PCA 2023: Padrón

Padrón is one of those companies that doesn’t seem to feel the need to reinvent the wheel or crank out many new products, whether it be new cigars or new trade show booths. I’m not 100 percent sure of this, but I don’t know if Padrón has changed their booth in the decade-plus that I have been covering the trade show.

But that fact certainly is not slowing down traffic. Padrón is one of the first-visited booths for many retailers. The company displays a mix of its current production cigars and some of its previous limited editions and rare releases, while also telling the company story via the many panels placed at and above eye level.

As usual, Padrón didn’t announce anything about what they had in the booth prior to the show, leaving those who have been in the booth before to see for themselves just what was coming from the esteemed Nicaraguan cigar company.

Padrón Black PB97 Maduro

The Padrón Black series is one that has been written about on this site numerous times, even though the cigars themselves are fairly rare, and in some ways not always inherently related. The line debuted in 2016 with the José O. Padrón 89 Birthday Blend Natural and Maduro, a pair of 6 x 46 corona gordas produced in celebration of the Padrón patriarch’s birthday, and released as an exclusive to Smoke Inn, the south Florida retailer. Since then, the line has appeared in Cigar Rights of America samplers and other places from time-to-time, but never as a regular production retail release. That changes, somewhat, this year with the PB97.

The company is producing them for release in the 4th quarter of 2023, and for now, the cigars remain a one-and-done exclusive for retailers who attend the show and order them on the floor. It’s a sizable 6 3/4 x 54 torpedo vitola, and if you’re curious about where it falls in the company’s flavor profile, Jorge Padrón puts it between the Serie 1926 and the Family Reserve, saying it’s probably closer to the Family Reserve in fullness. Pricing is still being finalized, but the company expects it to be in the neighborhood of $40 per cigar.

• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Maduro)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Padrón Black PB97 Maduro (6 3/4 x 54) — Est. $40 (Box of 10, $400)

Production: Undisclosed

Release Date: 4th Quarter 2023

Padrón Black PB97 Natural

Like pretty much every Padrón release, there is both a natural and maduro version, and the Padrón Black is no exception. All the specs remain the same, with an estimated price of $40 per cigar and delivery expected in the fourth quarter of 2023.

• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Natural)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua

• Padrón Black PB97 Maduro (6 3/4 x 54) — Est. $40 (Box of 10, $400)

Production: Undisclosed

Release Date: 4th Quarter 2023

Fuente y Padrón Legends

Everyone’s been asking about this since the 2022 PCA Convention & Trade Show, if not before, when news was first announced in October 2020. The big news is that it is now slated for release in October 2023, a date that Jorge Padrón said he feels pretty confident about. Pricing has still not been released.

• Wrapper: Undisclosed
• Binder: Undisclosed
• Filler: Undisclosed

• Fuente y Padrón Legends (Arturo Fuente) (7 x 50) — Pricing Undisclosed
• Fuente y Padrón Legends (Padrón) (7 x 50) — Pricing Undisclosed

Production: TBA

Release Date: October 2023 (Tentative)