The Perdomo 20th Anniversary Maduro – “WHOA.”

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I sat down with the Perdomo 20th (Maduro) on the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, right as floods began invading Austin and before we realized what kind of damage would be done here and in the surrounding area. It also happened to be my birthday weekend, and I had looked forward to the Perdomo for some time. Stephen has smoked it before, but it’s never before been reviewed on the site. It was a hell of a birthday gift.

Some smokes take time to develop, only revealing their true characters at the end of the last third or even later. The Perdomo immediately hit me with a wallop of rich cocoa flavor. I quote, from my notebook, “WHOA!” The cigar has a slightly flattened shape, but if I feared that the Perdomo would resemble the disaster that was the Alec Bradley Puro Diamond Cut, that anxiety was instantly put to rest.

On the second third, the rich cocoa mellowed out into more of a milk chocolate flavor. The Perdomo features amazing, prolific smoke production, and it was a still night in between the rainstorms, making it a perfect atmosphere for smoke rings. The flavor grew less bold and more nuanced, with dried cherries threaded or coating throughout the chocolate. If you’d described that to me it wouldn’t be my first choice, but trust me on this. Light coffee flavors also complimented this part of the cigar.

Finally, the last third deepened into something richer, with more heavy syrup. The smoke was almost liquid. When I stood up to take a quick break, I realized how woozy the Perdomo had turned me. Normally these kinds of smokes are few and far between for me, and I definitely respect the power that the Perdomo 20ths possess.  And since I had been drinking a coffee, there was no element of other intoxicants there to muddle (or enhance, depending on who you ask) the experience.

With a price hovering around $8.00 per single, the Perdomo 20th Anniversary Maduro is an immediate buy. Enjoy the flavors, the boldness, and getting your ass kicked.

The CAO LX2: Tricky Draw But Alluring Flavor Through and Through

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The CAO LX2 (which stands for “ligero times two”) prides itself on its potency. A hybrid across the board, the cigar sports Dominican and Nicaraguan longleaf filler, a Honduran binder leaf, and a relatively dark Nicaraguan wrapper. Like a custom computer or a built-for-speed automobile, the combination suggests a smoke with unique potential, maximizing for enjoyment and pulling together its disparate characteristics to create something better than its parts.

I had hoped this was the case for the CAO LX2. I’ve enjoyed different lines from CAO in the past, and the Brazilia “Gol!” cigar was one of my go-to favorites during my time in the humidor. I lit this CAO on the back porch with Stephen earlier this April.

The burn took a little adjusting. The fire wanted to canoe to one side, but that’s just a simple matter of turning the cigar the correct way. After some maintenance, the LX2 settled down. The first third tasted rich, woodsy, and with more than a generous helping of black pepper. There’s not a lot of spice in the LX2, otherwise – just a solid heft of flavor that floats along smoothly and without fuss. While still avoiding the canoeing issue, the second third transitioned into something toastier and sweeter. This is one of the cool things about smoking cigars: certain things are delicious that might sound odd if combined in actual ingredients for a meal. The second third sported a graham cracker-like crust or toast, but also had earthy and sweeter tones of wheat and hay. It’s a transporting aspect.

Unfortunately, the issues with the burn continued for the remainder of the cigar. By the final third, I was tending to the LX2 as much as I was noting its flavors and experience. The draw seemed quite tight, tighter than most cigars I’ve enjoyed, but the flavor remained worth it. After the woodsiness of the first third and golden wheat of the second, the finish seemed something like a chalky dark chocolate. Dry, almost powdery and bitter, but still delicious.

Remember the potency we’d expected at the beginning? Maybe I’m just a nicotine fiend, but this cigar did little to knock me over, such as, say, the Perdomo 20th might (which we will review next week). Still, the tastes were involving and out of the ordinary, the maintenance was not too big of an issue, and the price point on these remain reasonable from $6-8. Distributors in our area (Central Texas) are out at the moment, but pick the CAO LX2 up here if you need it sooner than later. Flavor-hounds, rejoice in this custom-built cigar.

Whisky Wednesday: Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition

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Happy Whisky Wednesday Dear Readers!

Today’s journey of the pallet takes us back to the land without the “e” – Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition Blended Scotch Whisky.

I admit to being a naturally skeptical man, especially with regards to Cutty as it has not always agreed with me, but seeing as how it was Lyndon B. Johnson’s drink of choice, I was compelled to honor my favorite president by giving “The Real McCoy” another shot (pun intended).

Despite the black, intimidating label, Prohibition is light in color – a cool compromise between honey and amber. The lightness in basketbal kleding kopen appearance is matched by the softness of its flavor – smooth, slightly sweet, and without a hint of peat.

Be warned though, this whisky was designed to evade the likes of Eliot Ness, and that ruggedness is reflected in its 100 proof. I say bring on the proof! Fortune favors the bold, and the readers of Cigar & Whiskey are nothing if not adventurous.

But as always, further research is needed…