Cigar: Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Diplomatico Maduro
Size: Churchill, 7.0”x50 (Box-pressed)
MSRP: $13.80
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Origin: Nicaragua
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Prelight: Now this is a good looking Padron! The deep, rich brown colored wrapper is intensely floral in aroma, and the few veins it has are extremely small. There is also a slight toothiness to the maduro wrapper. The foot is mildly woody and has hints of powdered cocoa to its scent. I use a punch because the small cap doesn’t even come close to the shoulders of the cigar, and I don’t want to risk it unraveling on me. The cold draw is actually a bit tight – a first for me and Padron – and has a sweet, earthy wood taste to it.
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1/3: The cigar starts off with a subtle black pepper and slightly-bitter dark chocolate. After a mere half an inch, earthy wood creates a sweet and savory complexity. About halfway through the first third, an oakiness has become prominent and the pepper has disappeared, but I am also getting a perfumed, soapy taste. It is not completely off-putting, but just unexpected. There is also a heavy cream taste on the finish. I really enjoy the 45 minutes that it takes me to smoke the first third.
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2/3: The second third has no perfume and the sweetness has nearly disappeared. The woodiness is now more of a cedar taste, there is a slight hay flavor, and the dark chocolate is playing a supporting character. It is quite a change from the first third. The ash has been copacetic, lasting about an inch at a time, and the burn has been near-razor-sharp perfection. This profile transitions with an addition of coffee and the reemergence of earth.
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3/3: The final third has an intense espresso flavor with hints of grass. The aforementioned dark chocolate is now a little more bitter – more of a baker’s chocolate. Grass begins to overtake the rest for a beat, then coffee comes back in full force to finish up the nub.
Overall: I truly enjoyed this cigar; it is the best Padron has to offer in my opinion. It has excellent construction and the complex flavors hit all the right marks in my book. I feel that I can definitively say that I will be reaching for this stick again, and certainly before any others from the marca. If you haven’t tried it, and you like your Nicaraguans more on the sweeter side without being cloying, you must try a Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Maduro.
