Padilla 1932 Oscuro Torpedo

Originally released in 2007, the aptly named Padilla 1932 Oscuro used the José “Pepín” García rolled 1932 blend, and covered it with a then five-year-old Nicaraguan corojo oscuro wrapper.

Only 300 boxes of 45 cigars each were released,  each of which included 15 of three different vitolas: Churchill, Robusto and Torpedo.

Here is what I said about the Padilla 1932 Oscuro Torpedo in my original review in March of 2010:

This was an extremely complex smoke from the start to the finish. I was hoping for the wonderful flavors of the classic 1932 blend, with the added sweetness and spiciness from the Oscuro wrapper, and honestly, that is exactly what I got. What I was not expecting was the added creaminess that was present, and that in combination with the aforementioned flavors really pushed it over the edge for me. This is a very different cigar from most of Padilla’s sticks and quite different from most of Pepín’s as well. Quite honestly, it is in a class by itself.

• Cigar Reviewed: Padilla 1932 Oscuro Torpedo
• Country of Origin: USA
• Factory: El Rey de los Habanos
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan Cuban-Seed Corojo Oscuro
• Binder: Nicaraguan Criollo
• Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo
• Size: 6 1/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Torpedo
• Est. Price: $1,350 (Boxes of 15, $450)
• Release Date: 2007
• Number of Cigars Released: 300 Boxes of 45 Cigars (13,500 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Redux: 1

The Oscuro Torpedo has a dark brown wrapper that is extremely rough to the touch. Although it is obviously well rolled, there are quite a few viens present and smells faintly of dark chocolate, sweet espresso, hay and a tiny bit of manure. It has a great feel when squeezed with just the perfect amount of give.

The Padilla starts out with a great combination of creamy chocolate, coffee, leather and a tangy sweetness that is quite intriguing and something I have tasted every time I have smoked one of these blends. The sweetness is almost like a blood orange: sweet and bitter at the exact same time. There is no spice at all at this point, but there is just a minuscule amount if pepper on the retrohale.

The second half changes quite bit, with flavors of wood, espresso, earth and leather. The biggest change included the amount of spice that was present, which really bumped up to a higher level overall compared to the first half. The sweetness from the first half is still around, but not as strong, and has turned into more of a generic sweetness with no bitterness.

Construction-wise, the Padilla Oscuro is essentially flawless with an almost perfect burn and draw for the entire smoke. Strength starts out as a solid medium and does get stronger slowly throughout the cigar, but never really threatens close to the full mark. However, this is not a huge smoke-producing blend and while you could tell it was lit, that is about it.

Brooks Whittington

I have been smoking cigars for over eight years. A documentary wedding photographer by trade, I spent seven years as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. I started the cigar blog SmokingStogie in 2008 after realizing that there was a need for a cigar blog with better photographs and more in-depth information about each release. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars. I am a co-founder of halfwheel and now serve as an editor for halfwheel.