Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: 5 x 50  “Robusto”

Body: Medium/Full

Price: $6.00

I bought a 5 pack of Padilla Reserva Maduro from CI and they had a marketing scheme going on, in that they threw in this cigar for me to try. I had never heard of it and if you scan Google, it appears no one else has either.

I was lucky enough to find the tobacco leaves stats on it and that’s it.

So here goes nuttin’ honey.

The cigar is on the outside of being medium brown and close to being dark brown. Construction seems pretty good as the cigar is pretty solid with the right amount of give.  It’s a little wrinkly like a newborn baby but unless the cigar is a dog, it makes no mind. There are plenty of veins. And the cap is pretty sloppy. The wrapper feels very sandy, so a lot of tooth. There is a reddish hue thanks to the Ecuadorian background.

I sniff around and detect luscious cocoa, hay, cedar, leather, spice and cinnamon.

I do the V cut and light up.

The first few puffs are redolent of cocoa, sweetness, spice and cinnamon. So far, so good. A nice deep earthiness arises early and the body starts off medium.

And then I get hit by a blast of red pepper. Wow. This stick ain’t kiddin’ around. The char line begins to get erratic so I decide to nip it in the bud with a little touch up and it looks fine now.

The draw is great. And loads of smoke pours from the foot. I officially declare this cigar reacting to the effects of the New Breed blenders. Most Padilla cigars take a long time in your humidor before they are ready to smoke. Old School.

The Crianza seems to be New School. I’ve only had this cigar a few days and I thought what the hell. As it turns out, my gut was right, as well as my inability to leave a new cigar alone for a while.

At the ¾” mark, the cigar is turning into a flavor bomb. Now I’m impressed. Flavors of cocoa, cedar, leather, red hot peppers, sweetness and a fruit component are blasting away like there is no tomorrow.

The ash is burning impeccably now. I’m not a Padilla cigar fan. Not necessarily because I don’t like their cigars, but because of the time in aging their cigars in my humidor. Like most people, I’m on a cigar budget. And when I spend my dough on sticks, I want them to be ready in 2-3 weeks, not 4-6 months. I can’t afford to make that kind of investment in time.

Now these cigars, I’d buy in a NY minute.

The price point is excellent and while I don’t consider this stick to be a bona fide premium cigar, it is the perfect cigar for a little taste infusion whenever I want one. It seems like it would be a dependable go-to cigar any time of the day. Plus, at this price, if I have to put it down prematurely, I’m not out a lot of money.

When the online stores tout a certain cigar being a good yard ‘gar, what they mean is that the stick is a dog turd and only made for your oral fixation while mowing the lawn.

This stick is the epitome of the perfect yard ‘gar. I have a couple cigars I buy regularly for just that purpose. But they taste good. You cannot get a good tasting yard ‘gar for $1.50-$2.00. Period. You have to spend a few bucks; that way you actually enjoy the cigar while you are doing your honey-do’s.

I find the first third ending and it has remained static. All those luscious flavors are there and the spiciness is still pumping away, but no changes. The body is still medium.

It was pretty smart for CI to throw in this little pup to get movement on it. No. You can’t buy them yet. So this is a tease. I will be looking to watch for these sticks on one of their daily deals and I will snatch them up.

A competitor is selling them now but out of courtesy to CI for giving me this cigar, I won’t mention who.

The construction must be better than I thought as the ash is really hanging tough, and perfectly. That char line is spot on.

The sweetness turns to cotton candy. Cotton candy always provoked a love/hate relationship with me as a little guy. I would be at a carnival and would enjoy the first few bites and then the cloying sweetness would be too much; even for a little kid. Plus it makes a horrible mess of your hands and lips. So I mostly shied away from it as a youngster. A little goes a long way.

Cotton candy is truly the sweet flavor I am experiencing. I’ve heard of people getting this taste but it’s a first for me.

At the halfway point, a creaminess shows up that completes the picture.

For such a small cigar, the band is huge. I imagine that Padilla uses the same size band on all of its sizes. I remove the band easily. Which is a relief when you are taking photos. Doesn’t it make you nuts when you try to take a cigar band off and the glue is too strong and you end up shredding the band; not to mention put finger nail marks in the wrapper.

The cigar never really becomes complex. But the flavor profile is so rich that it doesn’t matter. It would matter if I were paying $10 for the stick.

I enter the last third and there have been no additional changes to the flavor profile. It found its niche and stuck with it. The only noticeable thing is that the flavors meld together instead of one sticking out way further than the others. It is well balanced. And it does have a nice long finish.

It is during the last third that the body increases to full.

The cigar finishes out cool and without harshness or bitterness making it easy to take it to the nub.

In summary, I recommend this cigar. It ages quickly so you can smoke it in the immediate future. The flavors are superb. And the price is right.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS