Padron Soberano Tubo 1964 Anniversary Series Cigar Review

In 2016 at the InterTabac trade show in Dortmund, Germany Padron showcased two new sizes in the 1964 Anniversary line. Those sizes named Soberano and Presidente were available in the usual Natural or Maduro wrapper. However, it wasn’t the new sizes that caught everyone’s eye, it was the aluminum tubes that the cigars were packaged in. Today we review the Soberano which translates to Sovereign.

It’s not the first time a cigar came in a square tube as in 2002, CAO released a 65th Anniversary cigars for the 65th birthday of Charles Ozgener. To the best of my memory it took 14 years for the return of the square tube, and other companies are already rushing to copy Padron.

Cigar Review: Padron 1964 Anniversary Square Tube
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Size: Soberano

The Look:  In a word, elegant. The pardon square tube has a satin like finish on the top half, with a raised gold divider for the lower half of the tube which features the signature of Jose Padron worked into the cream finished lower portion of the tube. The Maduro cigar gets a red maroon stripe, while the Natural features a red stripe. Inside the cigars are packaged in cello, which seems like overkill to me. As for the cigar it is as you would expect from Padron. Perfectly box pressed, dual-bands to protect against counterfeiting which was once an issue for the company, and a oily wrapper on a near perfect cigar.

The Notes: The cold draw of the Padron is sweet with notes of mocha, apricot and prunes. The cold draw seems more intense than the non-rube version, and it lacks cedar which is an interesting twist. The foot of the cigar mimics the cold draw of the cigar, and once again it lacks the cedar quality that I get from the non-cello non-tube version of the Padron.

Once the cigar is toasted and lit, there is some nice notes of red pepper especially on the retrohale, with some sweetness on the palate. I’m still amazed by the lack of cedar and it changes the cigar up. There is a cookie dough like note, with hits of apricots, prunes and mocha with a long finish.

The second third has continued red pepper notes through the nose, but some hints of cinnamon and coffee begin to emerge after you retrohale. The sweetness remains with hints of apricots and mocha and a relatively long finish.

Moving on the last third of the Padron Soberano, the red pepper notes remain constant on the retrohale, and the cigar continues to serve up notes of of cinnamon and mocha with a prolonged coffee note on the finish.

The Finish: If I have one knock on the tube, it is very feminine and looks more like a spray bottle for a perfume or even an over-sized lipstick. It is however, a work of art. What I like a lot here, is the size of the cigars in the tube fall into the regular pricing of Padron and these elegant tubes did not appear to raise the price. I honestly, expected the tubes to be about $5 higher than they are. For me the cigar is different, and at first I thought it might be more of a psychological thing. But my co-worker Ed agrees, the cigar is missing its cedar notes that are usually synonymous with the cigar.  It’s different enough that it creates a whole new experience that is worthy of a purchase.

Score: 93
Price: $14.50 / $216.99