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THE PERDOMO PODCAST
Welcome to The Perdomo Podcast—your front-row seat inside one of the world's most respected premium cigar manufacturers.
Hosted by Nick Perdomo and Nicholas Perdomo III, this is more than a cigar podcast. It's an inside look at the people, craftsmanship, history, innovation, and family values that have shaped Perdomo Cigars into a globally recognized brand.
Each episode takes you behind the scenes—from the tobacco fields of Nicaragua to the aging rooms, rolling tables, blending process, and business decisions that most cigar enthusiasts never get to see. Along the way, you'll hear stories from decades in the premium cigar industry, conversations with special guests, and practical insights for everyone from first-time smokers to seasoned aficionados.
Whether you're passionate about premium cigars, entrepreneurship, family business, craftsmanship, or the pursuit of excellence, you'll find something worth lighting up for.
Subscribe and join us as we explore the traditions, innovations, and stories that continue to shape the future of premium cigars.
Straight From the Cigar Makers™
THE PERDOMO PODCAST
Ep10 • Take The Perdomo Challenge : 10th Anniversary VS Habano
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Two cigars can look similar, share the same factory pedigree, and still deliver completely different experiences once the flame hits the foot. That is the whole reason we created the Perdomo Challenge, a six count cigar sampler designed to help you taste with intention by comparing Perdomo 10th Anniversary and Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel-Aged across Connecticut, Sun Grown, and Maduro wrappers.
We walk through the real, fundamental difference between these two iconic blends: what drives the filler. Perdomo 10th Anniversary leans on Jalapa Valley tobaccos for a sweeter, more aromatic profile that smokes smooth and elegant. Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel-Aged leans more on Esteli Valley fillers for a richer, deeper, more full-bodied character, with barrel aging adding its own layer of sweetness and nuance. We also break down our “ping pong effect,” the simple habit of moving back and forth between cigars so you can catch changes in flavor, strength, complexity, and finish instead of relying on memory.
Along the way, we challenge the idea of “smoking with your eyes” and talk about how wrapper, binder, and especially filler shape what you taste. We also built a QR code into the box so you can use our cigar rating application to send real feedback, helping us learn what you love and helping retailers create better conversations and training in the humidor.
Take the Perdomo Challenge with us, share your tasting notes, and tell us where you land. Subscribe, leave a review, and send this to a friend who swears they already know what they like.
Welcome To Perdomo Podcast
SPEAKER_00Welcome to the world of Perdomo Cigars. We deliver the most authentic in-depth cigar education to you, the cigar enthusiast. Recorded at the Perdomo Studio in Miami, Florida, brought to you by third and fourth generation Master Cigar Makers. This is the Perdomo Podcast. Your hosts, Nick and Nicholas Perdomo.
Introducing The Perdomo Challenge Sampler
SPEAKER_01Dad, today we have a very special episode, like all of our episodes, of course, naturally. Dad, today we're showing something very unique, something that nobody's done, and we're the first to do it. This is what we call our Perdomo Challenge. And this is a new sampler pack, and it's very similar to the Pepsi Challenge, except we're putting two of our own brands against each other, but not for the sake of really competing. I think more in more in the more so complementing each other. And so basically we have a six-count sampler, it's our two best-selling brands. It's our Prodomo 10th Anniversary line and also our Perdomo Habano line and all three wrappers. And Connecticut Sun Grown and Maduro. And we get a chance to show the cigar smoker how to really understand the difference of these two brands, smoking them side by side. And this is something I'm really excited about, Dad. And if you get it, if you can, if you could tell our audience what they can expect while taking the Prodomo challenge.
SPEAKER_02Well, the first thing I think it's very interactive because we're working together where they're going to be able to taste each blend. The thing is, I also think it's extremely educational because they're really thinking now. Not only are they enjoying both of the cigars because they're wonderful and they've been out for over two decades, but I think it's very educational. And the same thing, I think it's it's a lot of fun. Right. It's going to open their eyes. Yeah. And it's going to be really special. I think those are the three most important things to start off.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think so, Dad. And you know, I think one of the things is that you look at it and going back, this is a six-count sampler. Perdomo 10th anniversary, Perdomo Habano, all featured in Connecticut, Sun Grown Maduro. And one of the big reasons we're doing this is because for many years, people have always asked us, well, what's really the difference between the Perdomo 10th anniversary lines? What's really the difference between Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel Age? And, you know, because both brands, six-year-aged tobaccos, wrapper, binder, filler, both brands are featured in a 54 ring gauge format, also with a 6x60 and a torpedo for in that in that case, in that matter.
Jalapa Vs Esteli And The Ping Pong Effect
SPEAKER_01And if you can, if you can explain to our audience, what is really the fundamental difference between the Perdomo 10th anniversary line and also the Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel Age? That's a great question.
SPEAKER_02First of all, Perdomo 10th anniversary is driven by tobacco from the Jalapa Valley, which is more of a sweet, aromatic tobacco. It's driven by those fillers. Definitely. Where the Perdomo Habano is driven by fillers from the SLE Valley that are a little more full-bodied and richer in flavor, and they're driven by those fillers. So there's differences in the cigars.
SPEAKER_01Sure. I mean, you know, the and this leads up to a very important fact that you have brought up for many years, and you have this great approach, this great concept analogy that for these specific two brands. You've always called it the ping pong effect, right? And if you can, can you break down to our audience this ping pong effect that there is between Perdomo 10th anniversary and also Perdomo Habano BBA?
SPEAKER_02They're similar in a stent in a sense that they're they're elegant cigars, they're delicious, but they have different flavors. For example, the Perdomo 10th anniversary is a very smooth and elegant and an easy going cigar because of the tobaccos from the Jalapa Valley, which are more sweeter and aromatic. Right. Versus the Perdomo Habano Bourbon Barrel Age, they have a little bit of a more richer, deeper flavor with a little complexity. Even though both are barrel-aged, you're going to get a little more sweetness from a lot of those tobaccos from Estelite because of the bourbon barrels. And so they're they're different and they're unique, both of them, but I think they're both equally fantastic cigars that have been around, like I said earlier for decades. Earlier, I smoked a 10th anniversary, now I'm doing the Habano, you're doing the opposite. Yep. And I'm enjoying the heck out of this cigar.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I think, you know, to also the ping pong is that for the differences, there are similarities. I mean, both brands contain tobaccos from Esteli and Jalapa. But to your point, 10th anniversary is driven with more proportions of Jalapa versus Esteli, and Protome Habano barrel age is driven more with Esteli, more proportions of filler tobaccos from Esteli with some filler tobaccos from Jalapa. So naturally you're going to get those sweetness, but also you're going to get that ping pong where I think the next step is that our consumers are going to go between both of those brands.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I think sometimes a lot of guys are on the 10th anniversary, maybe never smoked Tabano or haven't smoked in a while, or vice versa. They get to introduce themselves back into it. It becomes a lot of fun. And they finally they figure out, boy, I love both of these. And when they walk into their local humidor, maybe they buy a box of each or buy a handful of each because they taste the subtle differences, but they love both of them, and that's what we want.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I think with the information cards that we have where we talk about the blends, things like that, the interactiveness of this actual six-pack sampler.
Flavor Profiles And Smoking With Your Eyes
SPEAKER_01I think one of the things is between Perdomo 10th anniversary and the Prodomo Habano Bourbon barrel age lines, we're really gonna, I think the customer's really gonna understand the different flavor profiles. It's like on our previous show, you know, we talked about do we smoke with our eyes, right? Where people smoke and and really they start looking like this, then what they think they're gonna perceive, what they expect the cigar to taste when in reality, you got to look inside. Sometimes, you know, the flavor's driven from the fillers, right? When we blend, we make the blends, right, with the filler tobaccos. And so you've always taught me 10 to 15 percent of the flavor comes from your wrapper, which is astronomical because it's one leaf and it does impart those different nuances and flavors and so forth. So, but I think this is really gonna give our audience when they really smoke and to understand the flavor profiles versus smoking with their eyes. I think we're gonna get a lot of great reception when when our consumers and our retail partners take the Perdomo Challenge.
SPEAKER_02I think it's great. It's very interactive between the retailer and the consumer and us, the manufacturer and the consumer.
SPEAKER_01I love it. Yeah, I think I think we did something really cool with that.
QR Code Ratings And Real Feedback
SPEAKER_01Another thing I want to point out on the box and also here on this easel back that we have, we put a QR code. You know, one of the things we did was we created a Perdomo Cigars rating application. And so this is something that we're driven by our customers, our retail partners and our consumers. You've been beating the shoe leather for decades, and you've always asked questions and you want to know feedback from our retailers and our consumers. And so I think one of the biggest things that I'm really excited about is that we're gonna get the true feedback, the opinions. And we're excited to bring this to market. And if you can give your opinion on this, yeah.
SPEAKER_02My opinion is that one, we get real feedback from our customers. Two, we can use that data for the future and future blends, which is really important. What do people really like? Sure. We we kind of have a good feeling about it, but we also want to refine it and we really would really want to fine-tune it, to be quite honest with you. And not only that feedback, but we get real engagement, and that's really important. We go out and we do events, we beat the shoe leather, we visit the customers. I'm proud I've been I've visited millions of customers throughout my decades. But what we do is we create a direct relationship with the consumers who support us every day and our retailers. It's a win-win situation for all three of us. I'm very excited about it. And this consumer card that you talked about is incredible because it's going to tell you the flavor characteristics to how we design the blends on both sides, whether it be the Habano line or the 10th anniversary line. So they're between both of them that you'll see right here, and you'll be able to see that. So I'm extremely excited about it.
SPEAKER_01I think it was a great idea. Well, Dad, I think, you know, this is like the third or fourth time on the show we've talked about engagement, we've talked about communication. And I think it's important that we continue to drive those points, not only just for this specific product, but just in generality, we are motivated and driven by the people who have taken us to the dance, and that is our retail partners, and that is our consumers. And so I think this project is gonna continue to just tie us and really just galvanize us together more so with our retailers and our consumers. So this is something I'm I'm proud of. But I guess, Dad, the biggest question that consumers are gonna are gonna ask us, retailers are gonna ask us is how do you recommend that a smoker takes the Perdomo Challenge, in your opinion?
How To Take The Perdomo Challenge
SPEAKER_01You blended these cigars.
SPEAKER_02Well, to me, it's kind of a three-step rule. First of all, you can do what we do in the facilities, and you can go back to back smoking between both of them or finishing one cigar, writing yourself some notes and going to the second cigar, see how you like it and see what works your power. It's fun because different times of the days will tell you the different flavor characteristics of what you like better. Right. Right. We usually smoke some a little heavier than the evenings and so on. That's one that's step number one. Step number two would be look for what I said earlier, the ping pong effect that we had talked about, where we compare and we contrast between the brands, the flavor changes that the cigars have as they evolve, strengths, and finally the finishes of the cigar and what you like. And lastly, I've always said this, but smoking's subjective. And because smoking's subjective, your taste and what you like is all that matters. So it's pure enjoyment. And like I said earlier, it's great for everybody. And I think people are going to love it. I think it's a lot of fun too, because we're doing something totally different, kind of like what you said earlier out of the box. It's something different. You know, when you look at this challenge, it's not even like the Pepsi challenge because we're competing against ourselves. And we want that so people can taste the different nuances and say, wow, you know, I was a 10th anniversary smoker, and but I really love this Habano, or vice versa, or even in the in the same gamut, most people smoke champagne, most people smoke 10th anniversary Maduro, one cigar of the year. Boy, what do we what are you smoking today, for example? Well, I'm smoking the 10th Sungrown, and I know you're smoking that beautiful Perdomo Hobano. What do we call the 10th sun grown in the factory? We call this the sleeping giant. It is because a lot of people haven't smoked it because they're used to smoking champagne and Maduro, right? Yep. Now they're going to be able to taste it and go, wow, I love this too. I can add this into my wheelhouse.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And it's true. It's it's unfortunately it's been overlooked, but fortunately, we're bringing this cigar more and more to light. I mean, it's incredible. You have one of the maybe one of the greatest selling Connecticut wrap cigars in Perdomo 10th Anniversary champagne in all the entire cigar industry. Then you have one of the most incredibly like, I mean, just the amount of awards that Perdomo 10th Anniversary has won. I mean, multiple cigars in the years. I mean, when it came out, I mean, boom, it just came right out of the gates in 2020, just uh unbelievably quick. So, I mean, this is to your point, it is the sleeping giant for Perdomo. But I think what the biggest thing is, is and and you know, we want our customers to feel involved. We want our customers, we we're driven to build loyalty and we're driven to earn trust. At the end of the day, that's what we care about. And Dad, I'd like for you, and talking with our retail partners, talking about people who brought us to the dance and why we're here today and why we can do this beautiful Perdomo podcast show.
Retailer Display Tips And Staff Training
SPEAKER_01If you can give our retailers who are listening today and watching our show, if you can give them a little bit of advice on how to properly share this Perdomo challenge with the cigars, with their customer, with the cigar smoker.
SPEAKER_02Since I find this so exciting, like any of our brands, it has to be shown. It has to be placed really front and center of the display next to the register or in the prime spot in the humidor, will people be able to talk about it and see it? The second thing that's important, in my opinion, is to demonstrate to the customers how beautiful the box is, including the QR code, and explain to them, because I think it's pretty self-explanatory in the box, together with the with the talker that explains both of the products where they take it together when they go home or in the lounge to to take the challenge and try to see which one they like better or take their time at home. And lastly, I know our staff is going to train your staff, the retailers out there, and even you, the consumers. I think it's important. And I think you need to ask your Pronomo sales rep to train and teach you about this if you're a retailer and even you're a consumer. We think a trained consumer and a trained customer is always going to be the very best. And I want to know everything about what I do, whether it's a shirt I purchase or a cigar I smoke. So I think it's going to be great.
SPEAKER_01One of the things I'm super excited about is again continuing to build our relationships, getting feedback, the opinions of our consumers, of our retailers. Also, another thing, too, is that I think what at the end of the day, and this is coming from the makers of Perdomo Cigars, you and I, I think these cigars, I think we're going to give a tremendous amount of, you know, for for example, I think we're going to give a tremendous amount of just incredible opportunities for them to expand outside of, for example, if they're 10th anniversary and they get to try Perdomo Habano, 10th anniversary smokers, they're going to really enjoy it. If and vice versa, if it's Habano, they're going to enjoy 10th anniversary because you designed, you blended these cigars to have that ping-pong effect. And I'm excited about it. Yeah, and listen, there is no Coca-Cola, and we have the humility and we're humbled. And as big as 10th anniversary is, and even though it's a cigar that put me through school and and and probably paid for my wedding, probably, you know, I think it's one of those, yeah, and it's still not coke. And that's just the honest reality behind it. So I think I'm grateful that we have an opportunity to expand and expand, expand, expand to our consumers who have been by us and our retailers who have been by our side for so many decades. So I'm very grateful, Dad. Dad, thanks for for being on the show. And thanks for having me. Appreciate
Thanks And Where To Follow
SPEAKER_01it. Always a great time to be with you. But I'd like to thank our audience. I'd like to thank our viewers and our listeners. If you enjoyed this, please uh follow us on our Prodomo YouTube page. Like, subscribe, and hit the notification button. Also follow us on our Prodomo Instagram and Facebook accounts. We really appreciate your support. Thank you for watching the show, and we will be seeing you very soon. Take care. Thank you.
