This evening, the Nubbit brothers share a long-smoking Perdomo, and gab about foreign culture and political weather. Plus the usual drinks and snacks.
Punch: This is to be my first Perdomo, and I got this one at Big Sticks in Mesa. Oddly enough, the week after I got this, I attended a Perdomo event at The Tinder Box in Mesa and picked up eight other Perdomos — all different.
Draw: I prompted Punch to this purchase when I couldn’t pass by this cigar on display at the Cigar Room, Lee’s Summit. A very deep, rich brown, and the 20th Anniversary band suggested strong quality and flavor. After warming it on my laptop’s heat-sink, it has an earthy, organic aroma, slightly sweet.
P: Yes, a rich brown with a matte finish – no sheen. Slightly box pressed. I’m getting a fruity aroma from it, but the prelight draw is very indistinct and tight.
D: I agree, it’s a moderately tight dry draw. The taste, I’d liken to green coffee and new leather. The construction appears superb, with a double-offset cap, which punched perfectly. It really is an amazing color. I’m toasting it, and maybe it’s the cooler temperatures here, but I’m getting nothing new from the warming.
P: Yeah, me neither. I guess maybe we should light this baby up, then?
D: Yeah! Hmm.… that’s a tough light. I’ve got to blow while applying flame. I’m observing that the filler is very tightly bunched. It’s a good solid bundle of tobacco.
P: Nice. Chocolate, cream, a little pepper. It reminds me of one of my favorite sticks, the Villiger Colorado, only with some pepper added in.
D: Mmm, yes. And an excellent coffee. Not espresso, but a good, full bodied coffee. My first impression was “smooth” but just into this, I’m already getting white pepper edginess on the middle of my tongue. Smooth attack with coffee, middle spice, and lingering finish of fine chocolate.
I did a quick touch up; from my rough light, it got started a little faster on one side than the other. Nothing major.
P: A very nice first impression.
Well, I started a new book yesterday — Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. I’m about a fifth into it. Here’s a description from Wikipedia: “A military science fiction novel.” “Set in Earth’s future, the novel presents an imperilled mankind that has barely survived two conflicts with the “Buggers”, an insectoid alien species. In preparation for an anticipated third invasion, an international fleet maintains a school to find and train future fleet commanders.” These future fleet commanders are 6 year-olds with very high intelligence and aptitude – it very interesting how they are recruited.
D: So it’s like the young warriors in Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers”? Not that I’ve read the original, but I watched the movie. I’ve been told I should read that series (Ender’s Game), and not just because of the pending movie.
I share my living quarters with a John Grisham fan, and I just picked up an early edition of “The Partner”. Grisham’s writing has already been well documented by others; suffice it to say I’m in that group of people who enjoys his style. I’m only into chapter three, but the tension is already quite high. On a relevant degree of separation, one of the towns which the protagonist party is fleeing through is Curitiba, Brazil, which is also the hometown of my foreign exchange sister, Amanda.
Punch: Hey, brother, I have a foreign exchange sister named Amanda, too!
This Perdomo has quickly brought in some nuttiness and some leather into the mix…
D: I have not been letting it idle much, because I’m really enjoying the flavor. However, I would note that the smoke-away is probably everything that non-cigar-smokers hate about cigar smoke; it smells of grandfather’s stale socks, and fish. I’m only three-quarter inch in and the ash is holding on well, but it is a little flakey across my lap and keyboard. The burn line is… not perfect. Let’s see if it corrects on its own.
P: It is now getting leatheryer and spicer, and the chocolate is diminishing. And, I haven’t had anything to eat yet. Let’s see, rice crispy treat, or brown-sugar pop tart? I’m feeling like a crispy — AND a pop tart! Nom nom nom.
D: I’m not eating anything with — yet. I just came from an abundance of food, particularly brisket sandwiches at the graduation reception for my second-cousin, Harrison. Amanda also graduated today; both of them from Plainville High, home of the Cardinals. She is off at the reception for her boyfriend. Amanda will be leaving this coming week, but will be going to New York with her natural mom for a week before heading back to Brazil.
All that to say: but, I am drinking the standby, Batch 19. The sweetness of the cigar strips the sweetness of the beer, leaving more of the hops, but the chocolate aftertaste of the cigar remains. On the quick redraw, the cigar flavor comes right back. Nothing masked or mellowed. Full cigar enjoyment. …and, I just lost my ash a little over an inch in.
P: OK, now I’m going to open a Warsteiner Oktoberfest which I’ve been able to keep around from when it was in season 6 months ago. Mmmm. That is a nice parring.
Into the second third I’m beginning to detect a slight cedar.
D: Me, too. Still chocolate on the finish, but the attack and middle are mostly mild cedar for me. And, I’ve been working this pretty hard, and I’m not even halfway. I have been having some trouble with tunnelling, leaving the wrapper behind, and I chalk that up to the humidity — we’ve a series of strong storms passing through. I must say that I wish I were able to keep Oktoberfest around, but they seem to evaporate steadily in my presence.
These were large thunderstorms, part of a line running up from Oklahoma. Normal, or at least what we think of as normal, weather for Kansas. One passed over the reception, and did little more than drive everyone to shelter in the garage for about 10 minutes. Half an hour later though, the second cell started brewing overhead. It was robbing energy off of the first, and there was definitely some rotation, but it failed to get organized. It did manage to dump nearly 80/100ths of an inch, and sent many people to their cars and ultimately their homes.
Too bad the whole thing was driven by HAARP.
P: Um… right… At the halfway point I have a half-inch differential on the burn which I’m touching up. And now I’ve had my second ash drop.
And in the last third, now, and cedar is dominating, although the overall flavor is not particularly strong — with some pepper on the finish. Additionally, I’m on the cusp of “feeling” it. With an inch and a half remaining mine unexpectedly went out, after a relatively brief break.
D: I’m just crossing that two-inch line. I agree with your flavor take. I’m seeing just a little flaking or unraveling of the wrapper. The burn line has been pretty irregular, but it touches up easily, if often — again, I fault the weather, not the cigar. I am getting a nice buzz off of this, and this is surprising for such a short cigar, but I’m also pushing two hours on this smoke, which is very uncommon for my experience. A touch of lip tingle. I am leaning heavily on my Batch 19, both to moderate the buzz, and to prop myself from falling over.
P: With an inch to go I’m going to let mine idle out. My last puff left me with a mild chocolate on the finish — a nice note to go out on.
D: Given the long smoking time, I was ready to let this go out about an inch ago. But I felt to be consistent with our reviews, I needed to stoke the nub. With about an inch and a half to the burn line (maybe less), the flavor remains consistent cedar with the chocolate finish barely detectable. However, I do note the addition of a toasty sweetness – maybe toasted pecan. It’s a nice addition in the attack-to-middle flavor, and a pleasant counter to the cedar. I’m glad I gave it the chance.
Burn it or Spurn it?
Punch: This is definitely a burner. In the $8.50 range it isn’t what I would call a “value” smoke, but not a “premium” smoke, either. Regardless of the cost, this was a real nice smoke — there is a lot to like about it: a great start, good complexity, and it doesn’t build to an overpowering strength in the end. I’m looking forward to trying the sun grown wrapper version of this one.
Draw: I agree. I really like this cigar. I thought at first this could be a breakfast cigar, but I rarely have two hours to devote to breakfast. The first third had a strong coffee flavor, with the chocolate, both suggesting the impact of caffeine; a good wake-me-up appeal. As the cedar grew, it’s the long burn time that really surprised me. It was also a nice smoke, then, to end this wonderful spring evening. I may look at stocking several for when the time comes upon me.