Padron 1926 Maduro No.6 – Cigar Review

In 1926, Jose O. Padron was born in the country of Cuba. Fast forward to 1964 after immigrating to the US, he founded one of the worlds most successful brands of premium cigars in the city of Miami. Mr. Padron worked tirelessly over the years to build his brand, turning it into the icon it is today. After smoking the Padron 1964 Anniversary TAA Belicoso last week on TCA’s weekly podcast, I wanted to revisit one of their other offerings I haven’t had for a while. For today’s review, I’ll be taking a look at a the Padron 1926 Maduro.

What am I smoking?
Cigar Review: Padron 1926 Maduro No. 6
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fabricas de Padron
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 4.75 Inches
Ring Gauge: 50
Power: 7/10

Packaging & Design
The packaging of these cigars are somewhat plain looking, made using lacquered cedar boxes with brass snaps and hinges. Even though the design is plain, it maintains a timeless look that has relatively unchanged for decades. Heat stamped on the lid is the brands logo along with “Serie 1926” to designate the blend. The seal is glossy and uses colors of maroon with embossed gold lettering. Each cigar has two bands; the top decorative layer shows off the brand name, and the bottom layer is stamped with a unique serial number to prevent counterfeiting.

First Impressions
The cigars are presented in a softly box pressed format with a rustic and bumpy feel to them. The wrapper is toothy and oily, giving it a high quality and durable feel in the hand. It’s seams are slightly visible, but it’s veins are non-existent. The wrapper and foot smell of strong cocoa powder with a sweet leathery quality behind it. The prelight draw offers up those same nuances with a peppery sensation that lingers on my palate.

The Smoke
The Padron 1926 Maduro took a little more time to light up due to its firm and even pack at the foot. Once I got it going, rich notes of aged dark tobacco and white pepper begin to make their first appearances. After the first few draws, the smoke begins to mellow out slightly to bring forth more complexity.

Moving onward to the second third and the cigar has taken on a smoother mouthfeel. The wrapper seems to have become sweeter while notes of dark fruit and black pepper hang around on my palate. There’s also a solid backing of earthy notes that add complexity to the smoke. The burn started to speed up one one side, but a quick hit of my torch fixed it.

Finishing up, and I’m past where I’d normally put a cigar down. I’m pretty impressed that even though I only have about two inches left, the Padron 1926 has stayed cool through this point. The peppery notes that were present for most of the experience have almost completely faded. Notes of molasses and brown sugar become more apparent as the cigar burns down.

Final Thoughts
Padron is a brand that’s known for using high quality tobacco from their own farms. They essentially control all aspects of their cigars from seed to smoke and with that, are able to maintain strong consistency. The Padron 1926 is a popular line of smokes that I’m sure will stand the test of time.

Rating: 92
Price: $13.70 / $327.99 (Box of 24)