Let’s clear something up first.  Everyone seems to have their own name for this cigar.  Its equivalent to the music industries “Self-Titled” albums.  Remember back when Metallica released their self titled album?  Everyone had a name for it and it eventually became known as “The Black Album”. (Random example I know, but work with me here!)  I seem to see a similar occurrence with this line. The two most common names seem to the “The Padron Classic Line” or “The Padron Thousand Series” (obviously coming from the fact that most of their vitolas are numbers in the thousands). The actual name for this line is simply the “Padron Series”.

Padron is well known for their two more popular lines, the “1926 Serie” and the “1964 Anniversary Series”.  You can also check out my review of the 1926 40 Years or the 1926 No. 35 and the 1964 Anniversay Series Principe.  Those two popular lines often carry a fair hefty price tag whereas this line can be had at very valuable pricing.  It’s a diverse line coming in 15 different sizes and offered in both Maduro and Natural.  One thing to note is that the two different wrappers are usually very hard to tell apart.  The Natural wrappers tend to have a very dark color to them in my experience.

Although this is a much less expensive line, the cigars are still all hand rolled and are made using quality tobacco.  All of the tobacco included in the Padron Series is Sun Grown Nicaraguan and they are aged a minimum of 1.5 years.  The cigar I’m smoking today has also been in my humidor for close to 2 years.  So let’s see how Padron’s more budget friendly line stands up:

Cigar: Padron Series 2000 Natural
Drink: Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer
Vitola: Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: About $4
Burn Time: A little under 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The wrapper is rough and has quite a few veins along with a dark cinnamon brown color
• The top is finished with a single cap, not terribly applied but a little messy
• The cigar has some slight give when squeezed but it’s mostly firm throughout
• Foot appears moderately packed, a bit of a gap in the middle which I’m hoping doesn’t cause a tunnel
• The band is fairly minimal and simple, comparably almost to some Cuban Montecristo bands
• The cut was nice and easy, leaving a clean end
• I made sure not to cut too much off the cap since experience tells me these can have open draw.  If you take care to make a shallow cut you’re greeted with a perfect draw

Burn:
• Toasting was nice and easy, the whole foot glowed evenly with minimal effort
• The burn is amazingly razor sharp through the first inch, almost no wave at all
• This Padron 2000 is staying lit easily without the need for me to keep drawing on it
• Through to the halfway point I’ve had absolutely no problems with the burn, razor sharp the whole way
• No burn issues right down to the nub, I never had to take my lighter out after the initial light. That’s the way I like it!

Smoke & Ash:
• Right from the first draw I’m getting a ton of smoke from this cigar with very little effort
• The resting smoke is also fairly prominent and gives off a nice cedar aroma
• The ash here is very good, has some very bright white spots accented with some darker grey areas
• Ash appears tight and neat but also seems a bit weak
• After a little more than an inch, I tapped the ash off into my ashtray
• The second ash fell off on it’s own into the ashtray after about an inch

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper aroma is a mixture of hay and some coffee beans
• Pre-light draw brings more hay and a ton of earthiness, almost felt like I had dirt in my mouth for a second
• Initial draws have a very strong appearance of delicious coffee and some cedar notes
• The cigar starts off fairly mild and the retrohale has a nice light bite and a very smooth coffee finish
• As we get through the first third, I’m also picking up some mild cocoa notes here and there
• The finish on this cigar is very smooth and the whole profile is well balanced
• The coffee flavors are developing very well as I smoke this Padron 2000
• The cocoa notes are making a strong appearance near the last third and I’m also getting a nice nuttiness
• The body hasn’t changed much at this point, just a slight increase
• Retrohale has stayed nice and consistent with a tiny bite and smooth coffee finish
• The coffee flavors continue to get more intense, now more comparable to a stronger espresso
• The more intense coffee flavors along with woodsy, cocoa and nutty continued to the nub with very little bitterness, allowing you to enjoy it until your fingers burn

Final Thoughts:
Well I think the fact that I’ve ordered a few boxes of the Padron Series cigars may have already given up the fact that I really enjoy them, and this Padron Series 2000 Natural is no exception.  I think that’s easy to see from my notes above. I’ve always been met with great burn and flavors in all of the vitolas I’ve had from the Padron Series. They are also more on the mild side which make a great first cigar at a herf or an early day cigar. It’s also something you can pass out to new cigar smokers without hurting the wallet and you can be sure they will enjoy it. If you haven’t had the chance to smoke one of these or you are part of the group who thinks all Padrons are expensive, then you definitely need to track some of these down and give them a try. Considering the cost of these, especially if you find them on sale, you can’t go wrong.

Pairings:
For the pairing today we have one of my favorite summery blonde brews from one of my favorite breweries. It is the Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer. It’s a wonderful Scottish brew which is aged in Oak casks for a minimum of 77 days. I also paired this brew with Man O’ War Virtue a while back. Don’t let the lighter color of this beer fool you, it is full of flavor and surprising more bold than you would expect. You get the obvious oak flavors in every sip which make a wonderful layer on this brew. Along with that, you get some smooth caramel and slight malty flavor with a fresh and crisp finish. The pairing with the Padron Series 2000 was a pretty good one. The oak flavors in the beer accented the woodsy flavors in the cigar although I think the brew would pair better with a Connecticut. Coffee seems to be my favorite pairing with any of the Padron Series or a coffee flavored porter/stout.

The post Padron Series – 2000 Natural appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

We’ve had a few Padron cigars reviewed on the site already. You can read my reviews of the Padron 1926 No. 35 Maduro or Padron 1964 Principe, or check out Tony’s review of the special edition Padron 46 Years. Padron prides itself on releasing only Nicaraguan puros, which means all the leaves contained within the cigars are grown in Nicaragua. Check out one of the above linked reviews for more information about the Padron Cigar company and it’s Cuban heritage and inspiration.

Today’s review comes from the Serie 1926 line and is called the “40 Years”. Although it seems named similar to the yearly special editions (45 Years, 46 Years, etc…) it is actually part of the regular production Serie 1926 line. The cigars name is significant of the year it was added to the line. It has a unique box-pressed

I was lucky enough to find myself a slightly warm day to enjoy this cigar, of course warm to me this winter is still well below freezing, but I’ll take what I can get until spring comes around! As you might be able to tell, I’m already a big fan of Padron cigars, but as with all my reviews, I go into them as unbiased as possible and give it a fair review. This also means that I will have high expectations for this cigar and might work against it in the outcome. Take a read through it and let me know how your thoughts here might compare to mine.

Cigar: Padron Serie 1926 40 Years Natural
Drink: Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
Vitola: Box-Pressed Torpedo (6.5 x 54)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $25
Burn Time: About 2 hours

Construction:
• A slightly rough yet well made cinnamon brown wrapper with a box-pressed torpedo shape
• No major veins but lots of smaller ones can be seen
• The tapered cap finishes cleanly but it very firm, making me worry about draw issues
• The body of the cigar has a soft spring to it
• As with most Padrons, the wrapper has a very appealing toothiness to it
• The foot appears fairly well packed but does have a couple holes
• The cut was very clean and firm, I did have to cut a fair bit of the taper off to get a decent draw
• This cigar had a crack in the wrapper near the foot, likely due to shipping damage as none of the others I’ve had were like this

Burn:
• Had some trouble getting the foot to light up evenly, starting off with a wavy burn now
• After a few draws the burn line straightened right out nicely
• The crack extended about two inches down the wrapper and definitely affected the burn but it still burned quite well despite that
• A slight peninsula formed just as I passed the end of the crack, a small correction and we’re back in good form
• A few more peninsulas here and there but they mostly corrected themselves
• The cigar burned nice and slowly the whole way through

Smoke & Ash:
• Lots of smoke from each draw right from the start of this cigar
• There’s quite a bit of smoke from a resting position as well, giving off a nice cedar aroma
• The ash is not splitting but it does look a bit flaky and weak, we’ll see how it holds up…
• Started to get more flaky as it progressed so I tapped the ash off at about an inch before it fell all over me
• Second ash also fell off after about an inch, seems to be on par with the others I’ve had of this vitola
• Lots of flaking as the cigar burns further along

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper aroma is strong of cedar and tobacco
• The foot has more hints of cedar but also a strong presence of earthy aromas and a touch of spice
• The pre-light draw is more cedar and a lot more spice, leaving a tingling sensation on the lips and tongue
• Initial draws are mostly of a burnt woodsy type flavor with some earthy notes mixed in
• After a few draws the flavor smoothed out to a nice cedar with some hints of white pepper
• The retrohale is very smooth with a little bite and a tasty cedar finish
• As i finish the first third, I’m getting some hints of coffee creeping in as the pepper slowly fades away
• So far the cigar is just about on the edge of mild and medium and very smooth, no dryness either
• The coffee kept developing nicely and the cedar is still around, also getting some cinnamon or nutmeg on the finish now
• Just past the halfway mark, an interesting bready (think fresh dough) and creamy flavor has popped up, it’s very enjoyable and the cigar is balancing out so well
• The bite on the retrohale is just right, not overpowering and still offers a smooth finish of cedar and coffee
• More coffee flavors developing and turning into an espresso like taste, I find this in a lot of Padron’s and it always impresses me
• Straight down to the nub the flavors are still going strong with no harshness at all

Final Thoughts:
As with most Padron’s I’ve enjoyed, this one did not disappoint. Each time I’ve lit up this vitola I’ve been greeted with a variety of flavors and dimensions that kept it interesting the whole way through. Even with a large crack running a good length of the wrapper, the cigar still burned fairly well. Unfortunately, this cigar loses points in the price department. It carries a hefty tag at about $25 and a lot of shops will over price these due to the name, not to mention taxes in some states/countries. It’s definitely something worth trying as this offers a great cigar smoking experience but it’s not something that can be had on a regular basis for most people. Try to grab a few to save for special occasions and you will not be disappointed!

Pairings:
Today’s pairing is one that seems to be a well known brew, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. It comes in a good sized bottle and definitely has lots of character from this UK based brewery. It’s a nice dark stout with lots of head and a smooth finish. You won’t find any bitterness with this brew. The chocolate notes are not as pronounced as the name might suggest but are definitely there and offer a very smooth malty flavor. This brew is an excellent choice for any cigar with hints of coffee or cocoa, I find it really helps those flavors shine. It was no disappointment here as it paired very well and made the coffee notes of the Padron Serie 1926 40 Years really shine. This cigar would also pair quite well with Port, Coffee or a smooth scotch. I also paired this brew with a blind review I did awhile ago of the Perdomo Patriarch Maduro, read that one here.

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This cigar was sent to me as part of a package from DannyP6228 on Twitter. It was aged more than 2 years and his only requirement was that I do a review when I got around to smoking it. Danny raves about this cigar and after smoking it I completely understand why. I’ve yet to have any Padrón that has disappointed me, even their inexpensive Padrón Series line is consistently good. Without further delay, let’s get to the review.

Cigar: Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Maduro Principe
Drink: W&J Graham’s 2003 Late Bottled Vintage Tawny Port
Vitola: Principe (4.5 x 46)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: Gifted from @DannyP6228 – Retails for around $10
Burn Time: 1.5 Hours

Construction:
• Nicely box pressed
• Medium brown colour, not as dark as most maduros
• Very firm feel throughout
• Foot looks tightly packed
• Evenly applied single cap
• Double banded with the bottom band having a serialized number
• Some dots all over the wrapper, giving it that nice toothy appeal
• Lots of attractive oils secreting from the wrapper due to it’s age
• Slightly open draw
• Band slid off easily, no extra glue means no damage to the wrapper


Burn:
• Toasting was easy and perfectly even
• Razor sharp burn from the first draw
• No problems staying lit, allowed me to enjoy it nice and slowly
• This is how every cigar should burn, no attention required at all here

Smoke & Ash:
• Big mouthful of smoke right from the first draw
• Resting smoke is minimal and giving off a fantastic cedar aroma
• Very light grey ash, perfectly round, with small white spots from the toothy wrapper
• Absolutely no flaking, ash is picture perfect
• Great ash, hanging on for about 2 inches

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper has a very light aroma of cedar and cocoa
• Foot aroma is of cedar with some earthy notes and a touch of spice
• Pre-light draw is very woodsy and earthy with a hint of nuts
• Initial draws are extremely smooth with more of the woodsy, cocoa and earthy notes
• Retrohale is also very smooth with just a small bite and a smooth cedar finish
• Hints of coffee and nuts sneak in after the first few draws
• The flavors are so well balanced, each one taking turns being the prominent one between draws
• About an inch in and getting a bit of spice, closest comparison would be something along the lines of nutmeg
• At around the halfway mark, the coffee and nut flavors were the most prominent, still very smooth and enjoyable
• The body has been a smooth mild-medium throughout
• Retrohale started to pick up the coffee notes on the finish, very nice touch
• Picking up a great toasted wood flavor
• With about 1.5 inches left the coffee flavors changed to a slightly stronger espresso type flavor, loving that little change
• Body slowly increasing towards the full range as I reach the end of the cigar
• The body just suddenly went to the very full range and the coffee flavors just bursted out
• Very little harshness, smoked it down to the nub till my fingers were burning

Final Thoughts:
As with every Padron I’ve had, this one did not disappoint. Great flavors, great burn, great ash, great cigar. The price range on these is a little high but well worth it. I’m sure the extra age on this one helped. If you haven’t tried the 1964 or 1926 lines by Padron I definitely recommend trying them out.

Pairings:
My Port went perfectly with this cigar. The body of the pairings matched up perfectly and I would suggest trying it to anyone out there. Another good pairing could be a nice strong coffee, but I will strongly suggest a good Tawny Port!

The post Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series Maduro Principe appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Padron 1926 Serie No. 35

Padrón Cigars offers 3 consistent lines along with a select few special releases. The particular cigar I reviewed was from the “1926 Serie” and is called the “No. 35” measuring in at 4inches with a 48 ring gauge. All vitolas in the series are available in both Maduro and Sun-Grown Natural wrappers. The other sizes available in this line are: No. 6 (4.75 x 50), No. 2 (5.5 x 52), No. 9 (5.25 x 56) and two specialty vitolas, ‘40th Anniversary’ (6.5 x 54) and ‘80 Years’ (6.75 x 54). The prices of these cigars tend to be fairly high but they are intended to be a premium line and more than live up to their selling price. The 1926 Serie was first released in 2002 and is a commemoration of Jose O. Padrón’s 75th birthday. The minimum age for all tobacco in this line is 5 years, so rest assured you are getting a wonderfully aged product right out of the box, no need to let them rest. Light up and enjoy!

Padron 1926 Serie No. 35

I also wanted to note that each Padrón 1926 Serie cigar comes with a second band under the logo band that is individually numbered after undergoing their strict quality controls. The annual production of this cigar will be limited to only 100,000 each year. When I picked up this cigar on a trip down in Florida I was hesitant whether it would live up to the name given the small vitola. Take a few minutes to read my notes on the cigar and you’ll see that it was worth every penny.

Padron 1926 Serie No. 35

Cigar: Padrón 1926 Serie Maduro
Drink: Niagara Region Merlot from Peninsula Ridge
Vitola: No. 35 (48×4)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $13.00
Burn Time: 1 Hour

Construction:
• Box pressed shape
• Slightly bumpy wrapper with no major veins
• A deep brown color with a nice oily sheen
• Very firm throughout with very minor spring to it
• Very neat single cap
• The band was just perfectly loose so I know there are no glue or wrapper issues underneath
• Individually numbered second band below the logo band
• Cut was effortless and even
• Draw is dead-on perfect which is surprising considering the firm feel, stayed perfect throughout the cigar

Padron 1926 Serie No. 35

Burn:
• Toasting was quick and even, no awkward or dark spots
• Burn was razor sharp straight from the toasting
• Not much else to say here, it was perfect, no wavy burn, no touch ups, burned without me needing to babysit. Every cigar should be like this

Padron 1926 Serie No. 35

Smoke & Ash:
• Good mouthful of smoke
• Not overbearing and not wishing for more, just right
• Resting smoke is just right and giving off a perfect “cigar smell”, not sure how else to describe it… just sweet and savory
• Light gray ash with some black highlights
• Ash is very tight and strong with no flaking
• Held on past 1 inch, surprising considering the smaller size and ring gauge
• It’s almost like a piece of art, looks too perfect

Padron 1926 Serie No. 35

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper aroma is light and just smells of tobacco
• Foot has a nice tobacco aroma with a bit of a barnyard scent
• Pre-light draw has a mild spice to it and some pepper on the lips
• Initial draws have a great sweet tobacco flavor and some earthy tones
• Medium bodied and well balanced
• About half an inch in, starting to detect some coffee/espresso notes
• Retrohale has a small bite to it and a great finish of sweet tobacco and coffee
• Approaching the halfway point, starting to pick up some woodsy notes
• The balance of spice on the retrohale and flavors in the draw are near perfect, couldn’t ask for anything else
• Past the half-way point, the bitter coffee flavor (think espresso) has changed to a roasted coffee flavor, very nice
• Great cedar flavors as I approach the end
• Some pepper and spice came in near the end and body ramped up to a medium-full
• Very minor bitterness at the end, more like a coffee bitter instead of the usual harsh bitter on the nub of other cigars

Padron 1926 Serie No. 35

Final Thoughts:
This is a wonderful cigar experience and would definitely recommend this to anyone that asks. The flavors throughout the cigar were pronounced yet balanced and enjoyable. There was not a single spot in the cigar that I wasn’t enjoying myself, it was great from the first draw to the last. Although in the higher price range, this is definitely a box-worthy cigar to be smoked on any occasion, whether a special day or just relaxing on a sunny afternoon.

Padron 1926 Serie No. 35

Pairings:
A cigar like this requires a good pairing or you could throw off the delicate balance of flavors that make this a great cigar. My pairing with a medium bodied, semi-dry wine worked perfectly. I can also see this working well with a fine scotch or cognac. Don’t opt for the inexpensive stuff here, it will take away from the experience. I also wouldn’t go with port or soda on this cigar as the high sugar content could also lessen the experience. For a non-alcoholic pairing, I’d probably go with water or coffee to make this cigar really shine.

Padron 1926 Serie No. 35

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