[caption id="attachment_337" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Perdomo Grand Cru Cigars at My Discount Cigars"][/caption]

We recently had the pleasure of sampling the latest creation of Nick Perdomo Jr., the Perdomo Grand Cru blends.  The Perdomo Grand Cru cigar is a very well-balanced Nicaraguan puro blended with all Cuban seed Semilla Habano tobacco that make up the fillers, binder as well as the wrapper. The "Grand Cru" which is basically the best yield of the best field, are blended with tobaccos which were hand-selected from Perdomo's farm in 2004. The Perdomo Grand Cru cigars are offered in 3 different blends: the bold and full-flavored earthy Corojo, a dark, oily sweeter Maduro and a milder, creamy and pleasant Connecticut shade wrapper. (The bands are the only way to tell them apart. The Connecticut has a white background, the Maduro a black bacground and the Corojo a rusty colored background.)  The Perdomo Grand Cru cigars are packaged in elegant, traditional boxes with 20 sticks each and are available in 4 sizes from a Churchill, to a Robusto, a Toro and as well as a Torpedo.

Connecticut Blend: The Perdomo Grand Cru Connecticut has a very smooth, light brown wrapper with no large veins, a gorgeous large cap and is firm to the touch without any soft spots. The flavor profile of the Perdomo Grand Cru Connecticut cigar progresses from a lovely mild and nutty forefront with just enough smoke, not too much, to a short-lived hint of bourbon that lingers for a few seconds, and finishes off with more spicy and peppery elements in the final third. The creamy consistency remains in the background from beginning to the end of the Perdomo Grand Cru Connecticut cigar.

Maduro Blend: The Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro cigars are well balanced and blended with the "Grand Cru", or the best of the best hand-selected yield from Perdomo's farms from their 2004 vintage tobaccos.  The Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro cigar will offer a consistent burn, great draw and a solid ash.  The flavor profile of the Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro cigar resonates dark and sweet chocolates, earthiness, pepper and a slight caramel undertone. Its flavors are consistent from start to end with a dry, mild peppery finish While the Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro starts off more medium bodied with a sweetness and an acidic tang, it finishes as a full-bodied cigar with leather undertones and burns cool.

With 4 sizes and 3 blends to choose from you simply can't go wrong with the Perdomo Grand Cru cigars. Spring for a Perdomo Grand Cru cigar, kick up your feet and enjoy a luxurious smoking experience this weekend!

[caption id="attachment_338" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Perdomo Grand Cru Cigars at My Discount Cigars"][/caption]

Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Flavor: Medium to Full
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

The Perdomo Grand Cru cigars can be found online here at MyDiscountCigar.com.

To read more about the Perdomo Grand Cru cigars please visit PerdomoCigars.com.

~ Peace, Love, Cigars ~

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro Robusto Cigar Review by Todd Wilson of Indulge Cigars

Size: 5×50
Country: Nicaraguan Puro
Wrapper: Semilla Habano
Binder: Semilla Habano
Filler: Semilla Habano
Strength: Mild-Medium
Cost: $5.29 per

The Cigar: The Perdomo Grand Cru Robusto Maduro is available also in Corojo, the Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro Robusto is packaged in traditional 20 count boxes with an ugly brown band.  Perdomo promotes this line by stating that the wrapper, filler and binder are all, “Cuban-seed (Semilla Habano).  The best of the best yeild from our farms in 2004″.  Let’s find out.

The prelight aroma of the Perdomo Grand Cru Robusto Maduro is both rich and sweet.  The pre-light draw is very easy and the cigar simply looks beautiful with its dark, oily, toothy wrapper.    Good looks are a trademark of Perdomo cigars, but the proof is in the puffing.

1st 3rd: So far, the Perdomo Grand Cru Robusto Maduro has the easiest draw of any perdomo I’ve ever smoked.  There’s a base of coffee and caramel with a touch of cedar and a remarkably long, malty finish.  The white ash is speckled, which is no surprise when considering the tooth on the wrapper.

2nd 3rd: I’ve read a couple reviews on this cigar that ciriticized the burn, but so far, it’s burning and drawing perfectly.  The first ash makes it past the inch mark, which exceeded my expections because of the easy draw.  Cedar is really coming through now and a spicy kick is keeping me interested in this full bodied cigar.  The sweet smoke is also ruining the discipline that normally keeps me from puffing too fast, I need to slow down.

Final 3rd: Do not smoke the Grand Cru outdoors.  The aroma is zesty and tantilizing on the nose and really adds to the experience.  The final stretch is producing a flavor and scent of charred marshmallow on a stick over a campfire.   I know that line sounds like bullshit, but it really does.  The sweet, cedary spices last all the way to the end and grow slightly in their intensity.

The vedict: I really like this cigar.  The Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro Robusto is a sweeter, spicier version of the Perdomo Habano Maduro.  An effortless burn and draw convinces me that Perdomo is finally starting to realize that a pretty cigar is no good unless smoke comes out of it.  I guess I’m still bitter from all the blood vessels I burst during the begining of the decade trying to produce smoke from a Perdomo Squared.  Let’s hope that chapter is finally starting to close.

Pairing: This Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro Robusto went very nicely with a glass of Glenmorangie 10yr Single Malt Scotch.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for an awesome review Todd!

With visions of fine accessories, including a humidor series unlike anything else on the cigar market, and lighters as well as cutters, Matt Booth teamed up with Christian Eiroa, of Camacho Cigars, and Room 101 Cigars were born!  The Room 101 cigars are handcrafted and specially blended by Camacho Cigars in Honduras for California designer and musician Matt Booth. Matt teamed up with Camacho to launch Room101 cigars which are highly flavorful and enjoyable. Matt names each cigar in this line after area codes. He utilizes the very exclusive Semilla 101 wrapper from Habano-seed grown solely for this project by the Eiroa family's farm in Danli, Honduras. The Room 101 cigars are also blended with aged long-fillers from the Dominican Republic and Honduras, and a Honduran binder giving them a smooth, medium-bodied flavor.

The following sizes are currently available: Room101 213 (Corona), Room101 305 (Robusto), Room101 323 (Toro), Room101 404 (Torpedo), Room101 702 (11/18 Perfecto), and Room101 808 (Bertha Gordo). They are available in Connecticut shade as well as Maduro. The packaging the Room101 cigars come in are the traditional slide-top cedar boxes with a matte black lacquer and silver foil branding which was a collaboration between Matt Booth, Franco Vescovi and Dylan Austin.

[caption id="attachment_307" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Room101 at My Discount Cigars"][/caption]

Get ready for a burst of full-on flavors of earth, espresso, cocoa, spice, wood, cedar, pepper and cream in your mouth with the Room101 cigars! Every Room101 cigar is adorned with a silver and black band reminiscent of a cross between American tattoo culture and Japanese designs. With their excellent construction you won't have a need to relight the Room 101 stick after the initial light. They have an even burn, strong ash, and thick, billowy smoke.

With Matt Booth's unconventional, original, creative and diverse array of accessories, jewelry, leathers, wallet chains and other art, it's a delight that he has added the Room101 cigars to his fine line. He is a true visionary, original, gifted and creative and you can experience it first-hand with his Room101 cigars. Matt took a small idea, that was born in a small Hollywood apartment, and made it explode into a worldwide movement! For a tasty, easygoing and highly rated smoke, try one of the Room 101 cigars today and become a convert.

RATED 86 - 89 BY CIGAR INSIDER AND CIGAR AFICIONADO FOR SEVERAL OF THEIR BLENDS!

Country of Origin: Honduras
Flavor: Medium Body
Wrapper: Honduran Semilla 101
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Dominican Republic and Honduras

Room101 Cigars are available online here at MyDiscountCigar.com.

To read more information about the Room101 Cigars please visit their website at Room101cigars.com.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cigar Coop's Review of the Room101 #305 (Robusto) Connecticut Cigar

From talking to retailers and media, it seems as though a big theme for the 2011 cigar year has been the Connecticut/ Ecuadorian shade wrapper.   There have been some very good Connecticut/ Ecuadorian shade wrapper cigars introduced this year including the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut, J&D Temptation Claro, and the Alec Bradley American Classic.  With these solid releases, I didn't know what to expect from the new releases at the IPCPR show.   When I visited the Room 101 section of the Davidoff booth, Room 101 founder Matt Booth handed me a sample of his new Connecticut cigar.  The end result was after smoking this cigar, the bar had been raised for 2011 for Connecticut/ Ecuadorian shade cigars.

As I said when I previewed this cigar last week, I consider Matt Booth a friend.  At the same time, Booth is the kind of guy who I know you could give honest feedback when it comes to his brand.  Therefore my thoughts here are not influenced one bit from that friendship.

Last year, I thought AJ Fernandez knocked it out of the park with his San Lotano Connecticut.  From my initial impressions of this sample, the Room 101 Connecticut is even better.   Since this was an unbanded sample and I still need to fill some holes in from a technical standpoint on this cigar, I've opted to go with a Pre-Review.  I'm confident this impression is accurate on what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

I have some repetition from when I previewed this cigar, but I want to include it for completeness.   For this Connecticut Shade wrapper, Booth was able to tap into being a part of the Davidoff family and leveraged a Davidoff tobacco for this wrapper.

Wrapper: Connecticut Shade (Ecuador)
Binder: Honduras Corojo
Filler: Honduras, Dominican Republic

Vitolas Available

213 (Corona): 5 1/2 x 44

305 (Robusto): 5 x 50
404 (Torpedo): 6 x 54
808 (Double Toro): 6 x 60
615 (Churchill): 7 x 48

702 (11/18 Perfecto): 6 x 48/54

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

The sample I received was an unbanded Room101 305c Connecticut cigar. Since I only had a straight cutter with me, I defaulted to a straight cut.  The initial flavors from the prelight draw were pretty much what I expected - a nice butter cream.  What surprised me was how robust the dry draw notes were.  It was then on to fire up this sample and see what would come next.


Flavor Profile

The butter notes I got on the initial draws were present right at the start.  There was also a hint of citrus sweetness at the beginning.  The butter notes soon got more robust.  I couldn't put my finger on what made these butter notes special and I mentioned it to Booth.  Booth responded by asking me if it had a taste like buttered popcorn - and I concurred with this.  Overall, the Room101 305C cigar produced one of the most unique butter tastes I ever got on a Connecticut shade wrapper.

As the smoking experience progressed through the first half, the citrus notes got more pronounced and meshed very well with the butter flavors.   Around the halfway point, some notes of spice emerged.  The spice was a nice cross between pepper and cedar spice.  The spice was the dominant flavor note in the second half, and much of the butter notes were pretty much diminished at this point.   The finish had a nice spice kick to it with no harshness.  The resulting nub was a little soft, but it was cool.

Burn and Draw

At IPCPR, sometimes it is typical to smoke a sample and have problems with the burn and draw due to storage and humidity.  Being IPCPR was in Las Vegas, there was an obvious shortage of humidity in the atmosphere.  However with my Room 101 305 (Robusto) sample, it shined when it came to burn and draw.   The burn was for the most part sharp with few touch-ups needed.  The Room 101 Connecticut never burned hot and it burned at a good rate.   The draw was excellent as well making for a very enjoyable smoke.

Burn of the Room 101 Connecticut

Strength and Body

The Room101 305c was a very interesting profile for a Connecticut Shade cigar.   From a nicotine standpoint, the Room 101 Connecticut falls into the mild to medium range.  From a body standpoint, this is where things got interesting.  The depth of the flavors are actually on the high end of the medium range - and in some cases, I detected the body to actually be medium to full.   The Room 101 305-Connecticut robusto is one of those cigars that makes it easy to distinguish the difference between strength and body.

Final Thoughts

The Room 101 #305 Connecticut cigar was a surprise to some that it was even being released.  It was even a bigger surprise as I do feel it was one of the highlights of IPCPR.   The flavors are pronounced and literally "dance at you" as you smoke this cigar.   This cigar was nothing short of a home run and I think will appeal to both new and seasoned cigar enthusiasts.    This one is well worth checking out.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild to Medium
Body: Medium (Medium to Full at times)

Source: This sample was received at the 2011 IPCPR Trade Show.  The sample was initiated by Matt Booth of Room 101 Cigars in order to provide feedback.   I am appreciative for the sample, but in no way does this influence this review.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to William Cooper for this helpful review!

[caption id="attachment_295" align="alignright" width="150" caption="E.P. Carrillo New Wave Cigars at My Discount Cigars"][/caption]

E.P. Carrillo New Wave, rated 91 by Cigar Insider, is the newest addition to the E.P. Carrillo line. The E.P. Carrillo New Wave cigar is mild to medium-bodied, bursting with nutty, creamy, sweet and slightly spicy flavors, it is reasonably priced, sophisticated with a refined and long finish. Created by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo (originally known for the La Gloria Cubana cigars), one of the industry's finest cigar artisans, the E.P. Carrillo New Wave cigars are wrapped in a hand-selected, silky Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper, filled with Nicaraguan and Dominican Cuban-seed longfillers, and the finest Dominican binders to create a savory and memorable smoking experience.

The E.P. Carrillo New Wave cigars permeate of honey, hay and wheat. They are a sight to behold with their sheen and silky smoothness to the touch.  Upon lighting the E.P. Carrillo New Wave you are met with intoxicating flavors of cedar, earth, and nutmeg and it holds the consistent medium body throughout the smoking experience. Prepare to be impressed and blown away as the flavors play off each other as you smoke your way through the E.P. Carrillo New Wave cigar experiencing notes of cream, wood, and nuts on the palate, then switching gears to cloves and cinnamon in the second half.

If you tend to favor cigars packed with flavor over body the E.P. Carrillo New Wave cigars are definitely perfect for you! Treat your palate with an array of incredible flavors and spring on a whole box of the E.P. Carrillo New Wave cigars! They are available in 5 different vitolas from the Brillantes (Robusto), Divinos (Toro), El Decano (Double Toro), Gran Via (Churchill) and Stellas (Corona) and come in a white wooden box and white bands (not to be confused with their original line with the black bands). The E P Carrillo New Waves are quite the treat!

Rated 91 by Cigar Insider!

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Flavor: Full

Body: Mild to Medium

Wrapper:  Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade

Binder: Dominican Republic

Filler:  Nicaragua, Dominican Republic

E.P. Carrillo New Wave cigars are available online here at MyDiscountCigar.com.

To read more about the E.P. Carrillo please visit EPCarrillo.com.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut Brillantes Cigar Review by Jameson Santos de Miami of Toasted Foot Cigar Reviews

Size: 5×50, Brillantes

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan and Dominican

Strength: Medium

Price: $4.50-7

Grade: 9.2

The E.P. Carrillo New Wave Connecticut Edition is one of two new releases from the Carrillo family, the other being the Elencos Series, which is the same blend as the Edicion Limitada 2010 Elencos. These two blends are being released now to B&Ms.

The E.P. Carrillo New Wave cigar is available in five sizes and is priced very well. This will be a full addition to their portfolio and will be available year round.

• Stellas: 5 1/8 x 42 ($4.50 retail)
• Brillantes: 5 x 50 ($5.25 retail)
• Divinos: 6 x 52 ($6.25 retail)
• Gran Via: 7 x 49 ($7.00 retail)
• El Decano: 6 x 60 ($7.75 retail)

The EP Carrillo New Wave Brillantes brand has done nothing but blow us away here at Toasted Foot, with ratings of 9.2, 9.2, and 9.3. Their Inaugural Edicion 2009 is still one of the more complex and well balanced cigars I’ve ever had and easily ranks in my Top 10 all time. We’ve also reviewed the Core Line and the Short Run.

We are big fans and the anticipation for the New Wave is even higher for me, as I count Connecticut wrappers as my go to smokes. Now, on to the toast!

Pre-light, 1.7:
The first thing I notice on my two samples of the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Brillantes cigars is a very thin wrapper, that causes cracks across one sample and a very loose foot on the other. Moving beyond this however, there is little else that is negative. A subtle triple cap, an elegant band, and smooth almond colored wrapper highlight the EP Carrillo New Wave Connecticut Brillantes. The aroma on the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Brillantes cigar is incredibly strong – it is in fact one of the strongest cigars I’ve smelled. The pre-light aroma can be deducted from several feet away and has interesting, erratic, and at times musty notes of crisp hay, mild spice, nuts, and a cream that reminds me of a root beer float. This is one of the more lively profiles I’ve smelled in some time and at times is even pungent. Though that may sound negative, it in fact shows the depth of this cigar’s aroma. On the draw, the notes are much more subdued than the aroma and the primarily flavor is of nuts, or cashews specifically. The cut also reveals an open pull.

Burn, 1.7:
Though the one sample had cracking along the bottom half, it still managed to burn well and keep a steady draw. I will say that my two samples were shipped several times, as the first time they were sent to my old mailing address. It does still seem that the wrapper is a bit thin on the New Wave and will require some special care when stored. Overall, this is a clean burning cigar.

Flavor, 2.9:
The initial burst on the E.P. Carrillo New Wave Brillantes cigar is full of sugary cream and a smooth, underlying nuttiness. Moving into the first third, the balance on the cigar is wonderful, with thick creamy notes of butter and cedar. The second third provides a bit of transition, with a slightly fuller and more developed taste that shows all of the flavors merged into a steady profile of roasted nuts and butter. The last stretch of the New Wave is incredibly smooth and holds the most interest for me. Though the flavors are not quite as complex as I anticipated from the aroma, this is still an incredibly well balanced and medium to full flavored cigar, which is rather stunning for an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapped cigar. The E. P. Carrillo New Wave Brillantes cigar is smooth throughout and at times the finish is incredibly light, almost disappearing between draws. The Nicaraguan binder and the mixed Nicaraguan and Dominican binder do very well to complement the typically less flavored Connecticut shade wrapper. This is without question a winner in the flavor category.

Overall, 2.9:
This is not your usual Connecticut cigar and stands above most of what is on the market in this category. Though the burn was troublesome in spots, I attribute this to the shipping errors and not to the quality or construction. The flavor is full while the strength remains in the high Mild to low Medium spectrum. Add to that an excellent value, with the Robusto coming in at under $5, and you find an excellent cigar. I keep waiting for the Carrillo family to miss the mark somewhere, but it just hasn’t happened! If your B&M has these E.P. Carrillo New Wave Brillantes cigars, pick up a 5 pack and enjoy it with a nice cup of coffee. If you're unhappy with them, shoot me an email – I’ll gladly buy them off you!

(Total: 9.2)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jameson, an excellent review!!! Thanks!