Nick Perdomo and his large portfolio of highly regarded handmade premium cigars range in strength from mellow and creamy,  to bold and full-bodied,  thus providing the perfect blend for every style of smoker.  In addition,  with large farms throughout Nicaragua,  Nick manages to effortlessly walk the line between value and super-premium high-end offerings to capture every segment of the premium cigar market.

Back in the early 2000s, Nick Perdomo Sr. and his son Nick Perdomo Jr. decided to try something groundbreakingly new. They set out to grow tobacco on a fresh virgin lot close to their factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The idea was to create cigars from tobacco grown on a single lot-in the same manner as winemakers do with their single-vineyard offerings. This is how the Perdomo Lot 23 cigars came to fruition.

To create Perdomo Lot 23 cigars, Nick and his highly skilled artisans plant the tobacco in September and harvest it in January. Then, these binder and long filler tobaccos are fermented for a year and aged in bales for at least three more years before being finished with flavorful top-quality wrapper leaves. The cigars are available in three wrapper styles: a  reddish-brown Nicaraguan  Sun Grown,  a dark, oily Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro, and a silky golden-brown Connecticut Shade leaf.

For this review, I chose to smoke the Perdomo Lot 23 Gordito in the Sun Grown wrapper shade, because I love the taste that sun-grown wrapper leaves impart to any blend, and it boasts the same 4 x60 size that Oliva made famous for hitting the sweet spot the moment that you light it up. Let me preface all this by saying that I smoked many Perdomo cigar blends, but somehow the Lot 23 remained under my radar, so I’m just as curious as you to see how this affordable cigar stacks up to Perdomo’s costlier premium offerings.

During my initial inspection, Lot 23 Gordito was a flawlessly rolled stick with a silky, evenly colored wrapper and a nice firm feel in the hand, with no soft spots or divots detected.  During the pre-light nose, the wrapper smells like freshly cut cedar with hints of musty barnyard hay that denotes perfect aging.

Just like the many thousands of premium cigars that I’ve smoked before, this chubby Gordito opens up with a blast of piquant peppery spice that gave me a tingling feeling in my throat and nostrils. This wake-up call was quickly joined by rich notes of coffee, cedar, and roasted nuts with the peppery spice taking a backseat to these new flavors. This four-note combo lasted until the end of round 1.

As I delve into the second third, it becomes increasingly evident that this cigar is performing like a champ with crisp even burn, an effortless draw, and so far, no touch-ups required. This is a true testament to expert blending considering that fat big ring cigars tend to burn slightly crooked. As for the flavors, nothing new here, just the same core notes found in the first third that I’m enjoying immensely. I’m assuming that this 4 x60 has already hit the sweet spot in the first third, as this size was intended to do, but more time will tell if this is the case.

I was right about the 4 x60 sizes hitting the proverbial “sweet spot” the moment you light up because the final third boasted the same rich flavors found in the first and second third.   Soon after the blast of peppery spice makes its eye-opening debut,  rich medium-strength notes of coffee, cedar, roasted nuts, and subtle spicy accents are the savory flavors that you can expect from beginning to end.

• If you like your premium cigars short, fat, and straight to the point when it comes to complex medium-bodied flavors, then, the  Perdomo Lot 23 Gordito is a must-try.
• As one would come to expect, Perdomo really hit out of the park with these super affordable smokes. The Perdomo Lot 23 Gordito was just as flavorful as many of the brands costlier offerings,  and,  for around $6 bucks a stick, it’s one of the best cigar deals out there. If you haven’t tried these gems yet, then grab a few singles or a box, and savor a value-priced brand that’s certain to surpass all your expectations.