How many of us would be able to move to another country with nothing and be able to built an empire and legacy for ourselves and our family? Not many, and Jose Orlando Padron beat the odds to do it for his family. Earning a mere $60 every month in government aid for Cuban refugees he went to work as a carpenter. That work, led him to save up $600 and start a cigar brand in 1964. His cigars are considered some of the best in the world, and today his family continues his legacy.
With Jorge Padron slated to visit Two Guys Smoke Shop this week, I decided to light up the brand that is a staple in almost every cigar shop in the United States. It’s also the line that took me from a cigar smoker, to a cigar passionado.
Cigar: Padron (Thousand Series)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 5.5
Ring Gauge: 52
Size: 3000 (Robusto Extra)
The Look: The Padron Thousand Series comes packaged in a basic wooden box of 26 cigars. Inside, the cigars are packed in two rows of 13. The soft box pressed cigars won’t win any awards in terms of looks or presentation with its basic brown and white band, rustic looking wrappers that have at times some noticeable veins and a cap that often makes you cringe. They are however oily, and the cigars are well packed. The Padron serves as testament that looks can be deceiving in the cigar industry.
The Notes: Once the cap is clipped a cherry like sweetness for the cold draw appears with a touch of wheat and the slightest hint of leather. The aroma off the foot of the cigar serves up some cherry sweetness as well and some pepper that brings me to the edge of a sneeze. After we toast and light the foot the first light serves up some cedar notes.
Moving on to the first third the cedar notes remain dominant on the front end of the cigar, but the finish sees a mixture of earth and leather notes while the retrohale of the cigar seems to give it a salty finish.
Moving on to the second third the Padron 3000 becomes more complex with a coffee and cocoa note that become the primary flavors with a smooth creamy finish. The retrohale still provides a bit of saltiness along with some subtle earn and cedar notes.
Moving on to the last third the notes remain coffee with a subtle cocoa sweetness. The coffee extends on to the finish with a bit of nuttiness and cedar, and the salty component has disappeared.
The Finish: When someone says Padron, the first thing that comes to mind is consistency. When I first got into cigars, Padron took me to the next level of cigar smoking and in my 20 years of enjoying cigars I have never been unsastified with a Padron experience or buy which I can’t say for many brands over the last two decades.
Score: 91
Price: $6.90 /$178.99
Padron 3000 Natural
Padron 3000 Natural Foot
Padron 3000 Natural Burn
