Padrón Family Reserve No. 95 Maduro

Padrón

• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacos Cubanica S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Maduro)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 4 3/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 60
• Vitola: Short Gordo
• MSRP: $29.50 (Box of 10, $295)
• Release Date: March 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: Undisclosed
• Original Score: 91

There’s something about that cherry-to-mahogany gradient of the Padrón Family Reserve band when it sits on a dark maduro wrapper. Whether on the Padrón Family Reserve No. 45 or on this round and beefy 4 3/4 x 60 short gordo, the colors of the band look right. That said, this size is probably not one the Padrón Family envisioned making a decade ago. Sure, thicker cigars were becoming more popular—and Padrón’s first 60-ring gauge was excellent—but this size is probably never going to be what I think of when I think of Padrón. But the blend—made to honor what would have been the 95th birthday of the company’s founder, the late José O. Padrón—is very Padrón.

If you’d like your Padrón 1926 Maduro with more punch and some dryness, this is certainly a strong candidate. Flavor-wise, earthiness is the star of the show, and it’s a very multi-dimensional earthiness that changes as the cigar goes on. Admittedly, if any member of the halfwheel team had to pick a cigar simpled based on its size, this is unlikely to be selected to first—or probably even 20th—but as it oftentimes does, the company has found a way to make a compelling cigar experience in a way that is uniquely Padrón. — Charlie Minato.