Perdomo Cigars

Perdomo Cigars is a proud but humble cigar brand whose story sounds like something out of a movie. Building one of the largest and most prestigious brands of cigars isn’t an easy feat, but the Perdomos have been fighters from the beginning. Their story starts with Silvio Perdomo and his son, Nick Perdomo, who worked in Cuba for H. Upmann and Partagas during the 1940s. When Castro came to power, Silvio was imprisoned by the regime, and Nick raised arms and fought against Castro as a guerrilla until he was wounded. Ultimately, the family made the difficult decision to leave their homeland to start a new life in the U.S. This move forced them to temporarily leave the industry they loved, but they would return one day in dramatic fashion. 

Nick’s son, Nick Jr., was a proud American who wanted to serve his county as an air traffic controller, and his time in the U.S. Navy instilled in him the importance of attention to detail and efficiency. Equipped with the core values of hard work and dedication that he inherited from his father and grandfather, Nick Perdomo Jr. started a very small cigar company out of his garage. 

Beginning with just three rollers, Perdomo launched his company, working day and night to package and roll while also working his full-time job to finance his vision. With some initial success, Nick expanded, but the high cost of producing cigars in the U.S. made it impossible to maintain an affordable and high-quality product. In 1997, as a result of the high costs and with the help of his father, Nick Sr., Perdomo moved production to Esteli, Nicaragua, just in time for the cigar boom of the 1990s.

Perdomo has never been afraid to pave his own path and ignore trends. In the mid-1990s, when the whole world was smoking round cigars, he released the Perdomo², one of the first box-pressed cigars on the market. The 90s were a great time if you liked to smoke mild cigars, however, Nick thought most mild cigars released were bland and lacked the complexity and smooth flavor that should be present in any cigar. While most popular cigar makers were using Connecticut wrappers and delicate Dominican fillers, Nick went the other way, utilizing Sumatra wrappers and Central American fillers to create more robust and spicier blends that would appeal to milder smokers as well as those interested in a more full-bodied experience.

Perdomo’s big and bold blends attracted seasoned smokers and cigar critics. One of the people who took notice of Perdomo’s hard work was Cano A. Ozgener, the head of CAO, one of the largest cigar brands in the market. CAO was in need of a new manufacturing partner, and Ozgener decided to team up with Perdomo. Together, they produced the CAO L’Anniversaire. The partnership was a great success that helped further Perdomo’s reputation for quality and expand the company’s operations. Today, Perdomo is one of the largest manufacturers of cigars in all of Nicaragua.

As Perdomo grew, so did his operation, and Nick came to the conclusion that it was important to control the process from start to finish, investing profits to buy land, employ the best farmers, and ultimately take full control of the cigar-making process—even going so far as to produce boxes and cellophane wrappers in-house. 

Nick found having complete control enabled him to ensure the highest quality at the best price. He claims that each cigar goes through a rigorous, 3052-step process. From start to finish, each stage of the process is carefully watched by quality control supervisors to make sure proper care is taken of every cigar made. Every leaf is hand-checked to maintain consistency among blends, and the company utilizes a combination of traditional practices and technology to make sure every cigar has an even burn and a consistent draw.

Nick Perdomo Jr. places high value in proper training, ensuring his employees are able to roll cigars to the high standards he upholds. He understands mistakes happen and sometimes things aren’t perfect the first time—so if a cigar doesn’t pass the initial draw tests, the roller is given the opportunity to fix the cigar. However, employees whose cigars fail a second time are sent home for ten days without pay. The extensive training and high wages, combined with the opportunity to lose those wages, keeps rollers engaged and focused on producing a top-quality cigar for their customers. By the time a box of Perdomo Cigars is shipped out, each cigar has been inspected at least seventeen times.

Nick Perdomo’s obsession with quality and passion for cigars ensures that smokers receive a high-quality, smooth, complex, and rich experience at an affordable price. Perdomo strives to provide cigars that can be enjoyed by mild and full-bodied smokers alike.