Initial Thoughts
Well, I finally did it. Finally smoked a Padron cigar for review. People have been asking me and searching the site looking for Padron reviews. So why the heck did it take so long?… I wish I knew, maybe it’s the price? I just don’t always feel like dropping $15 on a cigar. I know they have their cheaper lines, but thats no fun. If I’m going to smoke a Padron, I want the good stuff! Now, I’m not saying the cheaper line isn’t good, I haven’t smoked them so I don’t know.
So this Padron Anniversary 1964 has a pretty interesting backstory according to Padron’s website. This cigar was released in ’94 to commemorate the company’s 30th anniversary. All the tobacco used in this cigar is limited production and aged four years. The cigar is also box pressed in the classic Cuban style for good measure. To fight against counterfeiting Padron has created a special band for this cigar that has a numbered label on it that acts as a guarantee to authenticity. That’s pretty impressive, not gonna lie.
Well that’s most of the backstory on this cigar. I’m excited to get into this review so lets do that. I’m going to fire up some more coffee and I’ll be right back.
Looks
As I said above this Padron Anniversary 1964 has a beautiful box press to it. I’m a sucker for a box press as I’m sure you’re all well aware of by now. The wrapper is nice milk chocolate looking brown and silky smooth. This cigar is 6×54 which is actually right in my wheelhouse of sizes. It’s listed as a Corona Gorda, but typically that size is 5 5/8″ x 46 so who knows. Manufacturers make up sizes all the time.
One thing that I’ve learned about Padron is that they have some of the most classic looking packaging for their cigars. When they released a new blend they don’t alter the packaging much. It’s easy to recognize that it’s a Padron, but you have to pay attention to the band or box to really know what you’re getting. When I went to pick up this guy I almost grabbed the Family reserve which is about twice as much, yeah $30 for a cigar. So be careful if you’re out there looking at some Padron’s and make sure you get the right one.
The band on this Padron Anniversary 1964 is fairly simple yet, elegant. It is centered by a solid maroon circle that has the Padron family script in gold going through it. The rest of the band is a mix of light green ,similar to the green hue of our US currency, and gold intertwining throughout the band. Towards the bottom of the band the name of blend of is listed ‘Anniversary’ with 1964 on either side of it. It’s hard to see on my band but as I mentioned above there is a serial number listed below all of this. It appears to be on a secondary band, but the bands have stuck together and I can’t separate them. Oh well, I’m not too worried about finding out the serial number, I know this one is authentic.
Function
So we’ve got a great looking cigar, but how’s it going to perform? I’ve heard great things about Padron in the past so I have high hopes for this cigar. Just because you have the pedigree doesn’t mean you get to skip the pregame. As with every box pressed cigar it’s hard to do the pinch test correctly. This cigar is no different. When I am able to pinch the barrel it has a nice bounce back, but I don’t pinch too hard because I don’t want to compromise the wrapper especially on the corners of the box press.
The wrapper on does have a few veins that are visible, but they appear fairly flat and I doubt they cause any sort of burn issue. You can also see the seams on the wrapper of this Padron Anniversary 1964, they stand out more than most which is kind of surprising. I figured that this wrapper would be almost unnoticeable, but it’s not a big deal just something that I picked up on.
The head of this cigar has a nicely cap placed on it. I can see one distinct seam, but I’m fairly sure Padron uses triple caps on all their cigars. They tend to stick to their Cuban roots, so I’m sure I just can’t see the seams for the triple cap. Looking at the foot, you can notice a rather different bundling approach compared to most cigars. Some cigars you’ll see an S pattern occur in the filler tobacco. I believe Padron bunches their cigars using the Entubado bunching method. I could be wrong, but looking at the foot and reading about other examples I’m pretty sure that’s how they roll the filler for their sticks. Alright, enough of all that talk, lets light some fire to this guy!
Smoking
If you’ve been reading my reviews for any length of time, then you probably know I like to change things up every now and again. It’s gets boring doing things the same way over and over. So despite my best practice of toasting the foot on a cigar. I decided to just use the lighter and draw the air through the barrel for this Padron Anniversary 1964 to get it to light. Nothing big or crazy, just changing up my routine a bit.
So I fired up the lighter and brought the flame to the foot and just began puffing and drawing some air down through the barrel and poof, the cigar took off. Didn’t need to toast the foot, just let the natural combustion do it’s thing. Plus, I figured this cigar would probably burn pretty even anyway and didn’t need a good toasting to ensure proper burning. It’s really a judgement call more than anything.
I didn’t mention this above in the function section, but this cigar has a phenomenal draw to it. Its fairly wide open with just a bit of resistance. So when you puff you’re not choking yourself with too much air, but you’re not struggling to draw anything through either. I’d venture to say this is a perfect draw, if there is such a thing.
That ‘perfect’ draw allows for a great smoking experience with this cigar. The first third was flawless I just puffed my way through it incredibly fast and didn’t even realize it. I was sitting there reading and the next thing I knew I was into the second third. The first ash held on for a bit over and inch before I released it into the tray of doom. The ash never crumbled it stayed firm when it rolled to final resting place.
This trend continued for the next two thirds as well. I burned this Padron Anniversary 1964 all the way down to the nub and it never once got hot, burned crooked nor did the taste get bitter. The smoking experience for this cigar was phenomenal, it was an absolute pleasure to smoke. Now I’m sure you’re curious what sort of flavors I got out of this stick aren’t you?
Flavor
Going in, I knew this cigar was a Nicaraguan puro. So I had somewhat of an idea of what it was going to taste like, but I always like to see if I’m on point with my tastes or not. The pre light aroma this cigar gave off was very sweet. I picked up a lot of cocoa on the foot and the wrapper. The cold draw also gave off that same sweetness of cocoa which is very exciting. I love chocolate so I always welcome that flavor in my cigars.
Once I got the Padron Anniversary 1964 lit up I began to notice a fairly strong earthy note as well. This was mainly noticeable in the retrohale. In fact the retrohale was noticeably missing the spice that I was expecting from this cigar. I could pick up a slight spice to it, but nothing like what I expected. Maybe the four years of aging mellows out this leaf, much like a bourbon?
The second third of this cigar brought out more of a leathery note followed with some sweet coffee flavor. That’s more of the Nicaraguan M.O. that I expected. I’m still surprised I haven’t picked up on much spice though. Just as it was in the first third it’s there, just in the background and not very intense at all. Which honestly I love! When the spice isn’t dominate it allows other flavors to shine through and add complexity to the entire flavor profile.
The final third was more of the same, earthy, coffee, sweet, and just a hint of spice on the retrohale. It was incredibly complex and enjoyable. You don’t get that overpowering spice but instead you get a lot of richness and creaminess all rolled into one cigar. I’m a big fan!
Would I Buy It Again?
Absolutely, even though it’s $15 / stick it’s worth it.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Not unless you’re rolling in some fat stacks of cash.
Would I Buy a Box?
Potentially, but they are $300 / box so it’s gonna have to be a special occasion purchase.
Conclusion
This Padron Anniversary 1964 was a fantastic cigar. Full of flavor, perfect draw, and incredible burn. It’s hard to see it getting much better for cigars out there. This cigar definitely stands on an elite level. For me it’s up there with the Liga Privada’s and Headley Grange in terms of favorite cigars. They are all so vastly different from one another, but bring incredible things to the table. This cigar stands on its own as a new favorite for me. Not much higher praise that I can give it.
