Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5.5 x 52 “Belicoso”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $20.00 MSRP

First, this is a cigar that is very close to smokers’ hearts and I better be careful or a lynch mob could form out front. This cigar got a 97 rating from Cigar Aficionado and many smokers consider it the best cigar ever made.

A reader, who has become a friend, bailed me out by sending me a care package so I would have cigars for review. He asked to remain anonymous. I shall call him Huckleberry Hound. (Better than Deep Throat).

Cigar Aficionado had this to say about the cigar:
“It’s a complex smoke with perfect balance, showing flavors of chocolate, coffee and nuts, as well as some black cherry. The cigar has a finish so long it seems to never leave the palate.
“Silky, dark and pressed, burning with a lush draw. The cigar has cocoa and black coffee notes. Balanced and strong.”

The cigar made its debut in 2002 to commemorate Jose O. Padron’s 75th birthday.

The Serie 1926 is available in both Maduro and Natural Sun Grown versions. Each year, a limited production is made. Usually 100,000 cigars. Keeps the price high.

I could go on and on but I bet everyone reading this has smoked their share of Serie 1926. Although, at $20 a stick, their share ain’t very big. I refuse to spend $20 on cigar. And no, it is not because I’m a Jew. It’s because I’m cheap. (I know what you are thinking and stop it!)

I don’t care if the cigar pops out of your mouth, pulls your fly down and gives you a ligero blow job. $20 is a ridiculous price. If this cigar had not been given to me, you would have never seen it reviewed on my blog.

Huckleberry H. told me all the cigars he sent me were very nicely humidor aged. The 1926 is a little beat up with dings and slight tears. But it is quite possible one of the most perfectly constructed cigars I’ve seen. No seams. Very little veins. A perfect nippled triple cap. And a crisp box press. Yet strangely, it is not a very oily cigar. More of a matte finish.

Good news on the weather front. It looks like the sun is coming out. No more flash photos.

The wrapper is a nicely mottled chocolate brown. It feels like silk…perfectly smooth. I hate to clip that nipple off. I hate to clip any nipple off. Just the way I was brought up.

I clip away and find aromas of milk chocolate, spice, and espresso.
Time to light up.

Right away, my palate is awash in chocolate and pepper. The draw is spot on. Plumes of smoke fill my eyes and tears come runnin’ down.

The cigar is damn near perfect as it stands. The red pepper begins to build…faster than a speeding building, taller than a bullet…Damn, I wish I still had my comic book collection from when I was a kid in the 1950’s. I’d be buying you cigars.

The char line is a tad bit wavy but I will hold the panic until the nicotine hits.

A fruity flavor arrives and it is the essential black cherry we expect in all of our Nic puros. It is also nutty. Like Huckleberry H.

I rarely comment on this but this has the absolute perfect emission of smoke from the open maw of the Kohn Bohn I can remember. It is movie style smoke. Tony Soprano type smoke.

The ash is gorgeous that way it just hangs out there all structurally perfect. Like me.

The nuts get an almond flavor.

But the real star of the show is the tobacco. It has a deep and luscious taste that oversees the cocoa, coffee, black cherry, spice, and nuts. A new sweetness appears.

I have the conundrum of wanting to see how long the ash will hang tough and the fear of it falling apart over my laptop keyboard. I usually chicken out.

The strength is a classic medium body.

I was looking for a comment on my blog because I wanted to give it a fuck you. And I keep forgetting. So this very moment I remembered and here is:
“Just recently ran across your site. Are you really Kinky Friedman? Great work, keep it up (even if it is only, say 20 percent true).”

This fuck called me a liar. Just because he has led no sort of life doesn’t mean others haven’t led rich full lives full of stories that can bore the shit out of his readers. And he covers the insult with a thumbs up. Shitbird. He posted it in the “About the Katman and How to Reach Me” thing on the home page.

This is a first. Really. I solved the ash problem. I placed the cigar delicately into the ashtray for a photo and I dropped the camera on to the cigar smashing the ash. Over 2000 reviews and I have never dropped the camera on a cigar. What a friggin schmuck!!

I’m having wrapper issues. Clearly, Huckleberry H. gave this stick a lot of humidor time and got tossed around in his humidor because I have smoke coming through some holes made by handling. Not a criticism, just an explanation of why you might see some glue where I had to fix the loose wrapper.

The second third has begun. This is a wonderful cigar…but…the hype outweighs the quality. It is a very, very good cigar but for $20, I expected more. I expected a flavor bomb in the first third. It isn’t even close to becoming one at this point.

I guess I’m missing something here. Why isn’t there an explosion of flavors? The flavor profile remains at: Cocoa, coffee, nuts, newly added creaminess, black cherry, and nuts. The spice is gone.

This leads me to believe there is mass hysteria over this blend. If Cigar Aficionado gives it a 97 rating then it must be the greatest cigar ever made. Uh-huh.

I read a bunch of reviews and while I lament the lack of flavor bomb status, the other reviewers describe the cigar exactly as I have done but mention no flavor bomb status and no explosion of flavor.

In fact, the cigar isn’t complex. It has a nice balance but I miss the red pepper. I feel like I’ve debunked the Area 51 mysteries.

I’m at the halfway point and the char line is terrible. I give it a major touch up. This is a $20 cigar? LOL!

At this point, flavors do begin to blossom a bit. The creaminess takes first in line. And the red pepper begins to come back in a small way.

The strength has moved to medium/full. And the dreaded nicotine kicks in.

I’m now beginning to experience what I fully expected to taste at the first inch of the cigar.
The ash has become very flaky and doesn’t seem to last more than half an inch.

I fully expect the last third to meet my expectations. I can taste the portent of things to come. But is it me? Shouldn’t this blend have been explosive from the beginning? I’m confused.

If I blind tasted this cigar, I would say it is in the $7-$9 range. If you take a gander at “The Katman’s Best 107 Boutique Brands/Blends in the $6-$9 Range” on the home page, I would be bold and say that every cigar on that list is every bit as good as the Serie 1926. For half the price, or better.

Note for the lynch mob: I wear an 18” size neck rope loop. I want to be comfy while I am swinging from one of the elm trees in my backyard.

The cap didn’t hold up any better to my chomping than any other cigar. Requiring me to clip a bit here and there so the photos aren’t disgusting.

The black cherry supplants the creaminess and moves to the front of the line. The red pepper goes back to being very strong. The creaminess, cocoa, coffee, and nuts become subtle instead of painted with broad strokes.

Maybe the brilliance of this blend is in the subtleties and nuances.

The char line gets out of control once more and a major touch up is required.

I was so excited about reviewing this cigar and hanging with the mainstream of smokers. But I would NEVER spend $20 on this stick. A couple years ago, I smoked one of the La Palina Family Collection cigars that, at the time, ran for $30. That was a phenomenal cigar. Overpriced of course, but a terrific cigar. La Palina dropped the price to $20. La Palina is a brand made for the cohorts of William C. Paley Jr who hang in fancy men’s clubs with plush leather chairs and robot waiters that call you “sir.”

I recently reviewed the Mr. Sam and was disappointed. It ran $11.25 and it was nothing special. A few weeks later, I tried it again and there was no improvement. La Palina is getting lazy.

The last third is upon me. And still no flavor bomb.

I must add this once more. Danny Moya and Nelson Ruiz have given me the honor of being the first to do a pre-release review of their new Nunchuck cigar. I spoke to Nelson yesterday and he filled me in on the details. A box is on its way to me. Cigar Dojo will be given a certain amount of boxes that you can get on the list to buy. That is the official release on June 28.

They only produced 1000 boxes. And a box of 5 double cigars goes for $117.50. These cigars will disappear in a flash so warm up your credit card and be ready to pounce.

Thanks again to Nelson and Danny. Look for my review next week. I asked Nelson if the cigars could be smoked right away and he told me they can. Fingers crossed. They want the review published before the release next Saturday. I should give a pair away to the best phone sex from a regular reader…but I won’t. But I will be up for a sensible trade.

I have 1-1/2” to go. Flavors are very subtle. The strength has stayed at medium/full. The nicotine isn’t too bad as I can still type.

I would love to say this is the best cigar ever made but I’d be lying.
It is an excellent $8 stick. Period. The wonders of PR.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, Padrón 1926 Serie Maduro No. 2 Cigar Review, padron cigars