I don't typically smell my cigars, as some of the greatest tasting cigars smell like a barnyard. However, for the sake of this review, I will go ahead and add this silly step to my pre-light routine. I can quickly tell from the fragrance that this is more of a mild to medium sort of cigar. As I smell the stick, I am getting slight hints of sweetness mixed in with a mild barnyard scent.

The pinch test reveals that this cigar has been kept perfectly humidified, with little to no hard or soft spots evident to the touch.

I use a perfect cut to cut this stick, which does just as advertised. The cap snips off ideally, revealing a nice easy draw. And the pre-light draws are giving me strong hints of sweetness, cocoa and latte.

The light
The cigar is a bit stubborn to get going, but nothing that my Zippo Insert can't handle. During the lighting process, and contrary to expectations, some spice comes through - not an overpowering spice, but still rather pleasant.

The smoke
The stick starts out with a bit of a spice (as previously mentioned). However, that characteristic quickly dissipates and mellows out. Smoke billows out with every drag that I take – something I enjoy from my cigars. Through the first part of the cigar, the flavors are mild but very enjoyable. I taste strong tobacco along with some hints of coffee with cream. The flavor continues to mellow, which I find quite enjoyable.

The ash, a mixture of grey and dark grey, is sturdy, and falls off around the 2.5-inch mark. Overall, the burn on this cigar is fantastic. I need to relight the cigar only once – likely my fault and not the cigar's.

Final thoughts
This is a truly enjoyable mild to medium strength cigar. The Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Epicure Champagne does a great job of keeping the smoker interested with its billowing smoke and complex flavors. I definitely recommend this cigar!

Rated on Cigar Weekly's 10 puff scale
Prelight: 7
Light: 7
Draw: 10
Construction: 9
Flavor: 8
Power: 5
Overall: 7.6 /10

Special thanks to CigarsCity.com, who sought out our assistance in providing an unbiased review of these Perdomo cigars. CigarsCity.com is an online cigar shop based in Knoxville, Tennessee.