Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6.75 x 54 Box Pressed Figurado
Strength: Full
Price: $35.00
My cigars received 5 months of naked humidor time.
BACKGROUND:
This blend was released in 2006. The Padrón 1926 Serie 80 pays tribute to Jose Orlando’s 80th birthday.
This cigar is blended with Padron’s own 5-year aged tobacco. Naked humi time is merely perfunctory.
There are no deals on this baby. Unless you know the secret promo code.
A nice write up from Cigar Aficionado of their #2 Cigar of 2017:
“It’s important to consider Padrón’s résumé before lighting up this resplendent cigar. Padrón has been named Cigar of the Year three times (the current record holder). The Serie 1926 cigar has occupied the No. 2 spot twice. And a Padrón cigar has been in the top 10 ever since Cigar Aficionado has been handing out its Cigar of the Year Awards (since 2004). So the Padrón Serie 1926 No. 2 is more than merely a great cigar—it’s a legacy of achievement backed by years of consistency.
“The Serie 1926 is named for the birth year of company founder and patriarch José Orlando Padrón, who died at the age of 91 on December 5. It’s an all-Nicaraguan blend and one of the most powerful, full-bodied cigars in the entire Padrón portfolio. But Padrón is meticulous in its blending—if the tobacco is strong, it will also show elegance and sophistication.
“Every puff of the No. 2 reflects this marriage of power and grace from the delightfully earthy core to its rich coffee bean character, all accented by a sweet, underlying woodiness and black tea finish. The smoke is dense, the draw perfect and the cigar emblematic of the inimitable Padrón style José Orlando Padrón perfected over 53 years of making cigars.”
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
This cigar received a rating of 92 from Cigar Aficionado. That’s like 110 from me.
There is a flushing meadow of reviews of the Maduro but only a fingerful of the Natural.
Padron is a hallowed cigar brand…like saying Habano Cohiba. Not much mystery of what this review will reveal…but I got nothing to do this morning besides raking hay, herding the cows, and feeding the hogs. So, here’s my 2¢.
I’m on a run reviewing expensive cigars this year. I’ve written about every inexpensive good cigar available…very little left as the cigar industry uses its mechanical dollar inflator to wreak havoc.
When you’re in the moment alone with your cigar, you don’t always identify flavors. Suggestions from other smokers, whether on social media or industry reviewers, helps pinpoint obvious tasty notes. Subtle flavor points are up to you.
Some cigars just smell great. This one drips with caramel and milk chocolate.
The pointy cap and the tiny foot make it difficult to get air flowing. I am totally adept at artfully using my PerfecDraw on itty bitty openings, but I like to wait a couple minutes to see if the draw clears on its own. No one wants to fuck up a $35 cigar.
The damn thing is plugged. Anthony Perkins comes alive in me as I stab away with my PD tool. I calm myself with a hunk of cheese, and a naked portrait of Boris Badenov lounging at his Pottsylvania beach resort.
Incredible start. The cigar oozes rich notes of milk chocolate, malt, caramel, creaminess, lemon, and some vague nuttiness.
Flavors take second place to the complexity. There is no foolin’ around. This is a beautifully crafted blend. This is my third stab (Marion Crane) at this cigar and each one was brilliantly consistent.
I’d love to show you progressive photos as the cigar burns into the mystic…but there is slobber all over the cap. No one wants to see another man’s goo…that, and I’m lazy.
I clip ¼” of the slobbery cap and the airflow is now exemplary. Never be afraid of adjusting your cigar. Much like adjusting your underwear before a rectal exam.
Flavors continue to mass together to form a chain. The multifaceted blending approach clicks. I love big flavors. I also love sophisticated smokes that give me a wonderful window into the past. 80 Years is your daddy’s cigar blend. Everyone is running to catch up with exotic Dominican, Ecuadorian, Sumatran, and Peruvian blends. This is the future for the next few years. A first-rate line of attack. Diversity in your line-up finds the Serie 1926 a crucial part. Never be satisfied. Explore all avenues.
Strength began at a potent medium but now at 2” burned, the muscle is unveiled as full vigor kicks in. Empty stomach first cigar of the day…going to be a bumpy ride now.
So, I was humming ‘Springtime for Hitler’ and it occurred to me that I gotta vote next week.
Transitions are minimal in the flavor department. The growth appears in the vibrance of this tricky blend. You gotta pay attention to this baby. Padron and CA call out black tea. Spot on. I might have missed it.
Creaminess and lemon citrus show momentum. Whipped cream comes to mind as I consider cavorting. While you wonder why I brought up the need for cavortation, the cigar continues to bring subtle nuances of disciplinary action to the girls at the Catholic school. Which came first…the bruised knuckles or the ruler? Charlotte went to Catholic school in the 1950’s in Germany. Nuns wore armbands.
As conflagration was in full swing, my girlfriend told me she had participated in a ménage à trois. And never wanted to do it again. My boner hid in the corner.
Too many descriptive words? How did Toto get the word ‘Serengeti’ into a song? I rest my case.
The halfway point arrives. 1-1/4 hours. Strength is potent but without nicotine. But it doesn’t remove the swooning part of the program. My cavorting results in bumping into the furniture. The maid is going to be pissed.
Construction is perfectly immaculate. Is this a gorgeous cigar, or what?
Espresso, milk chocolate, slight black pepper, black tea, nuttiness, soil, caramel, cedar, black cherries, and tony ferret gloves. A flavor bomb? Nope.
If you want to experience being a grown up man, the Padrón 1926 Serie 80 Years Natural is a must. A perfect cigar to see you through puberty.
I got my swoon on. No White Russian needed. I can’t get the cigar band off.
The second half is killer…just killer. Some dance to remember. Some dance to forget.
Nothing replaces aging. Merriam-Webster defines aging as ceasing to divide. Clearly, H.L. Mencken never smoked the 80 Years. We’ll run till we drop. Hemi-powered.
This was an astonishing journey. Get your own swoon on. I can’t recommend this cigar highly enough.
You can purchase these cigars from sponsors Small Batch Cigar (10% off with promo code ‘katman’) and Luxury Cigar Club (15% off with promo code ‘katman’).
RATING: 98
You want these, dontcha’?
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
one of the best cigars I’ve ever had. Just finished my last one two weeks ago on my veranda here in Japan with a lovely single malt.
time to sneak some more into the country…..
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