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Initial Smoke

As the overly open draw hits the mouth with a firkin-load of smoke, flavors of spiced molasses cookies, leather, and some deeply fermented tobacco scents strike. There's some spiciness to the retrohale, which is amplified by the sheer amount of smoke being produced, and if it weren't for the metered amount of sweetness inside, it would be borderline eye-watering. The body of the blend is medium already, with a longer finish, leaving an oily texture on the tongue that tingles.

1st Half

Those candied dates sure do taste delicious, and are far more of a key player than the Fig Newton notes found within the unlit foot of the cigar. Vintage cedar is all over this cigar's first third, too, and it is both sappy and spicy. It may come as no surprise, but oak is also present in plentiful amounts, and this tannin-coated taste adds a dry texture over the top of those sweeter molasses coatings. Retrohales remain intense and spice-rich, with just the right amount of creaminess and caramelized sugar to keep each exhale enjoyable.

Stronger sun-grown tobacco tastes and a fresh chord of split oak strike the moment the second third is reached, simultaneously stamping out any fruitiness or date notes left inside. The texture of the smoke is far creamier, too, and this works admirably with the spice notes underneath. Retrohales have rolled into a far more balanced rhythm, turning the spicier cedar sides of the cigar into a dance between creamy, sweet, and peppery.

2nd Half

Traditional medium-powered, sun-grown cigar flavor profiles reach their pinnacle right in the center of this 60-ring-gauge smoke, and the whole experience simmers on low heat for a few minutes. This lull in the action allows the palate to recalibrate a bit, and makes for a mighty fine time to retrohale most of the smoke while the spiciness settles.

Hit the final third, and the peppery side of the blend bounces back with great gusto, and with it comes even more oak. Retrohales may have gotten sweeter and more molasses-like, but the tongue detects more dryness and stronger mulled wine spices. Although the blend sits in between medium and medium-plus, there's a sharpness to the smoke that makes me reach for my beverage more often than I would like, and the heat off the barrel is becoming a bit much.

Parting Puffs

As the oak barrel train chugs along, touches of dark dried fruit and that sticky molasses note increase to offer some balance. But there's still some sharpness to the smoke that is almost to the point of being astringent, and with a heavy nicotine buzz settling in, it is time to call it quits.

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

I have never had good luck when smoking Perdomo's "super toro" vitola. Maybe it's the squishy soft pressing, or the larger ring-gauge, or maybe a combination of the two, but the burn problems far outweigh the benefits of all that smoke. For my review cigar, this meant touch-ups in every third puff, overheating due to an overly open draw, ash flake and blooming, and a sudden extinguishing in the middle of parting puffs. Sure, the texture of the smoke was fantastic, but that isn't enough to distract me from the issues I have encountered with this vitola time and time again.

Final Thoughts

At its best, the Perdomo Reserve 10th Anniversary Sun-Grown is a clean-tasting, balanced blend of sweet, spiced, oak-forward, and molasses-rich tobacco tastes and smells. There's a fair deal of fruitiness and funk, too, in sections of the stick to keep you intrigued, and the cigar looks and smells sensational prior to lighting up. We'll let you decide if the "neo chrome" look of the band is to your liking or not...

Unfortunately, a series of combustion snafus and some seriously sharp moments in the final third and parting puffs did a lot of damage to the overall scoring of this cigar. It wasn't enough to cause me to call it quits, but when I encounter the same issues in a vitola and/or blend, I always take note. 

That is why I would recommend steering clear of the "super toro" and select one of the four other vitolas we stock. I have had near-flawless experiences with both the torpedo and the robusto version, and they offer a very similar flavor wheel to this jumbo size. That said, if you are a fan of insane amounts of smoke and like a larger cigar, go ahead and try your luck with this beast, and hopefully, you'll have a better smoke session than I did that day. 

Overall Balance & Repeatability