Perla del Mar
Perla del Mar
-Country – Nicaragua
-Wrapper – Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
-Binder – Nicaragua
-Filler – Nicaragua
-Size – Perla M 4 3/4 x 52
-Price – $4.65, $6.25 local
Appearance, Pre-light
This cigar is a long-filler, handmade, budget offering from the J.C. Newman company. Prelight, the Perla del Mar has a light cedar aroma to the wrapper. The foot smells of sweet tobacco and hay. The wrapper is a typical Connecticut color; a very light shade if brown. What isn’t typical is that this cigar is box pressed, which is not very common for a Connecticut-wrapped cigar. The cold draw didn’t reveal too much other than more of a light hay taste.
First 3rd
The first few puffs offer up cream and spice. They aren’t very noticeable until the retro-hale, but the creaminess makes for a wonderful mouth-feel and the spice (which I’ll call white pepper) is just enough to tingle my nose. The draw is very loose, but should be no problem as long as I keep my cadence on the slower side. I’m getting an interesting effect: the smoke is mild in body when it’s in my mouth, but jumps to an almost mouth-coating medium body when I push it out my nose. Delightful!
Nice Burn Line
Second 3rd
This Perla del Mar is a cigar with excellent construction. I’m outside on a breezy day, and the burn line is as straight as can be without being “perfect.” The white pepper has subsided a bit in how much it bites, but the flavor remains. I’m also getting a naturally sweet tobacco taste that I first noticed pre-light to accompany the creaminess. At the halfway point the ash has finally fallen off, and the white pepper has started to transition into more of a baking spice, which I find in a lot of Nicaraguan cigars. The body, flavor, and strength have remained medium so far.
Almost there
Last 3rd
In the last third a woodiness had appeared that is just what is needed at this point. The mellow transition from first light to final third has been an enjoyably slow creep into darker flavors. Some classic Connecticut hay flavors are showing up in the last two inches, and the finish is just now starting to get a little ashy. The cream returns at the very end with a touch of sweetness and makes for a great ending to a very good cigar.
Takeaway
I was pleasantly surprised with this wallet-friendly smoke! When you combine the price, flavors, transitions, and overall experience, it would be hard to find a better Connecticut cigar! I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys cigars, novice or aficionado.
A Good Smoke
Flavor – Medium
Strength – Medium
Body – Medium
Construction – Excellent
Rating
I’ve been smoking good stuff lately! This is two weeks in a row for a score of…
3 out of 5