Padron

After a six week break from reviewing and blogging, we are finally back! 

Why the break?  The usual sort of excuse: a new job, new responsibilities, and a ton of new things to learn edged blogging out (but only by a little). 

So we open our 2020 reviews with a review of the Padron Family Reserve 46 Years Maduro. If you’ve been to any high-end cigar retailers, chances are you’ve seen at least a few editions of the Family Reserve line. In this case, the 46 year celebrates 46 years of Padron in business. The cigar features tobaccos aged from 8-10 years. If that doesn’t sound like a long time, you’re probably a scotch drinker. In the cigar world, even two years is a long time to age tobacco, so 8-10 is remarkable. 

All that said, let’s get to the review. 

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Padron Family Reserve 46 Years Maduro
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 5 1/2 x 56

Appearance & Construction

Just a marvelous sight. The gold and maroon band complements the rustic dark brown maduro wrapper that’s got a oily sheen and some minor veins. When squeezed, the cigar is very firm, with just one slight soft spot near the foot of the cigar.

Off of the foot there are strong barnyard notes and far less sweetness than I’m used to sensing on most Padron maduro cigars. After clipping with a straight cut, the draw reveals itself to be fairly restrictive, about an 8/10 in terms of amount of restrictiveness. The cold draw is understated, with some oats and barnyard. I’m now curious to hear what this cigar has to say given how different it is from some of the other family reserve lines I’ve smoked.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The Padron Family Reserve 46 Years Maduro kicks off unlike most Padron’s I’ve smoked. Instead of a blast of spice and dry wood, I’m greeted by lush, creamy smoke that has just a minor edge of spiciness to it. Flavor-wise, it leans more toward sweet, with notes of cappuccino, deep dark chocolate, light pepper and some baking spices. The texture is something like chocolate cake (it’s good). The cigar has no problem producing ample smoke, and it has one of the most comfortable draws I’ve encountered, with even a gentle pull producing lots of smooth, cool smoke. A great medium-bodied start.

After about an inch and a half in, the flavor profile shifts to a balance between sweet and bitter flavors, with bitter espresso, wood and smooth black pepper layering on top of the sweeter notes from the first third. Strangely, the smoke production starts to wane a bit, though that corrects itself after about 10 minutes. The ash up to this point has dropped in inch and a half increments, with a razor sharp burn.

The Family Reserve 46 Years doesn’t change much throughout the second third, providing more of the great experience evidence in the first. The final third is different though. Strength and body both start inching up past medium, with a bit more of that classic Padron spiciness building on the palate. The flavors aren’t as nuanced as earlier in the smoke, but it’s not a bad way to end.

Conclusion

The Padron Family Reserve 46 Years Maduro is–perhaps unsurprisingly–a great cigar. Definitely complex, though it struggled at times to retain the flavors that made the first half of the smoke so great. Still, absolutely a cigar I recommend picking up, even at the higher price point.

Final Rating: 91

If you’ve followed us as we’ve written over the last few years, you may have noticed a dearth of reviews of cigars from Padron. I didn’t realize until recently just how few Padron cigars we have reviewed, so I added a few into the rotation for the next couple of weeks.

The Padron Family Reserve 50 Years (not to be mistaken for the Padron 50th Anniversary Limited Edition) is part Padron’s ongoing “Family Reserve” line which includes the Family Reserve 40, 45, 46, and 85. As you’ll read below, it really is quite a celebratory cigar, and a worthy purchase even at it’s steep ~$30 price tag.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 5 x 52 robusto

Appearance & Construction

The Padron Family Reserve 50 Years features a double-band composed of the traditional blood red, gold, and cream colors I’ve come to associate with Padron aniversario labels. The construction of the cigar itself is equally meticulous, with a flawless outer wrapper, sharply edged corners of the box press, and a light springiness when squeezed.

For some reason, more than any other brand, Padron cigars make me sneeze when I take a whiff off of the foot before a review. In the case of the Family Reserve No. 50 Maduro, I sneeze not once, not twice, but three times. Sneezes notwithstanding, the foot gives off intense, prickly spiciness, dry cedar, and sweet earth. The only potential problem with the cigar is the draw, which strikes me as far too freeflowing.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Once lit, the Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro Robusto comes roaring out of the gate with a blast of pepper and spice that sits atop a base of earth, dry wood, and rich dark chocolate. The retrohale is a searing mix of black, white, and red pepper. And then, just fifteen or so puffs into the cigar, the pepper and spice pull way back, bringing a complex and harmonious mixture of sweet earthiness, wood, stone fruits, and dark chocolate into focus. The aroma is something else, with cedar, buttered popcorn, and touches of spice.  Strength and body are both at medium plus in the first third, and the thick white ash holds past an inch and a half. The cigar produces copious amounts of smoke, at least partially due to the free draw, so I take extra care to not smoke too quickly and risk heating the smoke up too much.

In the second third of the Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro, the strength of the smoke ebbs and flows, sometimes highlighting sweeter elements of the profile, other times emphasizing black pepper and wood. At about halfway though, there is a definite movement away from the heavy earth undertones and toward a richer, smoother espresso note that is undoubtedly the main note. Overall, the cigar retains a remarkable clarity of flavor, with zero harshness entering into the smoke—quite a feat given the sheer strength and complexity of the flavors. The construction as well never falters, with a straight burn and ash that seems almost as sturdy as the rest of the cigar.

The final third of the Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro is more of the same, and I’m not complaining. Smooth espresso, dark chocolate, cream, and subtle charred oak combine to produce a flavor profile that’s downright divine. Even in the final inch and a half, the smoke remains remarkably cool, with no deterioration in the flavors. An excellent ending.

Conclusion

The Padron Family Reserve 50 Years Maduro Robusto is easily my favorite from Padron cigars. The combination of flavors like espresso, dark chocolate, earth, wood, and cream, woven together effortlessly make this a truly special cigar.

That said, a quick word of advice here: don’t smoke this cigar too quickly. Particularly if your cigar has a relatively free draw like the one in this review. I found it most enjoyable with slow, careful draws to savor all of the flavors.

Final Rating: 94

I don’t smoke Padron as often as I should. At least, that’s the conclusion I come to after sitting down with the Padron Serie 1926 No 90 Maduro. Released in 2016, the cigar commemorates the 90th birthday of Jose O. Padron, and, like the regular 1926 and 1964 lines, the Padron No 90 comes in two versions, maduro and natural.

At a little over $20 a piece, this isn’t a cheap cigar. Then again, Padron isn’t known for making cheap cigars, right?

On with the review.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Padron 1926 Serie No. 90 Maduro
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 5 1/2 x 52

Up for review today is a very special smoke from Padron: the Padron Family Reserve No. 85 Maduro. The cigar honors the 85th birthday of the late José Orlando Padrón who founded Padron Cigars in 1964. The cigar is also special in that all tobaccos in the cigar have been aged 10 years, which in the manufacturing of cigars is a long time.

While I’m a fan of Padron cigars, my tastes have gravitated towards the more mild/medium end of the cigar spectrum for some time now, so I’m excited to smoke something with more heft.

Product Details

• Cigar Reviewed: Padron Family Reserve No. 85 Maduro
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 5 1/4 x 50 (Robusto)

Appearance and Construction

The box pressed Padron Family Reserve 85 Years carries the traditional dark red and gold primary band along with a brighter red secondary band bearing “85 Years.” It is without a doubt a very classy look.  The outer wrapper is a dark, slightly marbled brown, with a bit of visible oil and a rough, toothy texture.

The scent off of the foot of the cigar reveals bright, dried cedar, espresso bean, hay, and chocolate. The pre light draw has just the right amount of restrictiveness and carries just a bit of pepper and nothing more.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

As the cigar ignites with the first few puffs, I’m greeted by full flavored, spicy smoke. Flavors are fairly traditional Padron: dry cedar, old leather strips, paprika, black pepper, espresso, and earth. Smoke production is solid, and I’m grateful for the glass of water I have on hand. As a side note, that’s one thing I find about most of my experiences with Padron cigars: if I don’t have anything to drink on hand, my mouth quickly gets parched and that undermines the smoking experience significantly.

In any case, at this point there’s so much strength that I’m a bit worried about balance, but by just a half inch in, the strength mellows considerably and everything harmonizes. On top of it all is a really lovely creamy sweetness that balances the sharper cedar notes. To me, this is something akin to Padron heaven. Medium to full bodied. Full flavor. Everything right on point.

By the end on the first third, the ash is still holding tight and the burn is straight. The flavors have become more complex, with caramel on the finish and an interesting dark cherry note on the palate.

As I smoke past the halfway mark, the strength and body of the cigar has reduced to a solid medium, and the retrohale, once a spice bomb, is now smooth and round in textured. The flavor profile has also shifted, with less spice and paprika and more dark chocolate and oak notes. It’s a wonderful transition, and is a great demonstration of what a really complex Nicaraguan blend can achieve in terms of change and movement.

The final third is easy and smooth, with rich notes of milk chocolate, leather, baking spices and pepper. The home stretch confirms that the cigar was masterfully constructed, with zero burn or draw issues.

This will be a cigar I return to.

Conclusion

The Padron Famiky Reserve 85 Year was a phenomenal smoke from start to finish. Loaded with complementary flavors and lots of complexity, it offered a compelling story that captured my attention for the entire length of the cigar. Starting at around $21, this is in the upper tier of pricing, but the value is there (and then some).

Pickup this cigar at your local retailer or online. You’ll be glad you did.

Final Score: 93