Padrón Black PB-97 Natural

Padrón is not a company known for new cigars, but 2024 has been about as exciting as any year for new Padróns, albeit with some premium price tags to boot.

There are two headliners. After a brief delay, the Fuente y Padrón Legends—a collaborative project with Arturo Fuente—finally shipped to stores. Just last week, Padrón began shipping a release that would have been the company’s signature new item(s) in just about any other year. The Padrón 60th Anniversary cigars are round perfectos—the first time Padrón has ever sold this particular vitola—that celebrate the 60th anniversary of the company’s founding.

Both Legends and the 60th have packaging unlike any other Padróns. More to the point, at $75 per cigar, the 60th would have been the most expensive Padrón release in the U.S., if not for the more than $175 per cigar price tag that Legends has.    

All of that is to say, you would be forgiven if you’ve forgotten about the PB-97. It’s priced at only $40 per cigar and comes in boxes that look like most other Padróns, albeit the bands are different than normal. It was shown off to retailers in July 2023 as an exclusive to stores that placed orders during the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show. The PB-97 is part of the Padrón Black line, which dates back to 2016 with the release of the José O. Padrón 89 Birthday Blend Natural and Maduro, cigars created to honor the 89th birthday of the company’s founder, though sold exclusively at Smoke Inn in South Florida. In 2019, those two cigars appeared to return, this time as releases for the Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA) Exclusive Series Program, and now with a name, the Padrón Black No. 89.

Since then, various Padrón Black vitolas have been used for Cigar Rights of America (CRA) Freedom Samplers. Roughly 10 companies have donated cigars to the CRA, which are then sold to help raise money for the organization, which is best known as one of the main funders of a successful lawsuit against FDA.

Those cigars have included:

• Padrón Black No. 200 (5 1/2 x 56) — Fall 2019
• Padrón Black No. 200 Natural (5 1/2 x 56) — Fall 2020
• Padrón Black No. 100 (5 1/2 x 52) — Spring 2021
• Padrón Black No. 52 (5 1/2 x 50) — Spring 2022

While Padrón has not released production numbers for the PB-97, it was described as a one-and-done limited edition. Even with that status, it’s probably the most widespread release of a Padrón Black to date.

For years, I’ve remarked that Padrón didn’t seem to want to talk about the Padrón Black, so much so that we didn’t know the blend. While there’s still no reference to the line on the company’s website, Padrón did disclose some blend details. Regardless of wrapper choice, it’s a Nicaraguan puro that Jorge Padrón told Patrick Lagreid is “between the Serie 1926 and the Family Reserve, saying it’s probably closer to the Family Reserve in fullness.”

Padrón uses a lot of different numbers in its releases and it can be a bit tough to keep track of all of them, but here’s a primer:

• 1926 — José O. Padrón’s birth year.
• 1964 — Company founded.
• 40 — Anniversary of the company (2004)
• 80 — José O. Padrón Birthday (2006)
• 44 — Anniversary of the company (2008)
• 45 — Anniversary of the company (2009)
• 46 — Anniversary of the company (2010)
• 85 — José O. Padrón Birthday (2011)
• 50 — Anniversary of the company (2014)
• 47 — Anniversary of the TAA (2015)
• 48 — Anniversary of the TAA (2016)
• 89 — José O. Padrón Birthday (2016, released in 2016 though the birthday was in 2015)
• 90 — José O. Padrón Birthday (2016)
• 95 — José O. Padrón Birthday (2021)
• 96 — José O. Padrón Birthday (2022)
• PB-97 — José O. Padrón Birthday (2024, released in 2024 though the birthday was in 2023)
• 60 — Anniversary of the company (2024)

So yes, while the Padrón 60th was just released, we will likely see a Padrón 100 of sorts in two years.

• Cigar Reviewed: Padrón Black PB-97 Natural
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacos Cubanica S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 3/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $40 (Box of 10, $400)
• Release Date: March 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Undisclosed
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this is not only a round Padrón but also one that comes in cellophane. Not that long ago, those two things would have been mild causes for concern, but Padrón is doing both round cigars and cigars in cellophane more these days. Unless I have the Natural and Maduro cigars side by side, there’s always a game of is this really a Natural? Sometimes, it’s even more complicated than that. In this case, I would have guessed that the cigars we bought were Naturals, but I wouldn’t be 100 percent confident as it’s a darker than average wrapper with lots of oil. The aromas from the wrappers are medium-full led by cocoa and cinnamon. A copy paper scent is a secondary scent for the first cigar; the second cigar has a sweeter cocoa and less of the copy paper, whereas the third cigar has more ammonia—but all three are pretty similar. The feet are also quite similar: full with cocoa over some Aperol-like citrus, a bit of ammonia and red pepper, though the amounts of the latter two vary between the cigars. Each cigar’s cold draw is different. The first two are open and led by chocolate—milk chocolate in the first, a slightly less sweet one in the second—with dry bread, ammonia and red pepper serving as secondary notes. The third cigar’s draw is much closer to normal and the chocolate flavor is more like frosting, joined by some red pepper and green grapes, around medium-full.

The Padrón Black PB-97 Natural begins with a dry and aggressive profile that has earthiness, cocoa powder, nuttiness, cinnamon, acidity and black pepper. While it’s only medium-full in flavor, the nicotine blast is a wake-up call. From the first puff, I notice that the draw differences are the same as before: the first two cigars are somewhat loose, while the third cigar is much more normal. With the two open draw cigars, there’s a lot more pepper in the first inch, peaking shortly thereafter and then tapering off, though still an active part of most puffs. Beyond the pepper, the strongest flavors are pepper-accented earthiness and roasted nuts. Secondary notes include hard bread crust, bright herbs, bitter cocoa, woodiness and some minerals. While the main flavor is thick enough that it could be described as “syrupy” in texture, the finish tends to be chewier. Flavors of oak, burnt terroir, red pepper, black pepper, creaminess and—on the third cigar—a unique sweetness that reminds me of a banana liqueur are present. Retrohales are drier with lots of breadcrumbs overtop some thick creaminess, black pepper, acidity, acorns and leather. They finish drier and sharper than any other part of the profile, though there’s not much development in terms of the flavors. Intensity-wise, flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is full.

While the profiles weren’t all that different in the first third, they are much more similar in the second third. All three cigars see nuttiness increase to take the top spot of the profile over a pepper-accented earthiness. It’s a sharp, dry and aggressive profile that drowns out most of the secondary flavors, though I can pick up leather, generic whiskey and some black and white pepper. In contrast, the finish has some sweetness—the closest I can get to identifying it is a not fully ripe strawberry—woodiness and dry earth, which isn’t the strongest flavor but does get the award for being present the most amount of time between the three cigars. Retrohales have an unsweet peanut butter over dry earthiness, pepper and—during the first cigar—a rubber sensation. They finish a bit more metallic than the rest of the profile, though it’s pretty similar: earthiness over black pepper, white pepper and some barnyard. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is full. During the first two cigars, I begin to feel the nicotine during the latter stages of the second third, though the third cigar doesn’t deliver the same kick, though it’s still quite strong. While the first and third cigars are doing great construction-wise, the second cigar is having some issues. I find the draw to be problematically open, something that is likely due to a combination of the bunching and the cap unraveling, which loosens the draw enough to the point that it’s noted on my scoresheet.

Earthiness is the strongest flavor during each of the final thirds, but not the same type of earthiness. The first cigar is pretty standard fare; the second cigar has a flavor that is drier, but it seems like that’s related to an accenting flavor that tastes a bit like dry flour, while the third cigar has a more charred earth aspect. Secondary flavors include black pepper, black licorice and some inconsistent creaminess. The finish sees the return of the nuttiness, now joined by herbal flavors, a damp earth, black pepper, burnt roux and some fruitiness that reminds me of a light peach sherbet. At times, the retrohale tastes like all the flavors of the Padrón Black BP97 Natural are delivered through my nostrils, but they are suddenly burnt. Other times, I get a dry cranberry flavor and some more lively earthy flavors. While it certainly provides a different experience, I don’t find myself enjoying the cigar anymore or less than if I wasn’t retrohale. That said, once the finish kicks in, white pepper, black pepper and cinnamon kick up. There’s increased sweetness as well, but the finish really changes the dynamic by increasing the sharpness a lot. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is full, or at least full. The first cigar is strong enough that I’m feeling the effects of it, whereas the second cigar isn’t as strong and the third cigar is on the lighter end of “full.” As with the second third, my only issue about construction is that the second cigar’s draw is looser than I’d like, though neither looser than it was before nor loose enough to be causing issues that need to be fixed with a lighter.

Final Notes

• Typically, when there’s a new Padrón there are more Maduros than Naturals. There have been instances when the Maduros have shipped before the Naturals. Anecdotally, I’ve seen a lot more PB-97 Naturals for sale than Maduros.
• Here’s a quote from my review of the Padrón Black No. 100, a 5 1/2 x 52 belicoso:

Whether because of the box press or the blend, I don’t find the Padrón Black-banded releases to be very Padrón-like. They are still good cigars that share some qualities with other Padróns, but I imagine if you took the band off and gave it to people who smoke Padróns weekly, many of them wouldn’t be interested in buying more of them. This is certainly the case with this vitola, which doesn’t really remind me of Padrón at all.

• I think some of the above carries over to this review, but for very different reasons. In that same review of the No. 100, I wrote, “But even when I did, I felt like a lot of what I like about Padrón’s best offerings—the tour de force of complexity and fullness—didn’t find the signature Padrón balance.” I found that here, but it’s a bit tough to track given how amped up the strength was in the first two cigar. It’s far from a one-dimensional cigar, but it’s so easy to get focused on just how strong the first two were that I can easily lose sight of what was clear flavor progressions in ways that many cigars do not have.
• While the draw on the first cigar could have been improved, it didn’t seem to negatively affect the experience and, therefore, didn’t produce a deduction on my scoresheet. With the second cigar, I spent a good bit of the second and final thirds having to take deeper puffs and the regular double puff on the cigar to keep combustion where I’d like. That’s more than enough to warrant some sort of issue on the scoresheet, though it wasn’t bad enough that the cigar ever needed help from the lighter, nor did it get physically too hot.

• The cigars are listed at 6 3/4 x 54.
• Cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking ranged from two hours and 40 minutes for the third cigar to just over three hours for the other two cigars.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co. and Cigars Direct carry the Padrón Black PB-97.