Review: Padrón L. J. Peretti 140th Anniversary

For those of you that don’t know, about two weeks ago, it came to my attention that Padrón had released a cigar that I was not aware of dubbed the Padrón L. J. Peretti Company 140th Anniversary, it was obviously produced for the 140th Anniversary of the L. J. Peretti Company in Boston.

The interesting thing about this cigar is that this is one of the few times in their history that Padrón has produced a private label blend (There was also the Padrón Legacy, which was released exclusivly to Holts to celebrate their 110th year of business and the Famous 70th Anniversary). In fact, the owner of L.J. Peretti had a major influence in what the blend would taste like. He told me that they were looking for a Padrón flavor, but with more power, and less spice and pepper then the normal blends: “More Mellow“. In fact, he told me that there is an extra Ligero leaf in the cigar to give it a little more strength compared to other blends in the line.

This blend was only released in a Maduro wrapper, and they are sold in boxes of 20, and while this is an exclusive blend sold only at Peretti’s, it is NOT a limited release so Padrón will continue to produce as many of them as Peretti’s wants, for the foreseeable future.

Another interesting fact is that the size of the L.J. Peretti cigar  at 5 x 50 falls right in between the 1964 Principe (4.5 x 46) and the Exclusivo (5.5 x 50) in the lineup, and further, it is the same size as the Famous 70th Anniversary release.

The website has a quote:

“The L. J. Peretti Company is proud to present our 140th Anniversary Cigar. This cigar has been made to our exacting standards by the world famous Padrón family…Seductively dark and rich, this cigar is full bodied without being overpowering. A masterpiece of the cigar maker’s art.”

The boxes for the L. J. Peretti 140th are interesting in their own right. They come in what looks to be a normal Padrón box, with “L. J. Peretti Company – 1870-2010” branded onto the top.

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But enough chitchat, let’s get down to business, shall we?

• Cigar Reviewed: Padrón L. J. Peretti Company 140th Anniversary
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Cubanica S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Vitola: Robusto (Box-Pressed)
• MSRP: $14.00 (Boxes of 20- $260.00)
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 3
• Date Released: 2010

The cigar itself is as wonderfully constructed as any Padrón. A dark brown wrapper, it is a maduro, after all, that is totally seamless is wrapped around a extreme box pressed stick. Although the cigar is 5×50, it really looks smaller then that in your hand. The cigar is extremely hard when squeezed, almost rock hard, and the wrapper actually has very little smell to it, a bit of wood and pepper.

Pre-draw is very sweet with just a bit of spice on the tounge, and a particluar flavor that I cannot place (maybe apple?) that is quite interesting. There’s defintely less spice on the pre-draw then a regular Padrón 1964.

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The first third starts off with a bit of spice that quickly dies down to almost nothing. Flavors include a strong barnyard notes, along with hay and espresso. There is a slightly bitter woodish undertone as well that stays fairly consistant throughout the first third. I can already tell this is a stronger cigar then I am used to with a Padrón.

The second third has much the same flavors with a bit more hay in the profile, but they seem to be slightly muted. The small amount of spice that was present in the first third has almost totally disappeared into nothingness, although I am still getting a small amount on the retrohale. However, the profile is noticeably more full bodied as well, and continues to get stronger as the last third ends. The burn is also on and off during the entire third and I had to re-light a few times.

The final third is much the same as the second third. Not much change in the flavor profile at all except for a slightly bitter undertone, but the cigar keeps getting stronger until it is a VERY full cigar at the end.

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Final Notes:

• As mentioned earlier, when talking to the folks at L. J. Peretti about this cigar, I was told they blended the cigar to be stronger, but with more of a mellow profile, and I have to say, they nailed that specific goal. It is quite a bit stronger then a regular 1964 cigar.
• There will be a second band on the cigars at some point signifying that it is a separate cigar from it’s 1964 counterparts, and will most likely say “Peretti 140th“, but it is unknown when they will be added.
• Although this is one of a very few times that Padrón has produced a private label blend, it will not be the last. There will be at least two others, as Padrón is releasing a cigar for Rocky Patel’s “Burn” Lounge as well at some point in the future, and they are releasing a custom cigar for Smoke Inn called the “SI-15″ around the same time as the Great Smoke.
• If you want to purchase some of these Padrón cigars, the ONLY place to buy them is at L. J. Peretti Company in Boston. Website is at www.ljperetti.com and their phone number is 617.482.0218.
• The Final Smoking Time was 1 Hour and 25 minutes.

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The Bottom Line: I could not help but think as I smoked each one of the samples of this cigar, that the very thing that makes the regular 1964 blend so great is ultimately the downfall of this blend. While it was not a bad cigar by any means, and I truly doubt that Padrón COULD put out a bad cigar; the spice, pepper and sophistication that I enjoy in so many of their cigars was missing. I was really hoping that this blend could give my go to Padrón (the 1964 Exclusivo Maduro) a run for it’s money, but sadly, it was not even close. Throw in the burn issues, which were extremely unusual for a Padrón, and what you have is an extremely strong cigar with very little of the same flavors or finesse that I have become accustomed to from Padrón. Having said that, if the pepper and spice of a regular 1964 is too much for you and you are looking for more strength, this blend will probably be right up your ally.

 

 

Final Score: 82

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