Padron Family Reserve Vertical Tasting

Last week a fellow BOTL was kind enough to send me a three pieces sampler of the Padron Family reserve cigars. 

No 44 in maduro and No 45 and No46 in natural wrappers. 

The first thought that came in my mind was a “vertical” tasting and review of all three.

Before we start I have to say that all three are great cigars, each in its own unique way, which is a great accomplishment considering they are just small changes in the blend that result in such big differences in the taste department.

APPEARENCE

No 44 This is a dark and beautiful torpedo.Firm to the touch with a silky smooth ,but by no means fragile , wrapper. Oily and well packed.

No 45 The cigar looks big. It is well made, the wrapper has this milk chocolate color. Very smooth to the touch with no apparent vains, a bit lumpy but without soft spots. What really caught my attention is the extreme box press of the cigar.

No 46 Once again a big cigar but the box press makes it very comfortable to the mouth. This cigar is also lumpy with very few oils and missing the tooth thats a “trademark” for padron cigars

FIRST THIRD

No 44 This cigar starts with a blast of black pepper and very strong leather and coffee tones. Pepper is almost too strong when blowing smoke through the nose.

The taste is very reminiscent to this of a fresh 1926 No 2. Strong but balanced, burns perfect and the ash is white and tight

No 45 First few puffs are wow strong!!Retrohaling   brings tears to my eyes.Combining this to the very loose draw and I am getting ready for a kick in the a$$.

Burn is perfect-dead straight. Flavors are strong earth, coffee and despite its strength its not harsh and even has a sweet after taste.

At this point I have to say that the loose draw-strength combination is getting at me and thank God I have some sweet ice coffee to drink and it helps a lot.

Don't get me wrong ; this is a great cigar but i think it's too strong for the blend to shine.

No 46 Very good draw, sweet taste with strong spice through the nose.

Huge clouds of smoke fill the room. Great burn and a very long finish that leaves you asking for more. I also note some earth tones.

SECOND PART

No 44 Second part and coffee is on the scene. Pure taste of coffee beans with a mouth tingling after taste.The finish is long and pleasant, burn is dead on and draw remains fantastic.

No 45 Strong tobacco taste with some faint cocoa and leather are dominant in this second part.Burn is a bit wavy but I think that is due to me smoking with an open balcony door.

Getting closer to the last part of this cigar and strength is full but I think I am used to it by now and I am enjoying the Padron tremendously.

No 46 Into the second third and this is getting better and better.Smooth earth along with some sweet spice and a hint of bitter chocolate as an after taste.

Burn if perfect and so is draw.

Sense in the mouth is like having a great rich desert.

LAST PART

No 44  Coffee and leather are the stars in this part.Full bodied and rich flavor with great complexity.

Never got bitter, not even when I nubed it!

No 45 Strong pepper blast comes and coats the mouth rounding pure tobacco core.

No 46 Nothing changes in this last third. Just a bit more coffee and cocoa. Very rich in flavor and on the low side of full in strength. The RG is perfect for the blend, comforteble to the mouth and in the hand.

Big coffee explosion just before the end that lasted for ten puffs or so...

FINAL THOUGHTS

All the above were great cigars, each in its own way.Padron is a well respected company and even those who are not fond of their cigars can't argue about the quality.

The No 44 was a great cigar with strong flavors and great draw but it was very close to 1926 No2's. No 45 is a cigar you might want to let it in the humidor to rest for a year or so and maybe loose some of its edge since it was so strong that strength was the only thing left to remember in this illusive, in any other aspect, stick.

No 46 in my opinion was the cigar that had all the great elements from the previous two and add some. Big stick, comfortable, great taste and strength without been to dominating over the blend, great draw and complex.

All I can say is that all three cigars have great aging potentials for many many years in the future and I would love to be able to do the same vertical test in five years from now.

Another issue is the price of these sticks which is from $25-$35 each so by no means one could call them mid priced but if you lake smoking a very special cigar every once in a while they are worth every cent.

OPUS X LOST CITY TORO

 Opus x are considered to be some of the most sought after cigars in the world.For some this is just a hype created by a great marketing plan,” selling by not selling”, other think it's justified considering how hard it is to grow shade grown wrapper in the DR.

Lost city is a special edition of an already special cigar. Unusual in its conception, you all know the story behind it, unique in its flavors.

APPEARENCE

Opus X “Lost City” toro is a big and beautiful cigar. Great wrapper color, smooth with some thin veins, it looks thiner than regular Opus X wrappers.

The double bands is to die for and give this cigar a ten in the head turning scale.

It feels soft and spongy to the touch but without soft spots. Well packed with tobacco and cupped perfect.

First Third

First puffs into the cigar are loaded with strong spice that dominates everything else.An inch into it and the spice was gone leaving behind a very smooth, balanced taste. Earthy and leathery very similar to that of a well aged Cuban Bolivar Royal Corona.

Very non Opus X taste for a “young” cigar.

Blowing smoke through the nose is easy and helps get an even better idea of what this cigar is all about.

Burn is perfect, the cigar was kept in 65% RH and 70F, draw has the perfect resistance.

I would recommend using a cigar punch to open it. I think this would help concentrate flavor, as long as you don't smoke too fast or too hot.

SECOND THIRD

Second third of the cigar and not many things have changed. Leather dominates the taste but this time I think I can tell that the creaminess is like almond paste in the mouth.

Burn is still perfect and body is medium to full. Certainly doesn't feel like smoking fresh Opus X.

LAST THIRD

Last third and the Lost City is burning great, filling the cool wet air( I am sitting out in the balcony and it's raining as I type this) with clouds of fragrant smoke. Burning cool and with no touch ups durring the whole smoking session.

Leather is still present but now some of the initial spice is back. Not much, just enough to give you a small change of pace just before the end.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This one was a fantastic cigar. The kind of the cigar that for me takes you to that magic happy place where everything is perfect. The other cigar that's doing it for me is the Padron 80^th.

As I said before, unique in taste, smooth and balanced this was a perfect cigar.

I wish Fuente would produce more of these so more people could smoke them. Not an everyday cigar but for sure a cigar worth spending the money to buy some for special occasions.

Been made by “out of season “ plants makes me think that Carlito thinking outside of the box once again led to a fantastic result.

Padron 1926 No 6 Maduro

After a very long time with no posts I thought it was about time to start writing again.

Todays review is on a Nicaraguan Puro made from a cigar legend. A company know for its passion, dedication and ability to make great cigars. Non other than Padron.

Their 1926 line is very well known for the quality and flavor profile and stands for the year the founder of the company J.O.Padron was born.

But lets get to it, shall we?


Appearance


No 6 is a very good looking cigar.
The wrapper is smooth but with the characteristic for Padron cigars "tooth". The color is chocolate brown, no veins, well applied on the cigar without soft spots. Great overall construction.

Cut and cold draw


Cutting this box-pressed cigar was not a problem for the Cuban Crafters "perfect cutter".
the smell of the cigar is very strong cedar and it dominated everything else.

First Third


The lit was easy and the cigar started with strong cedar taste, so strong it felt like smoking the box the cigar was in(a four pieces line sampler).
Body is full and so is flavor but wood dominates everything else.Close to the end of the first third this cigar box taste is gone and I can finally start tasting something else, something like coffee beans and cocoa.

Second Third


Cocoa and Warm spices are dominant in this part of the cigar.
Burn is as sharp as it can be and draw is perfect. Big clouds of smoke fill the room since this cigar produces a very large volume of smoke.

Last Third


This last part of the cigar is pure enjoyment with cocoa, coffee and leather tastes changing places and teasing the taste buds. For some puff I could swear that I could taste something earthy, barnyard????
All the way to the nub the cigar burnt perfect, drew well and never got hot.
Over all a great performance.

Final thoughts


Padron 1926 are some of my favorite cigars. This time the taste was a bit off due to the strong wood flavor.
From the moment I opened the box I knew something was wrong since the box smell was very strong.
Maybe the cedar used was not dried properly or enough end the smell "penetrated" the cigars.
Good thing was that close to the second part this over.

In conclusion this is a very good cigar. Not great but certainly above average.
Well balanced, sweet and gentle this is a cigar that can be smoked by all kinds of smoker almost any time of the day.
If you can find them at a good price BOX WORTHY.

Tatuaje Havana VI Victorias

It is obvious by now that Tatuaje is one of my most favorite brands out there.

The Havana VI is no exemption although I hadn't smoked one for a very long time, I think the last time was the Angeles got a 93 ratting from CA.

This time I though it would be a good idea to go for a different vitola so I chose the Victorias (corona especiale).

Appearance

Very good looking slim smoke. Nice oily brown wrapper without veins, which would be unpleasant in a delicate, slender cigar like this one.

Nice toothy wrapper with a beautiful pig tail head.

Cut and cold draw

Easy cut, firm construction and cold draw gives nice earthy flavors with some pure tobacco taste.

The wrapper feels sweet on the lips.

First third

Great sweet tobacco flavor right from the beginning. Good resistance for a slim cigar medium to full in body.

It looks very elegant and despite my big hands it feels Ok!!

An inch to Victoria (!!) and sweet worm tobacco tastes flood the mouth with a bit of the signature peppery taste that most Pepin creations have.

Second third

Pretty much the same on the beginning of the second part.

Nice earthy tones but now with a hint of coffee and dark chocolate notes.

Balanced and well constructed this cigar shares some tastes with the Tatuaje Black I reviewed last time.

It has picked up in body and burns well and in a straight line. Slim as it is one would expect to have draw and burn issues but not with this one!

Third part

On the third part pepper has become more intense and tingles the nose when you blow smoke through the sinuses.

Flavor changes from spice to earth to coffee and it makes you unwilling to let Victoria die..

Unfortunately I have to because i am burning my lips !!!

Final thoughts

Tatuaje has a reputation for making some unique cigars.

The Havana VI line has some great cigars, with impeccable construction and usually age well.

Victoria is a vitola that has lots of friends and lots of people who despise it.

All I can say is that if the price is right, this is a box worthy cigar.

Tatuaje Black Tubo

It has been a long time since I had the opportunity to sit down and light a cigar without having all kinds of thoughts on my mind, so today I knew i had to make the time.

Today's smoke is the tatuaje Black tubo. A cigar that has created some noise and some not so positive comments.

Justified? Remains to be seen...

Appearance

The first thing that catches the eye on this cigar is how rough it looks.

It has a dark brown wrapper witch has some spots with barker or lighter shades of brown and an unfinished covered foot.

Legend has it that DPG uses as a wrapper a binder leaf on this cigar in order to get the taste profile Pete was looking for.

It feels a little dry to the touch and there is a small crack on the foot of the cigar maybe ¾ of an inch long.

Cut and cold draw

Cut was easy and thank God it didn't sound dry.

Cold draw is easy with some resistance and flavor is tobacco with some rather refreshing notes that I can't make out.

Light and first third

Lighting the cigar was easy but also caused the crack to get bigger and now is an inch long.

After two or three puffs it looks like there is going to be a problem keeping this cigar lit since it went out right away!!

The now longer crack, although threatening, does not stands in the way of how the cigar smokes.

Draw is good but the ash, especially where the split is, is flaky and weak.

Initial flavor is very strong pepper that after 1 ½ of an inch into it it mellowed out quite a bit and a very nice leather taste emerged.

Body is medium to full but I can feel that this cigar has a punch in it and the nicotine is there!

Burn is good now that I am over the crack, straight line without the need for touch ups so far.

Taste wise no big developments, just leather and some spice.

Second third

Into the second third and all I can say is that this cigar is something else.

Flavors change from spicy to leather to creamy and all this on an earthy canvas witch is great.

Burn is fantastic and razor sharp with a tight ash, no flakes, that is so tight that can hold the weight of the cigar standing on it!!

It has picked up in body considerably and slow puffing is required.

To be honest i was a little disappointed at the beginning and I was negative from all the comments I have read about this cigar.

The new black shares some points with the original release Corona Gorda that I had smoked last spring.

Draw has the correct amount of resistance.

Taste is good, not great but good. I have to say that although this is the first cigar I am having from the current release and i can say that it's promising.

Third and last part

On this last part the Tatuaje Black holds well with a great burn and strong earth and spice flavors.

It has become really strong( maybe too much??) but not harsh or hot.

It most certainly lacks some balance but I believe that with some age this can be a real gem.

Final thoughts

There has been to much noise around this cigar and the hype was very big and judging by the one I smoked NOT justified. Maybe many of us thought that it would be like the OR so we rushed into them knowing how hard they were to find. Not in this case!

Maybe not having so many trouble smoking it and keeping it lit had to do with the fact that I took all the cigars out of their tubes, placed then into another box open in my humidor for two weeks so they can absorb humidity better and I think it worked.

Price for this cigar, taking under consideration its performance, is very high and maybe this is one more reason for the disappointment many of us had when they smoked them for the first time.

Lets all have some faith and see how they will perform after some down time.

Besides Pete's creations usually improve with age.

It will be a good idea to stock up a couple of boxes if only we could find the at a lower price!!

San cristoba De La Habana Muralla (Cuba)

This is a very special cigar for me since I bought it from LCDH in Prague last April and I had been saving it since then for a special occasion smoke.

This occasion did not arrive so I thought this was as good time as any to light up this big torpedo!

This one was from a box dated '06 and almost four years of age can do wonders on a cigar like this one.

Appearance

Big and impressive cigar. Well constructed with good oils and a lovely milk coffee wrapper.

Smooth with just one big vein running down the length of the cigar but other than this nothing else.

The foot gives off a delicate leather aroma with some dried flowers.

Cut and cold draw

Easy cut with the Xikar tool.

Draw is easy with some resistance and before lighting it gives nutty and leathery flavors.

First third

After toasting the foot with a torch to the point where the cigar was completely lit I started puffing.

First impression is is that despite the large size of the Muralla draw is easy with a perfect resistance.

Toasted nuts and i think I'm tasting dry flowers??

Tastes are very refined and subtle and leave you wondering how this will evolve..

I would say that it is a medium bodied smoke but flavor seems to be so complex that it really makes you feel complete.

What amazes me is how clean and fresh it leaves the palette after each puff.

Although this is a big cigar draw is effortless and burn line is razor sharp. Ash is holding well at least for an inch.

Very smooth and very complex!!

Getting closer to the second third and the Muralla has now turned leathery but not “in your face”.

Everything is balanced, like the cigar trying to say” I am going to give you a great smoking experience!!”.

Second third

Into the second third and things are going great

Construction- Perfect

Burn – Perfect

Flavor – fantastic

Smooth,complex with a gentle development and constant surprises. Half way into it and the cigar has opened up.

Draw is perfect and floods the mouth with tons of tons of leather this time accompanied with cocoa undertones. Nice cool smoke, clear and gentle but still makes you feel like having a stake dinner!!

Ash is holding for at least two inches before dropping it into the ashtray( wife doesn't like accidents).

I decided to pair it with some coffee but I think that some cold lemon water will be perfect to taste

the flavor without anything getting in the way.

Third and last part

On the last third the cigar has picked up in body and now is on the lighter side of full.

Taste has changed once again and now is spicy, I think nutmeg, with a creamy feeling to it.

An inch and a half before the end and a solid tobacco taste takes the stage for the finish.

This cigar is a true kaleidoscope of flavors.

Definitely a cigar for any smoker but i think it will be better appreciated by a seasoned smoker since some smoking experience will help shorting out the flavors and the complexity of this Cuban beauty.

I don't want it to end but I am burning my fingers with the nub. I wish it was longer!!

Final thoughts

This is one of those wow cigars and not just a smoke.

It's a cigar that takes you for a journey, both physically with its ever-changing flavors but also mentally!!

It is a reward, a window to a place where “good life” is a reality hidden in little things.

I am sure these cigars will age beautifully( unfortunately I don't have any left) and become a classic.

I might sound like I'm exaggerating with this one but it has been very long since I last smoked such a great cigar.

One last word about Prague; It is a beautiful city, romantic, with a Bohemian atmosphere like no place else.

People a friendly and smoking cigars is not a problem since you can smoke your stick of choice anywhere you want and there is a La Casa Del Habanos very close to the main square of the old town.

Padilla Series '68 Robusto

For quite a while now I wanted to try a cigar from Padilla.

These were Don Pepin Garcia creations but some time now E.Padilla moved the production of his cigars from Nicaragua to Honduras.

Unfortunately I've never had the chance to try one so the samples from Honduras are the only available.

Looks

This robusto looks like a well made cigar. With a perfect round cap, no apparent vains, good oils wearing a gorgeous milk chocolate brown wrapper.

I have to say at this point that it feels a little light in the hand. We shall see....

Cut and cold draw

Upon cutting the cigar what stroke me the most was the contrast between the wrapper and the unusually dark filler.

The cigar smells earthy with a light hint of cocoa.

Cold draw is sweet but somehow loose witch is a bit warring for me.

First third

First puffs into the cigar and a harsh taste hits me from the burning tobacco.

It feels like smoking a dried out cigar, although it has been kept in 69% RH for three weeks now. We will see how it progresses.

An inch and a half into it and the initial harsh taste evolved into a pure tobacco flavor with a hint of spice when blowing smoke through the nose.

Good burn rate but the draw is still loose.

Towards the second third and the Padilla has picked up in body and now spice is more intense but non overwhelming.

To be honest I was a little disappointed with this cigar at the beginning.

Second third

Second third started big on spice.

The cigar at the half point bloomed and its worthy of its good name.

Burn rate is very good , although I would prefer the draw a bit tighter.

Despite its draw issues it never got harsh(not again) or hot but a real flavor bomb!!

Third part

Clear spice is the dominant flavor with a hint of coffee bean and cinnamon.

Good complexity and great construction. Some black cherry is also present in the background.

Although this is not a DPG creation, moving the production to Honduras, in my opinion, did not really affected the signature flavor of Padilla cigars; not for the '68 line.

It wasn't hard to nub this robusto and although the draw was loose, witch in my opinion was the only flaw on this cigar, it never got hot, harsh or bitter.

Over all great!!

Final thoughts

Great construction for a cigar with a great price point, $100 per box and I think that if you can keep them in your humi they have some potentials.

This can be a great every day cigar for smokers who like this kind of spicy medium to full bodied smokes.