Alex Svenson: It’s great to see you again, Nick. How are things at Tabacalera Perdomo?
Nick Perdomo: Everything is excellent Alex. It’s great to see you too, my friend. We’re extremely excited as we’ve been blessed with another successful year at the trade show in Las Vegas.
AS: I can attest to that! Your booth was always busy. Can you tell us about this year’s new releases?
NP: Absolutely! We introduced a very special size in our Perdomo 20th Anniversary line which is the corona grande (6.5”x48). My son Nicholas came up with the idea for this size, and it’s really fantastic. This new size is a very elegant cigar that provides a great experience in a slightly smaller ring gauge than the other sizes in our 20th Anniversary line.
AS: What are the blends and sizes of your Perdomo 20th Anniversary line?
NP: Our Perdomo 20th Anniversary cigars are hand-crafted with the finest tobaccos grown exclusively on our most prestigious farms in Esteli, Condega, and the famed Jalapa Valley in Nicaragua. Using the highest priming tobaccos from each region, our Perdomo 20th Anniversary cigars have a tremendous flavor profile with layer upon layer of rich, elegant, complex flavors. After being fermented to perfection, each Cuban-seed Sun Grown and maduro wrapper is carefully barrel-aged in bourbon barrels for an additional 14 months. These barrel-aged wrappers are at their peak in color and flavor, making each Perdomo 20th Anniversary impeccably smooth from beginning to end. We offer our Perdomo 20th Anniversary in the following sizes in both the Sun Grown and Maduro: corona grande (6.5”x48), robusto (5”x56), Epicure (6”x56), torpedo (6.5”x54), Churchill (7”x56), and Gordo (6”x60).
AS: How would you describe the Perdomo 20th Anniversary smoke?
NP: Our Perdomo 20th Anniversary is a medium to full-bodied blend with a lot of flavor and complexity. The seamless combination of the Cuban-seed Nicaraguan grown wrappers, binders, and fillers makes these cigars exceptional Nicaraguan puros. I believe our 20th Anniversary offers one of the most unique experiences because it offers rich, complex flavors with an extremely smooth finish. When we barrel age these beautiful Cuban-seed wrappers, we make sure they are perfect in color, texture, and aroma. This extra aging process takes away any bitterness and gives these wrappers their nice oily texture and smooth flavor.
AS: My mouth is watering as we speak! Can you tell us about your other new releases at this year’s show?
NP: As you know, we have been blessed with the success of our Perdomo Reserve Champagne and Champagne Noir lines. This year we completed the trilogy of our Champagne series with the newly released Perdomo Reserve Champagne Sun Grown. It’s been a long time in the making, and we’re very proud and excited to offer this new blend.
AS: Your Champagne and Champagne Noir are definitely top notch brands in today’s marketplace. How does the new Champagne Sun Grown compare?
NP: In order to understand our new Champagne Sun Grown, I think I should describe our original Champagne and Champagne Noir blends. First, our original Perdomo Reserve Champagne is a mellow to medium-bodied blend featuring 6-year-aged U.S. Connecticut wrappers which impart a smooth elegant flavor with a rich aroma and a super creamy finish. On the other side of the spectrum, our Champagne Noir is a full-bodied Nicaraguan puro offering intense flavors of rich cocoa and dark roasted coffee, as the beautiful Cuban-seed maduro wrappers have been triple-fermented, making them naturally sweet and robust. And to top it off, the new Champagne Sun Grown falls right in the middle, as a medium to full-bodied blend offering a core of oak and almond spices. These Cuban-seed Sun Grown wrappers have been carefully fermented and aged to perfection and are at their peak of flavor. Each wrapper in our Champagne series complements the all-Nicaraguan fillers and binder, making our Perdomo Reserve Champagne series a completely versatile line of cigars that any enthusiast can enjoy.
AS: Nick, I love your descriptions. I can really feel your intensity and passion for your cigars. Can you share your outlook on the industry?
NP: That’s definitely a trick question, Alex. You know we are always excited about the future, especially as we look forward to building strong relationships with both new and current customers, and all cigar enthusiasts. We are continuing to invest in and expand our agricultural and manufacturing operations in Nicaragua. We’re excited about developing new blends, sizes, and brands. We plan on keeping a steady growth making sure we maintain the highest quality control standards in the industry. Our focus and determination has never been stronger.
AS: So why do you see it as a trick question?
NP: As we look towards the future, our industry is continuously under attack regarding taxation, smoking bans, and other restrictions. As you know, Perdomo Cigars is the only manufacturer to completely absorb the punitive SCHIP federal excise tax on all of its brands since April 1, 2009. The absorption of this tax saves consumers over $1.00 per cigar, which is a savings of $20.00 to $25.00 minimum per box! We have held our prices and in many cases reduced them in order to be competitive. Our approach is to continue offering the highest quality premium cigars at affordable prices, and consumers have shown us tremendous support and loyalty in return.
AS: We know Perdomo Cigars sets high standards in the cigar industry. It’s amazing how you have done the same in the political world. Can you share some of your experiences with us?
NP: After serving as an air traffic controller in the United States Navy, I started manufacturing cigars. I always had a small interest in politics, but I would have never thought my “political” career would become so closely related to my business as a cigar manufacturer. In 2009, I was elected Councilman in Miami Lakes, Florida, and also served as Vice Mayor during part of my term. I have traveled to the state capital here in Florida and also to the nation’s capital in Washington, D.C. to defend our rights and protect our industry. Perdomo Cigars is a proud member of the IPCPR (International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers), the CAA (Cigar Association of America), and the CRA (Cigar Rights of America). We support each organization in an effort to protect our rights and the rights of all cigar enthusiasts. I believe the most important thing we all need to do is to stand together and stand up for our rights.
AS: I know it’s not easy Nick, but you have made it look easy. We appreciate your dedication to our customers and the industry as a whole.
NP: Alex, we appreciate you and everyone at Cigar.com and your customers. I mean it when I say, “We are your fans!” Our family has been blessed with the support of all our dedicated employees and our loyal customers. I hope everyone enjoys our newest offerings. Thank you for enjoying Perdomo!
