Normally I wouldn’t re-visit the same cigar again but I thought this was a good opportunity to answer some questions and concerns about Cubans. A lot of people criticize Cuban cigars for not being very consistent year to year either in flavor or construction. There were definitely some year ranges that got more attention or praise than others so we’ll see how thye compare.

Another thing I sometimes hear about Cuban’s is that they need to be aged. The last Montecristo No. 2 we reviewed were about 2 years old so I picked the same age range here. Today’s cigar was produced 2 years ago, in 2010. So this should take the concern of age out of the mix.

Montecristo is obviously a famous brand and one that is commonly mimicked by fakes next to Cohiba and Romeo y Julieta. The most famous from the Monte line up being this cigar, the No. 2 and the very popular No. 4. so if you are shopping for these, keep yor eyes peeled for fakes because there are tons of them out there! So let’s see how this newer version stacks up to the older one we reviewed and I encourage you to read our previous review before going ahead with this one: Link here.

Cigar: Montecristo No.2 (2010 Box Date)
Drink: Dieu du Ciel Blanche Neige
Vitola: Piramide (6.125 x 52)
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
Price: $30 in Canada; Just under $10 in Cuba
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The light orangey wrapper on the No. 2 has a nice oily shine to it
• There are some medium sized veins on these sticks but none of them look big enough to pose and problems
• There is a slight spongy feel to the whole length of the cigar, giving just a little bit when squeezed
• The foot seems very well packed and has a nice consistent tone to it
• The tapered cap has one leaf that blends right into the body smoothly

Burn:
• Toasting was very easy and even, the whole foot was glowing with minimal effort
• The first bit of burnline is a tad wavy but nothing horrible and it’s holding so far
• The burnline came around pretty quickly, and although not perfectly straight or razor sharp, it’s still staying within a safe range
• The No. 2 continues it’s funky but safe burn into the last third, also it’s letting me smoke it nice and slow to get the full enjoyment going
• The cigar finished up without any major issues and I was able to smoke it down to the nub without ever needing to touch it up

Smoke & Ash:
• Right from the first draw, I’m met with a nice mouthful of smoke
• There isn’t much in the way of resting smoke to notice but there is a light burning wood aroma coming off the cigar
• The ash here is nothing to write home about, it’s pretty dark grey or black
• In terms of cleanliness, the Montecristo No. 2 looks a bit weak but it doesn’t do much flaking
• To be safe, I tapped off the ash at about the 1 inch mark so I didn’t end up with it in my lap
• The next couple of ashes were in the 1 inch mark as well and still the dark grey colors
• Happy to say the smoke volume is staying nice and full, making it easy to just take a single draw and enjoy the cigar slowly

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper gives off a nice cedar aroma and a touch of light baking spices
• The foot gives more of the same cedar but there are definitely more baking spices noticeable here
• The pre-light draw is more of the same tasty notes, cedar and baking spices with a bit of earthiness here
• The initial draws bring a touch of pepper now and a little more roasted flavors, the lighter cedar notes are not present right now
• As the peppery notes die down, there is a flavor of burnt or roasted wood coming through right now
• The body has started off in the mild to medium range and there is a smooth cedar finish on the retrohale
• The baking spices started to creep in slowly through the middle of the stick, definitely some nutmeg and cloves in here
• Along with those notes came some nice light coffee tones that really balanced out the whole profile now
• The body built up a bit to the full range in the last half but the smooth cedar finish continued on the retrohale
• There was a build up of the coffee and baking spice notes while the subtler flavors died down a bit towards the nub
• There was no harshness at the end but the flavors definitely picked up intensity

Final Thoughts:
The Montecristo No. 2 is still one of my favorite Cuban’s and I already knew that going into this cigar. My hope was to give a good look at the comparison between this 2010 box and the 2008 box Tony and I reviewed here. On final note, I have to say the flavors here weren’t as refined as the older box was. Given they were aged for about the same time, I found the 2010’s to be a little more in your face and have a little more body to them. As for construction, they were fairly similar in quality, maybe the 2010’s have a bit of an edge with regards to good burn. The flavors are still tasty and if you like a little more strength you might actually like the newer boxes better. But for me, I’d probably seek out some of the older boxes if I could, but they are all probably gone now. Maybe a little more rest time will give them a different profile?

Pairings:
I thought this pairing was a perfect match for this autumn time. It’s by one of the great breweries in Quebec called Dieu du Ciel. The brew, called Blanche de Neige, roughly translates to “Snow White” and is a wheat beer brewed with cinnamon and cloves flavors. The awesome infusion definitely shines through in this beer and tastes amazing. It obviously has the cinnamon and clove flavors along with some night light malty and toffee like notes. Paired very nicely with the Montecristo No. 2, a strong coffee or some Port would have made a nice choice too.

The post Montecristo No. 2 from 2010 (Cuban) appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

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.

Some of my Empty Boxes...

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Now that we have you attention, we’d also like to announce that we have implemented a newsletter that will automatically notify you when a new post is made at CasasFumando.com. If you aren’t a fan of RSS this is the best way to get the post notifications straight to your mailbox.

So now you must be asking, how do I win this amazing super-secret 5-pack and get the coupon code? Here’s what you need to do (each of the following will count as one entry.):

1. Sign up for our newly implemented mailing list by typing your email address into the box on the right hand side of any page on the site. The exclusive Cheap Humidors coupon will be attached at the end of each email that is sent out.
2. Post a comment on the reviews posted between now and the contest end date. Only one comment per review will be counted and each one is an extra entry into the contest
3. Tweet/post the following on Twitter or Facebook:
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We will run this contest for 3 weeks and a winner will be chosen on Sunday, May 16th, 2010. In the meantime, you will get a notification of the coupon code with each review we post from now until the contest ends.

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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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