Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: 5 x 50  Robusto

Body: Medium

Price: $4.60 by the pack at Atlantic Cigar.  $3.85 ea if you join the Atlantic Cigar VIP Club

On the trail to Part 2 in my Newbie Corner series.

This week we will be tasting the Padron 2000; a cigar that has been around since Jesus was studying for his Bar Mitzvah.

Padron, besides making the “Thousands” series, makes the 1964 and 1926. Both spectacular cigars and in price. I’ve had my share of these cigars and the 1926 should make Padron ashamed of themselves for creating a demand and price point that is pure idiocy. I don’t know about you, but if I’m smoking a $25 cigar, I expect a BJ along with it.

That’s why I love these Padrons. You get a taste of what is happening in the gold bar Padrons. And for a very reasonable price..

And that’s what we will discuss today: Pricing and scoring.

But first, the cigar….

In my old age, I’ve come to like the robusto or smaller sized cigars more and more. They are johnnie on the spot in terms of aging quickly compared to their big brothers. There are exceptions of course. But as a rule, a robusto will be ready to smoke weeks, or even months, before a Gran Toro.

My Padron is extremely rustic. They are misshapen. Seams are not tight. Veins everywhere. Sloppy caps. On the upside, it is a bit toothy and oily. And only $4.60!

So the cigar looks like a dog turd, it makes up for it on taste.

I sniff around and detect sweet tobacco and spice. There is some mocha java. And cinnamon. A good start.

When you sniff the cigar, cradle it in your hands like magic fairy dust. I’m straight. And roll it around, sniffing the wrapper and the foot alternately. Close your eyes and focus. The more you do this, the more sensitive your palate in your nose acclimates to subtlety.

I “V” cut the stick and light up.

I get a peppery blast. And then immediately, some cocoa, coffee, and dried fruit. All the makings of a good Nicaraguan bunch of leaves.

Nicaragua has become the flavor of the month; so to speak. Everyone wants their cigars to emanate from this country because of the outstanding soil. And the flavors it imparts to the leaves of the plant. But by doing so, it also imparts a stereotype of flavors: cocoa, coffee, creaminess, spiciness, dried fruit, leather, wood, earthiness, and nuts. I think that covers it. Now you can start your own blog and have 31 followers like me. LOL.

Now you may ask, why the same thing over and over again? Finesse of the blender. The blender can weave these flavors in unusual ways that affect your palate differently than the Nicaraguan cigar before it.

This little dog turd is exceptional tasting. The flavor profile wastes no time in assaulting your palate. And the char line is relatively clean.

Creaminess is always a tie breaker for me. I’ve become hooked on it. And while it may seem that it is a one trick pony, different blenders present the creaminess in different fashion.

Some consider this stick full bodied. Mmmm….I think it is more medium in body than full. Aging of course can dictate that. A cigar smoked too soon can appear to be full bodied when in fact, it is only harsh or green. A well-aged stick should mellow as it lays there like a tuna fish in your humidor.

The first third ends with all the above mentioned flavors in a very enjoyable style. The body is a shy medium.

Now pricing. Oy vay. First, boutique cigars are always going to cost more as they are produced in small batches with exceptional, hard to get tobacco. Expect to pay $10-$14 a stick. Oy Vay x 2. The old school cigars have their pricing under control but usually need a year inside your humidor before they are ready to smoke.

And there are exceptions of course. But I don’t smoke Old School cigars anymore. Too boring and I am too impatient. Rocky Patel, Gurkha, La Gloria Cubana, CAO, AVO, Dunhill, Davidoff, Partagas, Perdomo, Hoyo de Monterrey, Punch, Romeo Y Julieta, Macanudo, etc. never see the inside of my humidor. They are all reasonably priced cigars with a bare minimum of character short of a year in your humidor.

The Padron is at the halfway point and a bit of complexity shows up. The body is still medium. Easy to take on an empty stomach. The spice has tamped down. And the mixture of cocoa, coffee, nuttiness, creaminess, earthiness, dried fruit, etc. have all melded into one delightful flavor profile. This has turned out to be an uber delicious cigar for pennies on the dollar.

The syrupy sweetness is marvelous. My lips are smacking at 400 RPM.

I think I paid $115 for a box of 26. You can’t beat that. That is cost effective.

Smoke is pouring from the foot. There is a nice spicy aroma. And the flavors continue to expand and explode. This is the perfect knock around cigar that tastes good…not just OK. It is a cigar you can give your moocher friends and not be embarrassed. And they will be very happy. The Padron name has cache’. A mystique. It is old school but they were great cigars from the get go.

The last third is doing the 40 yard dash in 4.4 seconds. The body is holding at medium. I am fixating on the cocoa and creaminess.

My last note on pricing….I would stay away from house brands if you can. Rocky Patel makes half of them. And Gurkha, the rest. They are not very good; they are cheap at around $2.00-$2.50 each and come nowhere near this Padron. The house brands are a hodge podge of crappy tobacco and if they happen to be good, it is only because you allowed them to age until your daughter gets married in 20 years.

Scoring. A lot of reviewers like to score just like Cigar Aficionado. It means nothing. It is one man’s opinion. Maybe everything I am telling you is bull shit. It is only my opinion. CA has a board of experts who rate the cigars. And there are a million reviewers out there with maybe a handful that are really reliable and impressive in their knowledge. No. I ain’t one of them. And that’s why I don’t score a cigar. What the hell does a 90 or a 94 mean? Nothing. You garner info from the review and then read another and then another and make your own assessment before you buy. Your gut and research will usually stead you well.

I can easily nub this stick. The body is holding at medium. There isn’t a bit of harshness or bitterness and the nub remains cool. The spiciness does ramp up near the end making it a nice surprise. The multi-faceted flavor profile is running on all cylinders.

This is a great cigar for the inexperienced and the aficionado.

In Part 3, I will list, and discuss, all the New Breed blenders out there worth your time and money. And the best online stores.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS