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Initial Smoke

Oversized servings of walnut-studded chocolate brownie, layered over hints of vanilla, cinnamon, cedar, and split oak are present within just a few short puffs once the foot is lit on this blend. Green raisins are also still in abundance, with a medium amount of earthy funk and cracked pepper on the finish. Smoke flow resistance is virtually nonexistent on these cigars, so choosing a punch or a V-cut will reward you with plenty of creamy smoke from those Cuban-seed internals.

1st Half

Stronger, darker, sweeter, and chewier chocolate flavors form the axis around which everything else revolves in the first third. This makes for a lovely top note when those green raisin tastes hit, and with the layers of farmhouse, soil, and cedar staying on the backend, the dessert side of the smoke truly is the main attraction in the first thirty minutes of the stick. It may not be the most diverse set of cigar flavor profiles, but they are properly layered and very enjoyable, especially when you factor in the texture of the smoke, which is closer to medium than full. 

But as the body of the blend builds to medium-full levels, along comes some more oak and cedar, which complements the earthy, roastier, and spicier secondary series of tasting notes. Ahead of these is a cigar flavor profile that sits squarely inside a melted medley of semisweet and milk chocolate, and a fantastic fruity flavor that takes me back to the spiced stone fruit salad my mother used to make around the holidays. Smoke production is still tremendous, and even silkier than before, proving once again that Perdomo is growing the grade of leaf that puts the word "premium" in premium cigars. 

2nd Half

Right around where the center of the cigar is being reached, two things happen. The first is the removal of the band, which, on something that is no more than 5 inches long, is entirely too large. The second thing that occurs is the realization that there is some nicotine creeping into the picture, and it's already a touch stronger than expected.

Just as potent is the flavor of espresso, which provides its own grade of bitterness, fruitiness, earthiness, and acidity. Roasty and rich in pedigree, this powerful addition to the tasting wheel may not come as a surprise, but it sure fits the bill beautifully. Fuller in body, but not to the point where I would call it heavy, the dense smoke circles between oak retrohales and sweet vanilla aftertastes, before leaving the palate with a lasting mocha note.

Parting Puffs

Bigger coffee and cacao nib flavors form a barrier against the stronger soil and fermented funk in parting puffs, and the cigar goes 100% bold on you. Spicier, heavier, darker, and a dash bitter for my personal taste, this nicotine-soaked section is a big one. It may not have any unpleasant off-flavors, but there is a fair amount of heat to the smoke, so break out that poker if you want to keep those fingertips from burning.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Every time I have smoked this cigar, I have seen a fair-to-good burn experience in the first third, a decent second third, and then a final section that always requires significant levels of correction. I find this to be true for other vitolas and not just the robusto, with overheating also being a concern as the loosely pressed blend burns.

That draw can also become an issue if you aren't careful, for flow rates are pretty much open throttle all the time, even with a punch. So while the incredibly creamy smoke that forms is top-notch, the cigar can overheat easily, so puffing with some form of restraint is required. As for the ash, it's usually a mixed bag of good, decent, and flaky build quality, and despite the thicker gauge of the barrel, it may unexpectedly drop on you.

Final Thoughts

Out of the dozen or so cigars that I reviewed that month, the Perdomo 20th Anniversary Maduro stood out as the strongest blend. Not just for flavor intensity and body, but for nicotine strength as well. It may start off on a medium platform, but by the end everything goes full, with zero sign of backing down. This has been true every time I have sparked this blend, regardless of which vitola I had selected, so you most certainly will want a full meal in you before lighting this stick up.

This, and all of the captivating chocolate, espresso, and fruit flavors and smells found in the smoke, explains why I consider this to be a marvelous after-dinner dessert cigar. You may not find any bourbon barrel-drenched flavors, but you will get a lot of sticky sweetness and some tasty oak top notes, along with a fair amount of vanilla. So while I personally would have liked to see more of those walnut brownies remaining in the picture in the second half, the shift over to espresso and spiced fruit was a damn good move, and plays perfectly with those incredibly creamy smoke textures.

But once again, burn concerns and overheating have caused a great blend from Perdomo to sabotage its chances of putting some massive points on the board. How much of this has to do with the loosely box-pressed structure of the cigar remains a mystery, but I feel that the fatty 56 ring-gauge only exacerbates the situation. So smoke with care, and savor what you encounter along the way, friends, because as long as you keep this blend burning on the cool side, you're in for a really tasty finish to the evening.