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.

The post Padron Serie 1926 40 Years Natural appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

These cigars came in a recent order that I made with the absolutely awesome team over at Bonita Smoke Shop. There you can find the Padron Family Reserve 46 Years in both singles and by the box. Padron isn’t a brand that I smoke too often. It’s not that I do not enjoy them (cause god knows I do), I just find them slightly out of my price range. To me, Padron signifies the perfect “special day” or celebratory cigar. What am I celebrating? Being alive I guess. I just really wanted to see just how great of a chance this years 46 Year release has for Cigar of the Year vs. last years 45 year release.

The Good Stuff: The Padron Family Reserve 46 Years Maduro is said to be amongst the most finest cigars that have ever been produced by the Padron Family. The 46 year Family Reserve is made to commemorate Padron’s 46 years of successful operation. The blend is composed of all Nicaraguan tobacco grown at Padron’s Tabacos Cubanica factory in Esteli that is aged for at least 10 years (some of the companies oldest tobacco). The 46 Years only comes in a maduro wrap unlike the previous 45 Year blend which came in both Maduro and Natural. There have been rumors going around that Padron plans on releasing the blend in a natural wrap but again, these are only rumors. The Padron Family Reserve 46 Years comes in boxes of ten and there will only be between 40 to 50 thousand of these cigars made.

Size: 5.5 x 56  –  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Maduro  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  –  Body: Medium

Prelight: The Padron Family Reserve 46 Years Maduro is a very meat, beefy, boxed pressed maduro. The wrapper is a very consistent, toothy, dark chocolatey brown wrap that leads up to a single, tiny, flawless cap.  This cigar is very heavy, and extremely firm to the touch. There no soft spots, and just one small section on the side of the cigar towards the middle of the body that bumps out. The wrapper on this cigar seems really tough and durable. It’s real tough and I am only hoping that is isn’t a branch and I burn right through it. The band is exactly what you would expect from the Padron Family Reserve line. Dark maroon with the words “Padron – Family Reserve – 1964” embossed in gold metallic ink. The underband simply states the number of authenticity, No. 263835 in this case. The finally band is small color reversed band with the words “46 Years” repeated across it. The wrapper gives off but a faint chocolate and coffee aroma while the boasts of a very smooth and creamy espresso with subtle hints of natural tobacco.  The 46 Years cut off very lean and easy using my double bladed cutter.  The cold draw produces a very flavorful tobacco and cocoa mixture with a bit of coffee.

First Smoke: The Padron 46 Years starts off by pumping out just a massive and effortless draw. This cigar pumps out a very thick cedar rich draw with hints of espresso, spice, sweetness, and chocolate. After the first couple of puffs a very strong spice (nutmeg and cinnamon maybe?) just takes over this experience. Leaving behind a completely massive cloud of thick, lingering smoke. This cigar gives off a very impressive amount of spicy scented stationary smoke.  The burnline is extremely sharp and dead even all the way around the body of the cigar.  The ash left behind is a brilliant grey, almost white, and held on literally for two inches before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: I really live this size of this cigar. Not to big, not too small, and the box press fits perfectly and comfortably between your fingers. The spice into the second third simmered down a bit and the cedar flavor made it’s triumphant return. There is still quite a bit of espresso mixed in there as well. So far the experience has been flavorful, creamy, and incredibly smooth. I can’t feel any nicotine despite how slow this cigar is burning. The retro hale is straight up woodsy and I get almost the same prime just being around the cigar due the amount of stationary smoke the 46 year gives off. On a side note, The “bump” mentioned in the Prelight did nothing to hinder the experience. I just burned right through it.

Finish: I have to say, the Padron 46 years is a perfectly balanced yet complex cigar. The final third while flavorful, finished incredibly smooth. The spice has been completely removed from the flavor make-up with only the cedar and lingering espresso and chocolate flavors. I still haven’t felt much nicotine from this cigar. It fits perfectly in the medium range finishing smooth and creamy with no harshness built up what so ever. The cigar didn’t even burn hotter than warm going well within the final inch.  The burn was perfect from start to finish with no touch ups or relights needed. On another side notes the small band peeled right off while the larger two connected bands slight off with ease.

Overview: After all was said and done the Padron Family Reserve 46 years took about an hours and forty five minutes to finish. And I have to say I enjoyed every single minute of it. Super flavorful, complex, creamy, mild and smooth. Everything you would expect from the Padron Family. Will it top last year’s Cigar Aficionado’s best cigar of the year performance? No idea, but I can say it stands a few good chance. The price obviously plays a big role in me saying that I don’t find these cigars in my regular rotation too often. At around $26 a pop this cigar is a bit pricey. It is however the perfect special day or celebratory cigar.

Pairing: I hit the booze hard last night so I didn’t do my normal beer/wine pairing with this cigar. Instead, pure hydration. H2O was my weapon of choice. Needless to say I ‘m not posting a picture of this. You all should know what water looks like. Instead, I am posting a picture of my dog Sonny in his Halloween costume. Cause he’s a badass and keeps me company while I write these reviews.

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