moki
el Presidente
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2003
- Messages
- 9,418
I've had these Padrón 1964 Anniversary Exclusivo Naturals for some time, and the Padrón 1926/1964 are currently my favorite cigars of all time. I stumbled on them quite accidentally while in Puerto Rico, and was blown away with the taste from the first puff. At that point, I didn't know the difference between Maduro and Natural, I just knew what I liked.
Yet I still haven't done any formal reviews of the Padróns. It's not for lack of smoking them, it's just sometimes hard to put into words what you love most.
When you see reviews of cigars, you often see people using foo-foo terms like "cherry", "nutty", "carmely", etc. when describing cigars, and it does sound a bit over the top. But I think it is useful to use these terms. You're not saying it literally tastes like cherries, but rather that it reminds you of the experience of eating a cherry. It's just like poetry: you don't take the words literally, but rather use them to hint at what is otherwise indescribable.
With that in mind, let me just say that I don't know who rolls these Padrón 1964 cigars, but they deserve a medal. The things are consistently harder than a gray-hair that ate an entire pack of Viagra: you could literally hammer nails with the cigars. The box press look is also quite nifty, and adds to the feeling that you're holding a 2 by 4 in your hands.
Yet despite this tightness, I've never had a Padrón 1964 that didn't draw incredibly well, and burn evenly. This Padrón Exclusivo Natural was no exception. I smoked it on the way to Starbucks to pick up some coffee for myself and my friends, and was struck by the flavors. I've never had a cigar that had the signature flavor of these Padróns. The most unique thing you notice is the roasted/smoked flavor to these cigars.
I don't mean smoked as in "sucking on an ashtray" smoked, but smoked as in a good smoked BBQ chicken, or a good beer that has the grains smoked before brewing. It's a very distinctive and wonderful taste shared by all of the Padrón 1964's and 1926's. With this Natural, the draw starts off a little hot and spicy, then rolls into that wonderful smokey flavor, and then the taste rolls around your mouth like a wave, moving smoothly from earthy/nutty flavors to carmel-ish coffee. Wonderful!
I smoked the remainder of the cigar sitting outside, by myself, enjoying the crisp Northern Californian weather, the Padrón, the Carmel Macchiato, and a few moments of peace and solitude. Sure, maybe Tibetian monks can do this without a cigar, but for me, smoking a good cigar is often the only way I sit down to make time to relax, unwind, and do nothing but enjoy the good things in life. And this Padrón 1964 Exclusivo Natural is definitely one of those things.
Compared to the seemingly more popular Maduro variety of this smoke, I'd say that the Natural is very similar in taste, but slightly less smooth/sweet, and with lighter flavor hints compared to the rather heavy Maduro. If all you've had is a Padrón 1964 Maduro, well, you owe it to yourself to grab a Natural and take it for a nice walk.
