Nothing says summer time like a tall glass of iced tea. You haven’t had iced tea until you’ve made it from loose leaf tea. The full body taste of loose leaf is remarkably different from Lipton, Tetley or other grocery store brands and really gives you that crispness that makes tea so refreshing.

Since we’re grown-ups, lets add a little bit of jazz to this summertime classic by way of another American classic… whiskey.

Ingredients
• 3 tbsp Loose Leaf Exotic Fruit Peach Tea
• 4 cups of water *Remember, filtered is best!
• Paper tea filter or infuser or your choice
• 1 cup peach nectar (I prefer Goya brand)
• Whiskey of your choice
• Peach slices for garnish
**Makes 6-8 servings

Boil the 4 cups of water, take it off the burner, submerge tea, and steep the tea 3-4 minutes. Remove the tea bags once you’re done steeping. Let the tea cool for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a pitcher. Add the peach nectar and stir. Fill a tall glass about 3/4 of the way with ice and pour on the tea mixture. Leave enough room to toss in a shot of whiskey. Garnish with a fresh slice of peach.

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

The Cigar: 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 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 Grand Cru 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 Grand Cru 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 went very nicely with a glass of Glenmorangie 10yr Single Malt Scotch.

Crave a stronger cup of tea? Don’t make the common mistake of steeping a cup of tea longer in order to make it stronger. This is partially true, your tea will be stronger, but it will also be awfully bitter.

True teas (black, white, Oolong, Green) increase in bitterness as they are steeped beyond the producer’s specifications. Herbal teas, however, can be steeped beyond their suggested length without becoming bitter.

Add more tea to your diffuser or bag to increase the strength of black, green, white and Oolong teas.

For suggested steep times and tea descriptions see our tea guide.

Get the most flavor out of your brew by following the steps in our guide for steeping the perfect cup of tea.