Padron Cigar Review

Padron cigars are one of those magical brands that pretty much every smoker loves or wants to try. It’s not hard to see why, because for decades Padron cigars have included some of the best, tastiest, and highest rated cigars available anywhere.

They owe their success largely to two things. First is a fanatical dedication to quality: they could easily grow bigger to meet demand, but refuse to do so if it means the quality of their cigars would be compromised. The second is their being “vertically integrated,” a fancy corporate word that really just means that they control their entire supply line. So all of the tobacco used to make Padron cigars is grown, harvested, cured, fermented, and aged by Padron in Nicaragua.

Today I’ll be smoking and giving my Padron cigar review cigar from their core line, often referred to as the “thousands series.”

Basics:

Cigar: Padron 3000 Maduro
Size: 5.5″ x 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Appearance

The great contradiction of these cigars is in their appearance. Anyone who has smoked a Padron cigar can attest to the fact that they just don’t look like other cigars. They have a heartier, ruddier appearance. The wrappers are more textured, and tend to have a rather “matte” appearance to them, as opposed to the overabundance of shiny “oils” you find on the wrappers of other fuller bodied cigars.

For my Padron cigar review, each cigar I smoked performed exactly the same way. The cap sliced off cleanly to offer a medium to medium/firm draw. Dark tobacco flavors abounded including earthy, coffee, and cocoa notes with a chalky subtle sweetness.

Padron Cigar Review

First Third

The cigars opened with a spiciness characteristic of Nicaraguan tobacco, along with medium sweetness and a mouthful of dark, rich tobacco flavors. The burn line was somewhat wavy but, while not absolutely perfect, it never required so much as a touch up to get it back on track. The ash lasted about an inch before tapping off in clean nuggets.

Second Third

The second third of each of my Padron cigars revealed a notably intensified aroma in the room note. The cigar’s flavors really seemed to open up in a way that displayed their full complexity. While it’s difficult to accurately or objectively assign a value to each aspect of the experience, I can safely say that the cigar’s flavor and aroma is multi-faceted.

Final Third

Down the stretch, the flavors and aroma again intensified with about 2″ remaining. I noticed the body caught up to me as well, this being a heavier bodied smoke than many others. The entire cigar was good, but when the body and flavor peaked at this sweet spot, it was something truly magical. By the time I nubbed it down to a half inch, it still hadn’t gotten bitter.

Final Thoughts

Padron cigars may not be the absolute best cigars, but then again, they just may be. I struggled to come up with a single critical point about this cigar, and the closest I can get is the appearance, although even there they don’t look roughshod so much as they look honest. Hope you enjoyed my Padron cigar review, and if you haven’t tried this beauty yet, I highly recommend doing so. In addition to being an all-around terrific smoke, they also bring one of the best values on the market today to the table. The MSRP for the Padron 3000 Maduro is a mere $6.00, and I’ll put it head-to-head with a whole bunch of premiums that go for $8-10 or even more. To learn more about Padron, check out their official website!