Each year the Tobacconist Association of America gathers in March and while past years have been in Mexico, in 2018 it was held in the Dominican Republic. The gathering consists of the top manufacturers such as Padron and top retailers such as Two Guys Smoke Shop. At the 2018 meeting it was announced that Padron would release the No. 89 as an exclusive for TAA members. The cigar affectionately referred to by many as the Padron Black Label was made to celebrate the late Jose Padron’s 89th birthday.
The cigar was expected to be released in the summer of 2018, but it was delayed due to the unrest in Nicaragua. The cigar has begun to appear at TAA retailers and today we fire up the Maduro version.
Cigar Review: Padron TAA 2018 No. 89
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 6″
Binder: 46
Size: No. 89
The Look: The size of the 10 count box is similar to that of the Padron Family Reserve line. Opening the box is a little different in a few ways. The first being the cigars are in cello, second, the cigars are round and finally the Padron band is black instead of brown. The cigar however still has that toothy appearance to it and is firm in the hand. The cap of the cigar is a bit ugly, but does it really matter as we are just going to cut it?
The Notes: The cold draw of the cigar serves up that quintessential Padron sweetness. There are notes of vanilla, cedar and mocha while the aroma off the foot has more mocha sweetness. Once we toast the foot of the cigar that mocha richness carries over the palate.
As we progress into the first third of the 2018 TAA Padron the mocha notes pull back some as the cigar begins to take on hints of dark chocolate, coffee with leather on the finish. Every now and then I pick up a component that reminds me of a New England confectionary staple, Necco Wafers. The retrohale of the cigar has some black pepper that lingers long on the finish but not before introducing a subtle cherry sweetness.
Moving into the second third the retrohale becomes a lot smoother with less pepper and a continued subtle cherry sweetness that also makes its way on to the palate. However, the primary notes are a dominant cedar and earth with nuances of chocolate and coffee. While the over all feel of the cigar is exceptionally smooth there have been occasional patches where the earthy notes have overpowered creating a hint of harshness at the back of the throat.
As the cigar closes out the earthy notes begin to pull back as the notes of mocha return becoming dominant with hints of cedar and a cherry sweetness. As the cigar closes out the finish is long with leather, pepper and cedar lasting long after the cigar is gone.
The Finish: I guess the first question is, was it worth the wait? The answer is a resounding yes! We got in about 1/4 of our order and are expecting in a couple hundred more boxes sometime in March, and I can say yes it will be worth the wait then too. When these came in I lit up a Maduro opting to hold off on a box until we get the rest of our order in March. When these come back I can’t wait to get my hands on them. To be honest, I didn’t expect to sell through 100 boxes in about 2 hours today. So yes, this is a bit of a tease, but be sure to snag these when you can.
Score: 93
Price: $16.50 / $164.99
Padron TAA 2018 No. 89
Padron TAA 2018 No. 89 Foot
Padron TAA 2018 No. 89 Burn
