Nine out of 10 times that I reach for a cigar from Padron it is a natural. This weekend on Twitter someone asked my opinion of the Maduro and asked for me to write a review for today’s smoke.
According to the Padron website, “The Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series line was introduced in 1994 to commemorate our company’s 30th anniversary. This line consists of eleven sizes that are all available in sun-grown natural and maduro wrappers. All tobacco used in this limited production series is aged for four years, creating a smooth and complex flavor. In honor of the age-old Cuban tradition of box-pressing cigars, the 1964 Anniversary line was introduced as a box-pressed series. For the protection of our customers we have introduced measures to safeguard against counterfeiting with a specially designed double band featuring an individually numbered guarantee label. The Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series is consistently ranked by industry experts as one of the top brands in the world.”
Cigar: Padron 1964 Anniversary
Size: 4.5 x 46 (Principe)
Wrapper: Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium-Full
Source: Two Guys Smoke Shop
The Look: The maduro version of the box press Padron 1964 has a gritty appearance almost like fine sandpaper. And like most of the anniversary box pressed cigars it is the definition of what a box press should look like. The Padron band features a secondary with serial numbers to protect against counterfeiting which occurred at one time in New York City. In the hand the cigar is light, but firm and well packed.
The Notes: The foot of the Padron 1964 has a sweetness to it and some spice to the nose while the cold draw offer up a slight cocoa over classic tobacco notes. Once the cigar is lit there is a nice amount of spice through the nose with some subtle sweetness.
The first third of the cigar continues with some hearty spice and a faint chocolate note as work further into the smoke, there is some coffee that develops on the finish.
As we enter the second third of the Padron Principe 1964 Anniversary the coffee notes really begin to take hold with and underlying sweetness and some leather thrown into the mix. As the second third comes to a close some chocolate notes begin to develop.
The last third of the Padron picks up in strength as do the notes of leather and coffee with a short finish.
The Burn: The Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro features an exquisite burn with a light color ash that held for an inch at a time. The draw was a little loose, but it burned nice and snow. As always the Padron 1964 Anniversary performs as expected.
The Finish: I tend to reach for the Natural version because I find the cigar to be creamier and a tad smoother, although the notes on the Maduro are easier to detect. The Maduro is a nice cigar to visit, but the Natural will always be my go to stick on the Padron 1964.
Score: 93
Price: $9.20 / $229.99 Box of 25
Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro
Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro Foot
Padron 1964 Anniversary Maduro Burn
