Skip the fluff and jump straight to the review!

Cigar Stats
Brand Owner: Padron Cigars, Inc. – Miami, FL (website)
(distributor operates under the name Piloto Cigars, Inc.)
Factory: Tabacos Cubanica, S.A. – Esteli, Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacos Centroamericanos, S.A. – Danli, Honduras
Model/Vitola: Padron Series 2000 (Natural and Maduro)
Size: 5 x 50 (robusto)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Filler & Binder: Nicaragua
Body: Medium to Full
Strength: Medium to Full
Average Retail: $3.85 USD
Cigar Insider/Aficionado Ratings: Consistently high 80s

Fourteen other vitola sizes are available in the traditional Padron Series along with one which was recently discontinued.

All sizes come in lacquered cedar boxes of 26, packaged with cellophane sleeves on individual cigars. Many vendors list a box size of 25. I am not entirely sure why that is. It may be that Padron changed the box count since the initial release. The Corticos are the exception packaged in boxes of 30 or tins of 6.

From the Padron website …..

“We deliver only the finest, handmade, complex cigars with the flavor of the Cuban heritage out of which the Padron recipe was born. Our primary mission is the exceptional quality of our product, not the quantity produced. As a vertically integrated, family-owned company, we pay personal attention to every detail throughout all steps of our tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing process. Because we strive to give you, the smoker, the confidence that each cigar is the same … perfect.”

If you are interested in more KOTF info on the Padron Story, you can read it here.

The Keepers of the Flame Padron Series Roundup

This comparison review is one in a series on the original Padron line of cigars. When we have completed reviews on the entire line, a vertical tasting for each wrapper will be published. Each review will be an amalgam opinion of cigarfan and lucky7 along with that of the guest reviewer(s). Our guest reviewer for this vitola is:

Padron Series 2000 – Natural and Maduro

Padron’s 2000 Maduro is arguably the most popular cigar in the Classic Series — it seems to be the most commonly available size on the shelves in the local cigar shops, and one of the most discussed cigars on the forums. Of all the vitolas, natural and maduro, reviewed at Top 25 Cigar, the 2000 maduro has the highest number of reviews, and with a cumulative rating of 8.3 it’s also one of the highest rated cigars in the Series. This is due in part to the popularity of the size. The standard 5 x 50 robusto is a nice size for a couple reasons: first, it’s short enough to smoke in a reasonable amount of time, and second, the large ring gauge allows for a large volume of cool smoke, a comfortable draw, and usually a well regulated burn. In the past year or so we’ve seen a nostalgic swing back to the thin cigar, but the market is still dominated by robustos, toros, torpedoes, and the like.

The “Thousands” series are all large ring gauge cigars, but the 2000 is Padron’s standard robusto contribution.

Natural

Padron’s 2000 natural wrapper is typical of the breed: rustic and veiny. The medium-brown wrapper is only slightly grainy and has a very dull sheen. Lucky7 noticed a small wrapper defect but said it didn’t affect the cigar’s performance. The caps are applied haphazardly: some are straight and well glued, others are loose. In most cases the roll is firm, though one sample appeared to be underfilled at the foot. And while the pack still feels a little lumpy in general, it’s above average by comparison to others in the line. It’s mildly box pressed. Matt remarked that “…this is a much better looking cigar than the maduro but still a “C minus” for appearance at best.”

The prelight characteristics were unremarkable: compost and hay on the wrapper, and sweet tobacco on the cold draw.

The draw on the 2000 natural varied from perfect to slightly loose, and the burn line was straight for the most part. The accumulated ash was strong and medium gray in color with some dark striations and minimal flaking.

Most Padron cigars in this series start up with a peppery raspiness, but the 2000 natural was fairly gentle by comparison. Initially the power seems to be in the nose. As lucky7 says, “… with this kind of initial bite you may want to save the sinuses until you are a half inch in.” Matt noted pepper, wood and earth as initial flavors; lucky7 and cigarfan added leather to the list. Beyond this, lucky7 detected subtleties such as “notes of fruit, caramel and spice with hints of vanilla.” The finish at this point is short, dry and woody.

The middle section becomes increasingly smooth and creamy and adds a little cocoa or coffee bean to the brew. The pepper subsides a bit, but doesn’t disappear completely, as Matt notes:

One third of the way through the pepper was still there but was muted; I really liked the fact that it remained. The cigar mellowed like the 2000 maduro and offered fewer complexities. Leather and nuts entered the mix, and wood notes were turned up a bit. I noticed some grassiness over what could be herbal/floral flavors.

The last third is marked by a body that grows from medium to full at the nub, continued woody flavors with some sweet elements, and a touch of earth. The finish has crossed the line to moderate in length and the aftertaste is slightly bitter with some char.

All of our reviewers really enjoyed the natural 2000, finding it an easy smoking, even tempered experience. This cigar seems to employ all of the flavors that we’ve come to expect from Padron with a minimal amount of harshness. It’s a solid woody smoke with leathery and sweet tobacco characteristics that make it an incredible value at around $2.50 per cigar (box price.)

Maduro

It should be no surprise to hear that the Padron 2000 Maduro is lacking in the aesthetic department. Rugged, dark, veiny, and downright ugly were some of the adjectives employed to describe this popular favorite. The wrapper is oilier than the natural but less grainy than many of the other maduros in the line. Once again, some of the caps were loose and one sample appeared to be underfilled at the foot. The cigar is slightly box pressed (what lucky7 calls “squash pressed,” where the press is evident front to back only oriented by the band) and is firmly rolled.

The prelight scent is similar to the natural, but with an added sweetness on the wrapper and a hint of chocolate on the foot of the cigar. The draw is excellent with just the right amount of resistance.

Immediately upon lighting up this robusto cigarfan was pleased to find the sweet nutty candied pecan-like flavor that he found in the Palmas and the Ambassador maduros, but in none of the other large ring gauge smokes. Lucky7 encountered a “base of sweet wood and leather with notes of bean, accompanied by an aroma of fruit (raisins) and toasty wood,” while Matt detected initial flavors of “pepper, coffee, bitter chocolate, earth and wood.”

About a quarter of the way through, Matt’s cigar started to burn off kilter.

I corrected the burn by smoking it hot (a touchup wasn’t necessary.) I was impressed that the cigar didn’t punish my taste buds for smoking it hot; it got a bit stronger, but not bitter. The cigar produced copious amounts of smoke. I wish more cigars could produce such huge volumes. After taking each draw (which was near perfect) I really liked watching the wisps of blue and brown tinted smoke come off the foot, and the thick grey-white smoke continue to pour out the head.

Smoking our way into the middle section produced creamy smoke with more bean flavors — creamed coffee and cocoa — over a foundation of sweet wood and leather. The peppery flavors diminish and give way to some nice subtleties: Matt noted complex flavors like anise, nutmeg, and oak.

In the last section we noticed the flavors decline a bit into charred wood, leather, and at the end, burnt coffee. The finish lengthens into a peppery conclusion that finally capitulates with a bitter aftertaste.

Both Matt and lucky7 noted burn problems with the 2000 Maduro. While Matt burned through the problems without correcting, lucky7 had to touch up several times to encourage flame resistant parts of the wrapper to burn. He noted “… in the the last two inches, the ember kept burning under the wrap causing the dreaded ‘ridge’ which I find changes the flavor of the cigar significantly, and not for the better.”

Despite the burn problems and the anticlimactic last third, the maduro 2000 is still a great value. At a box price of $2.50 the first two thirds of the cigar are certainly worth enduring the troublesome burn.

Conclusion

With the Padron 2000 we have a case where the distinction between the maduro and natural cigar is much more apparent than we’ve seen in previous sizes. They are visually distinct as well as having discrete organoleptic qualities: the maduro is definitely sweeter, bolder, and richer in flavor than the natural, while the natural is milder with a far more subtle presentation.

Cigarfan preferred the natural to the maduro in this round, and surprisingly, Matt did too:

The natural wrapped version seemed less complex but the flavor was more enjoyable to me. It was notably “cleaner” which has been my preference of late. The pepper flavor remaining longer was also a big plus.

Lucky7 reflected on the robusto in general in his concluding remarks:

The robusto was my favorite size cigar until recently when I began dabbling in some smaller ring gauges. It comes in at about an hour on a regular basis and most often that is the perfect amount of time for me. It also allows the smoker to experience more nuances of the blend, in my opinion. Other than time spent, the 2000 didn’t do that for me. Although both were decent smokes, I found them ordinary and uneventful… Between the two, I found the Maduro tastier but probably won’t go back to either one if I can lay my hands on a 3000 for fifty cents more.

Matt sums it up for us:

These cigars have been longstanding benchmarks for me when trying new cigars; if a cigar costs more than four bucks it has to prove itself better than the X000 series for me to buy them again.

Thanks to TXMatt for giving us hand with the Padron 2000. If you’re a Club Stogie member you know that on the subjects of Pepin and Cheap Smokes, he knows whereof he speaks. And if you’re not a Club Stogie member, why not check out the jungle some time?

… cigarfan & lucky7

Skip the fluff and jump straight to the review!

Cigar Stats
Brand Owner: Padron Cigars, Inc. – Miami, FL (website)
(distributor operates under the name Piloto Cigars, Inc.)
Factory: Tabacos Cubanica, S.A. – Esteli, Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacos Centroamericanos, S.A. – Danli, Honduras
Model/Vitola: Padron Series 5000 (Natural and Maduro)
Size: 5.5 x 56 (robusto)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Filler & Binder: Nicaragua
Body: Medium to Full
Strength: Medium to Full
Average Retail: $6.77 USD
Cigar Insider/Aficionado Ratings: Consistently high 80s to low 90s

Fourteen other vitola sizes are available in the traditional Padron Series along with one which was recently discontinued.

All sizes come in lacquered cedar boxes of 26, packaged with cellophane sleeves on individual cigars. Many vendors list a box size of 25. I am not entirely sure why that is. It may be that Padron changed the box count since the initial release. The Corticos are the exception packaged in boxes of 30 or tins of 6.

From the Padron website …..

“We deliver only the finest, handmade, complex cigars with the flavor of the Cuban heritage out of which the Padron recipe was born. Our primary mission is the exceptional quality of our product, not the quantity produced. As a vertically integrated, family-owned company, we pay personal attention to every detail throughout all steps of our tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing process. Because we strive to give you, the smoker, the confidence that each cigar is the same … perfect.”

If you are interested in more KOTF info on the Padron Story, you can read it here.

The Keepers of the Flame Padron Series Roundup

This comparison review is one in a series on the original Padron line of cigars. When we have completed reviews on the entire line, a vertical tasting for each wrapper will be published. Each review will be an amalgam opinion of cigarfan and lucky7 along with that of the guest reviewer(s). Our guest reviewers for this vitola are:

Padron Series 5000 – Natural and Maduro

Of the three robustos produced for the classic Padron Series (the others are the 3000 and the 2000) the 5000 has the largest ring gauge. While it is dwarfed by the 7000’s ham-fisted 60 ring, the 5000 at 56 still feels “fat” in the hand. It still falls within the general dimensions of the “robusto” range, but it’s definitely on the wide side.

Natural

As with many other cigars in the Padron series the natural selection is no looker, but it makes up for its lackluster appearance with decent construction. Ironmeden’s initial assessment of the 5000 natural was that

…the construction of the cigar was solid… with a slight give, but it felt packed. The wrapper was a medium brown in shade which was quite veiney with a blotchy look to the wrapper.

Lucky7 and cigarfan found the cigar to be lumpy and bumpy — large veins in the binder leaf produced small ridges on the surface of the cigar that didn’t detract from its appearance superficially, but were a tactile distraction. Scott didn’t find much to crow about here either:

I am a little less than impressed with the way it looks. There are a few large veins running the length of the stick, and the wrapper is blotted and a little odd looking… I don’t really like the way it looks.

The prelight draw on the 5000 natural varied from “loose” to “very loose” to “too loose.” Cigarfan in particular had issues with the loose draw and suspected that it may have caused the cigar to burn hot and underperform in general. The sticks were all quite firm and did not feel underfilled, so perhaps there was a problem with the bunching.

Most of us found the cold taste unremarkable but pleasant — a simple sweet tobacco flavor, with the standard scents. Scott, on the other hand, had a prelight revelation: coffee, cocoa, chocolate and leather. And that’s before he even lit the cigar!

It took us a while to get the foot toasted and burning properly, but once going it proved to be a little bit rough for the first half-inch or so, gradually mellowing out into a slightly tannic woody flavor. Ironmeden found that “the taste was light and had an enjoyable smoky aroma. There was a bitterness to the cigar for about the first inch highlighted by a woody taste.”

Ironmeden’s Famous Reviewing Stand

Lucky7 discovered the trademark flavors of the Padron Series: toasted wood and leather, along with “an aroma of strong tea with a twang,” and notes of vanilla, spice and fruit. The flavors that Scott sensed before lighting up returned in the first third as well:

As I lit up this cigar, the experience was much the same as the many other Padrons that I have enjoyed in my smoking career. The flavor was very good, with lots of leather and coffee right off the bat, with the chocolate flavor muted a little bit in the background.

Ironmeden’s 5000 Natural – 1st Ash

Despite the loose draw the 5000 natural burned well, if not perfectly. The burn line tends to waver a bit, and as Ironmeden noticed, the veiny binder leaf leaves its traces in the ash. Appearances aside, the medium-gray ash holds strong for almost three inches.

Lucky7’s 5000 Natural Ash

The 5000 really opened up for Scott and Ironmeden in the mid-section. For Scott, “…the leather flavor faded into the background and the coffee and chocolate flavors made themselves prominently known… I am really enjoying this smoke, and I am usually a Maduro fan.” And Ironmeden went so far as to invoke the holy of holies, the Padron 1964 Anniversary: “The light flavors coming from the cigar were reminiscent of the Padron 1964 cigar…at this point the cigar was still mild and relaxing without the noted bitterness at the start of the cigar.” Lucky7 and cigarfan didn’t find anything quite so superlative, just a short crisp finish with a “note of toasted wood and a hint of pepper.”

The flavor continues to build into the last third, dropping any pretence at sweetness and becoming more serious. Some coffee flavors linger in the background, but the focus turns to burnt wood and char with “major pepper” in the last inch. Ironmeden notes that “just over the halfway point the light flavors seemed to disappear which led to the bitter taste again. This lasted all the way to the end of the cigar.” Scott observed that it was still burning cool for him and the coffee and chocolate flavors were still prominent. And the most telling detail of all: “I puffed all the way down to the nub.”

Maduro

The 5000 Maduro is quite distinct from the Natural, in appearance as well as character. It is several shades darker than the natural and displays all the qualities typical of well fermented tobacco leaf: more oils, prominent grain, and an earthy prelight scent. Scott noted coffee and leather as prelight scents, while Ironmeden found it to have an almost chocolate appearance and remarked, “It looks good enough to eat.”

It’s not quite as lumpy as the natural, and the draw provides more resistance. Once again it takes some a little effort to get this one started, but once going it seems to be a bit smoother than many of the other maduros in the series. While most of the maduros we’ve reviewed so far have opened up with a peppery prelude, the 5000 launches straight into classic maduro flavors: chocolate, coffee, and their familiar sweet overtones.

Scott and Ironmeden’s first-third impressions are very similar to their thoughts about the natural, except that Scott found the maduro to be a little harsher. Lucky7 and cigarfan found the flavors to be sweet and woody with some cocoa in the mix, and by comparison with other maduros in the line, the 5000 is considerably smoother.

And like the natural, the maduro version builds a nice strong ash and the burn is basically even, with two reviewers reporting a tilting burn toward the end of the cigar.

Lucky7’s 5000 Maduro Ash

The mid-section brings more coffee flavors to the fore while toasted wood continues in the background. The aroma grows a bit sweeter and picks up some char. Scott’s notes:

As I puffed on this cigar, at this point I was about 50 minutes into the enjoyment, and the coffee flavor faded into the background and the leather flavors made themselves prominently known. …I was really enjoying this smoke, and the longer it lasted, the better! The smoke was still very abundant, and began to have a nice sweet smell to it similar to the natural. I am realy enjoying this smoke, more than I enjoyed the natural.

The last third turns up the heat and the flavors become more carbonized — burnt wood, burnt coffee with a sharp sweet tang, and a peppery char that eventually turns bitter. Lucky7 reported that the last third was unusually hot — we’ve had this experience with the smaller ring gauges in this series, but not the larger ones. Scott liked the maduro just as well as the natural — a little more in fact — and “smoked this one to the point where my lips were burning.”

On the other hand, Ironmeden felt the maduro 5000 was a bit of a let down:

The taste from the cigar, like the Natural, was bitter but it was more harsh. The aftertaste in my mouth wasn’t pleasant. Again I noted a chocolate flavor from this cigar. The bitterness lasted through the first 2 inches and at times was quite unbearable. I did start to get the “Padron” flavor but it was so light due to the harshness of the cigar… I was expecting as I went through the cigar that it would ramp up in flavor, but it never did.

Now to make sure I didn’t get a bad cigar I went to two different cigar shops where I purchased a 3000 and 6000 and both of them were not as harsh, but the bitterness was there all the way through both sticks. I think it might just be me, but my palate just didn’t groove with the Maduro wrapper.

Conclusion

Based on our widely varying experiences it is difficult to conclude that the 5000 is better in one particular wrapper; Ironmeden loved the natural and disliked the maduro; cigarfan loved the maduro and disliked the natural. Lucky7 and Scott liked them both, but lucky7 gave a slight edge to the natural and Scott gave a slight edge to the maduro. It’s not easy to find a consensus here.

We can’t reasonably conclude that there are quality control issues at play because both reviewers who had negative reactions went out and bought extra cigars to test them independently, and both came away with the same opinion after smoking cigars from these different boxes. If it isn’t inconsistency, what is it? Operator error, perhaps?

The draw on the natural 5000 was by all accounts extremely loose, and the maduro was only slightly better. We think this may have contributed to the bad experiences because a very loose draw requires a different smoking method, and it could very well be that neither reviewer modified their smoking “style” to compensate for this flaw in the cigar. The result was a hot burn and a bitter taste.

But this is only a theory. At the end of the day, cigar smoking is an art, and the beauty (as well as the bitter) is in the palate of the smoker. Some of us have found a great robusto in the 5000 natural and others in the maduro, and some of us may simply opt for other vitolas — I suspect this is why Padron makes so many of them.

Our thanks to Ironmeden and Scott for participating in the Padron Roundup. This has been a great experience for everyone, and we look forward to more of Scott’s forthright reviews at Cigar Command and the tobacco tales of Ironmeden at The Velvet Cigar.

… cigarfan & lucky7

Skip the fluff and jump straight to the review!

Cigar Stats
Brand Owner: Padron Cigars, Inc. – Miami, FL (website)
(distributor operates under the name Piloto Cigars, Inc.)
Factory: Tabacos Cubanica, S.A. – Esteli, Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacos Centroamericanos, S.A. – Danli, Honduras
Model/Vitola: Padron Series 3000 (Natural and Maduro)
Size: 5.5 x 52 (robusto)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Filler & Binder: Nicaragua
Body: Medium to Full
Strength: Medium to Full
Average Retail: $5.38 USD
Cigar Insider/Aficionado Ratings: Consistently high 80s to low 90s

Fourteen other vitola sizes are available in the traditional Padron Series along with one which was recently discontinued.

All sizes come in lacquered cedar boxes of 26, packaged with cellophane sleeves on individual cigars. Many vendors list a box size of 25. I am not entirely sure why that is. It may be that Padron changed the box count since the initial release. The Corticos are the exception packaged in boxes of 30 or tins of 6.

From the Padron website …..

“We deliver only the finest, handmade, complex cigars with the flavor of the Cuban heritage out of which the Padron recipe was born. Our primary mission is the exceptional quality of our product, not the quantity produced. As a vertically integrated, family-owned company, we pay personal attention to every detail throughout all steps of our tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing process. Because we strive to give you, the smoker, the confidence that each cigar is the same ….. perfect.”

If you are interested in more KOTF info on the Padron Story, you can read it here.

The Keepers of the Flame Padron Series Roundup

This comparison review is one in a series on the original Padron line of cigars. When we have completed reviews on the entire line, a vertical tasting for each wrapper will be published. Each review will be an amalgam opinion of cigarfan and lucky7 along with that of the guest reviewer(s). Our guest reviewers for this vitola are:

Padron Series 3000 – Natural and Maduro

Padron’s “Thousands” series of cigars are all robusto or robusto-plus sized cigars. The 3000 is a slightly larger than average robusto; at 5 1/2 x 52 it has just a little more girth and half an inch in length on the standard 5 x 50 robusto.

Based on our reviewers’ impressions, it’s safe to say that the 3000 does not depart from the rusticity that characterizes the rest of the Padron Series we’ve examined so far. If there’s one consistent element here, it’s a rough and ready blue-collar exterior.

Natural

The most impressive aesthetic feature of the 3000 Natural is its well formed and flattened head. Like the triple-cap, the flat head has traditionally been a hallmark of Cuban craftsmanship and quite a few non-Cuban manufacturers have appropriated the style. Unfortunately for the 3000 natural, this otherwise attractive element is defeated by a haphazard application of the cap. The caps seemed to be uniformly sloppy; in one case the cap was loose and made cutting the cigar a challenge — just tear off the cap flapping loose in the breeze, or cut further down?

Hurdling over these flaws, what we have is typical of the Padron Series Natural: a rough, somewhat veiny wrapper with a consistently textured milk chocolate color, a passable roll with a slight box press, and a good draw. The prelight scent is that familiar horsey Old McDonald smell — Jesse describes it as leather, while Matt notes hay and earth. Sounds like the barnyard all right.

The natural lights up easily and introduces itself with a smattering of pepper that quickly gives way to leather. All four reviewers noted leather as a main ingredient here, three of us found a woody element as well, and Jesse tasted some coffee. The finish is very short and a tad salty.

The middle section continues in the same vein but gets creamier and adds a small shot of sweetness. Cigarfan picked up a little cocoa; Jesse stayed with his coffee; Matt noted some subtle spiciness on top of the base of wood and leather, and Lucky7 contented himself with blowing rings with the thick creamy smoke.

The body of the cigar grows to a solid medium-plus in the last section. (Matt thought it was lighter than this, but in reading his reviews you’ll find that he is partial to some thundering smokes.) As always, gauging the body and strength of a cigar is very subjective. What we all agreed on was this: leather. Leather with nuts, leather with coffee, and leather with wood. For dessert, the 3000 natural serves up a few crusts of toasty bread and a touch of caramel.

Matt sums it up:

Even though it has an ugly appearance it is a very well constructed cigar. The ash held firm and was well formed with a good burn and excellent draw. The flavors, although a little one dimensional, are very good, making for a good easy going and enjoyable smoke. I’d rate this a good everyday kind of smoke.

 

Maduro

Padron’s natural cigars are much darker than the average “natural” due to the sungrown Habano leaf that is used. The processing of maduro leaf provides additional fermentation, but in this case it results in a wrapper that is only slightly darker than the natural. This is evident across many of the different vitolas, and this is the case with the 3000. Viewed separately it is quite difficult to differentiate between the natural and the maduro 3000s. (Which is why it’s always a good idea to label these cigars if you are placing them in the same humidor compartments.)

In other ways the maduro is quite similar to the natural, including the rough wrapper and sloppy cap. As Matt says, it’s “just as ugly as the natural.” There are lumps and veins and wrinkles and the occasional soft spot — once again, this cigar will not elicit sighs of admiration based on its presentation.

George E. from the Stogie Guys weighed in on the 3000 as well, noting a prelight minty scent that follows through to the taste on a cold draw. Cigarfan was a little surprised to find the faint scent of ammonia on one sample, but a simple sweet tobacco scent on the rest.

All of our reviewers found sweet bean flavors in the first third, though some identified this as coffee and others as cocoa. Lucky7 found a hint of cinnamon and vanilla, while cigarfan caught just a glimpse of that coconut/hazelnut he’s been finding in the maduros in this series. The burning qualities were reported by everyone to be very good, with an even burn line and a solid, though somewhat flaky ash.

The flavors turn to wood in the middle section, along with the sweet char typical of maduro wrapper leaf. At this point the body builds up to a solid medium and the cigar gathers a little strength. The finish is short but gets a little sharp if you’re puffing too vigorously. Jesse wondered at this point if his stick “might be a bit off or my taste is off. I remember past ones to be sweeter — more chocolate.” In agreement with this, George noted “burnt coffee.” There are definitely bittersweet overtones at this point.

The flavors grow a little darker in the last third. Some peppery flavors come into play and the finish lengthens. The aroma is still quite nice at this point, smoldering a sweet hickory charcoal scent. The last inch and half gets hot and produces an unpleasant bite, signaling the end stage of this cigar.

Conclusion

Jesse noticed some inconsistency with the maduro version of this cigar, so cigarfan felt compelled to grab a couple at his local shop for comparison purposes. There does seem to be some inconsistency here — it isn’t severe, but as Jesse points out in his review of the Padron 6000 at Cigar Jack there may be some quality control issues to look out for. On the other hand, this is not a super-premium smoke — for most people cigars in this series are considered quality “everyday” cigars. But the caveat is out there.

These are straightforward cigars that don’t exhibit a lot of complexity or remarkable development. They’re medium bodied smokes that are characteristic of the Padron Series — a lot of bean flavors, with an added bittersweet char in the maduro.

Matt’s summary says it all:

These cigars are a prime illustration of how a wrapper can affect the overall experience of a blend. The maduro is very different from the natural: it is a bit more complex. The natural is a good cigar, but I feel the maduro is the superior of the two. Lots of flavor, but still a very accessible easy going smoke. It is a good cigar for beginners and still has plenty to offer the more experienced.

Thanks to Matt, Jesse and GeorgeE for their comments. Be sure to check out Matt’s Cigar Journal, especially if you’re a fan of Don Pepin Garcia and heavier bodied fare, and Cigar Jack, who seems to be on top of the cigar news faster than the AP wire. Thanks to all for taking part in this round of the Padron Roundup!

… cigarfan & lucky7