La Tradicion Cabinet Series, Perdomo Reserve “R� (Repost)

[punch]

This is a repost of a previous review deleted in the server crash.

These cigars are a trip back into the days when I smoked my first premium cigars. One of my favorite cigars was the La Tradicion “C” with its Nicaraguan filler and binder and Cameroon wrapper. This double corona with its silver band was a real treat, and at the $7.00+ a stick that I was paying for them at a local B&M, I reserved them only for special occasions.

Recently, I have been trying to find more of these excellent Perdomos, but have not had much luck. The silver-banded series just does not seem to be out there. I did, however, find some white and red banded La Tradicion cigars, and these are what I am reviewing at this time.

I ordered two five packs of the “R” (Robusto) sized Perdomos, one white banded and one red. The first one that I tested was the white-banded version which differs from the silver-banded in that it is a Nicaraguan puro, with a Cuban seed Nicaraguan wrapper instead of the Cameroon. The red-banded cigar that I tested is also a puro, but the wrapper is a Nicaraguan maduro rather than the Colorado Maduro or EMS wrapper of the white-banded version. This review is applicable for both cigars since the strength of the blend overpowers the wrapper, and there really is no difference to my taste buds between the two.

To start with, these cigars are very well made. The wrappers are perfect and they feel like the guys at the Punch factory must have rolled them. There is little room in these cigars for more tobacco! The caps are excellent and don’t even think of unraveling when cut. The band is quite beautiful, but has to be removed since it takes up nearly half of the “R” sized cigar. In aesthetics alone, these cigars appear to be worth far more than the $3.75 a stick that I paid for them. They also do not skimp in size. This stick measures out at 5 X 54, which is a pretty stout ring gauge for a robusto.

The Pedomo La Tradicion is not only a looker, it is a plain good tasting cigar. I am not normally partial to Nicaraguan puros, as they tend to be too strong and harsh for me. These cigars are no exception when it comes to the strong part. I needed to slow down to keep from getting a sour stomach after smoking them. Burn is excellent and slow, giving off a lot of smoke. The good burn is surprising given the large ring gauge and reasonable cost of this cigar.

Given the excellent construction and performance of this cigar, as well as its full flavor, I rated these cigars a solid “A”. As I stated earlier, I could not really tell the difference between the Maduro and the EMS version of the cigar in taste. The red-banded maduro was just a little darker version of the white-banded cigar. This stick is a bit strong for me to keep as a “go to” every day cigar, but there will certainly be some of these in my humidor for special occasions. And one day, I hope to run into some more of the silver-banded versions again. That would make things complete.

[SmokusMaximus]

Nice review. I just added some of the Perdomo lines to my humi. I want to let them rest for a bit before trying them out. I got about 5 lines so I just can't wait...

I like medimum to full bodied cigars but I'm starting to look for something just a tad lighter for drive home type smoke. I'm finding that my nic sticks are just too heavy for empty stomach herfing.

[punch]

While these are not as strong as the ERDM or the Gand Habana, they are no DR either. These are still NIC puros, or NIC with a Cammie wrapper. I had one of the Cameroon wrapped silver labeled belicosos last night before I went to bed, and that left me a little queezie in the gut. And that was after working up to it (big dinner a couple of hours before, a Monte Afrique about an hour before, and a glass of Booker's while smoking it)! I had a Punch Elite on the way to work this morning, on an empty stomach, and have had no problems. You may want to give the Honduran cigars a try.

[SmokusMaximus]

I love the cammie wrappers!

I just had a Reserva Maxima Robusto by Puros Indios on the way home from work to day. I thought it would be a dog as I had never heard much on Puros Indios, but it was a decent smoke. It wasn't a great write home about it stick, but it was plesent. At least the first 4 inches was, it got nasty after that and I had to turn it into bug food.

You're advice on Hondurans was right on.

[Jeff]

Just had a Perdomo La Tradicion Reserva Cameroon. Very nice cigar. Had it after a nice bowl of chili for lunch. Definitely full enough in flavor to follow up a meal but not overpower. I normally don't go for cameroon wrapped stogies, but this may be an exception.

The size is bigger than I normally prefer though. 54 ring guage is just too large for my tastes. The draw on this stick is great. I'd like to try the others in this line.

[ky toker]

punch, if I'm not mistaken this is one you had gifted me (red band). I have yet to smoke that one, but as I was looking at it the other day I planned to burn it soon.

Nice review. Strong and tasty, now I know I need to light it up in the near future.

[Puro_Angler]

I found this stick (red banded maduro) sleeping at the bottom of my humi tonight. I didn't know I still had one left from a box purchased 2+ years ago. Excellent smoke! The wrapper was silky smooth -- felt so nice I actually considered not smoking it. well that didn't last long. The draw was smooth and the burn was even and slow. Nice light gray ash that lasted about 2 inches before it fell. Overall, it was a very flavorful, medium-full bodied smoke that went well with a large glass of ice cold water and a breezy night. Highly recommend this one guys.

[tazziedevil]

Originally Posted by Puro_Angler

I found this stick (red banded maduro) sleeping at the bottom of my humi tonight. I didn't know I still had one left from a box purchased 2+ years ago.

Wow! I can hardly imagine the La Tradicion series after 2 years of aging. This has always been one of my favorite Perdomo products, but there's no way I could let one sit 2 years before smoking it. I applaud your patience!