The Tabak Especial cigars are manufactured by Drew Estate, a company well known for their flavored and infused mid-market cigars. The Tabak Especial Balada Perfecto is flavored with dark, rich Nicaraguan coffee (surprising, isn’t it?), and sits around the middle of their range.
At first sight, the Tabak Especial Balada Perfecto is a beautiful, well made cigar. While the quality and flavors often vary, the appearance of a Drew Estate cigar never disappoints. As you’d expect from one of their more premium offerings, the Tabak Especial Balada Perfecto is no exception. The Connecticut wrapper is just as dark as the Nicaraguan coffee the tobacco has been infused with.
The cigar is fairly well constructed. The only problem is a slight looseness, which unfortunately is also fairly standard for Drew Estate. It is more than adequate, but a bit more tightness would be welcome. It burns slightly too quickly, which is unsurprising due to its loose construction. Despite the speed of the burn, it is fairly even.
However, when you buy a Drew Estate flavoured cigar, the taste is the most important factor. The Tabak Especial Balada Perfecto doesn’t disappoint. The coffee flavor is very strong from the very first puff. This cigar has clearly been very intensely infused with coffee. It produces an easy draw quickly, and imparts a strong flavor right away. It’s definitely slightly different if you are used to non-flavored cigars. However, while strong, it remains on the right side of overpowering. Even if you’ve never smoked a flavored cigar before, you should be fine starting off with the Tabak Especial Balada Perfecto.
It’s very sweet, particularly towards the middle of the cigar, where the coffee flavor is mingled with a dark chocolate. The strength remains medium throughout. It’s remarkably easy to smoke, despite the strong flavor. I don’t think I would smoke one daily, but it is certainly a pleasant change from my usual. By the time you get to the half way point, the coffee taste becomes almost normal. As the coffee infusion starts to grab less of your attention, the Tabak Especial Balada Perfecto becomes a very relaxing and gentle smoke.
The real test of a cigar’s quality comes at the end, and again the Tabak Especial Balada Perfecto really exceeded expectations. The flavor profile didn’t change significantly, and the smoke remained smooth and mellow. The taste of the smoke was creamy and sweet, right until the last draw. It’s not often you can say that about a cigar.
At less than $120 for a box of the Balada Perfecto, these work out at about $5 a stick. This is the standard price for Drew Estate cigars. However, the delightful flavor of these cigars is anything but standard. The Tabak Especial Balada Perfecto is one of the most interesting cigars that Drew Estate manufactures, and this price represents great value. If you’re looking for something original, and you can get past the slightly loose construction, then the Tabak Especial Balada Perfecto is definitely worth checking out.