Fyodor
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2005
- Messages
- 607
So after a visit to my local cigar shop, buying Padron 64's, I got into a discussion with the owner about the greatness of the Padron anniversary series. Come to find out he had my long sought after 26 maduro hidden in the back humidor. (note to newbies like myself: cigar shops rarely keep their best cigars out front) So I jumped at the chance to buy it although it cost $22.
After about a week in my humidor I decided to light it up. I had just finished a meal of cheese and crackers as an appetizer and stuffed shrimp with a glass of 2003 Seghesio zinfandel. My palette felt a bit overwhelmed and I cleansed it with cool water as best I could. I matched that cigar with the rest of the bottle of wine (minus the couple of small glasses my wife drank). This was certainly a beautiful looking cigar, near flawless wrapper with minimal veins. It was consistently firm throughout yet a bit pliable with a moderate amount of oils on the wrapper. It had a peppery smell and I actually sneezed when sniffing the foot! I lit it with a match and it lit up easily. The first few puffs gave me a slight harshness at the back of my throat but this is completely normal and it quickly mellowed. It quickly opened up to nice dark chocolate, cocoa and a very slight almond and wood taste. It also left a bit of a metallic taste on my palate but the sips of wine helped with that nicely. As it burned It had notes of spice but not too overwhelmingly. The ash held very well, about half way down the cigar, which was very white with a few dark streaks. Half way down it became richer and creamier with a bit more spice but still not overly spicy. There were no hints of bitterness just rich and creamy smoke. The smoke volume seemed good but its hard to tell as my wife makes me smoke in the back room with the fan on. As it neared the end it got richer and richer. I even noticed some Opus X like raisin taste to it which surprised me. It had very little tar buildup until the very end which made it easy to nub. It had a razor sharp burn throughout. Definitely a classic cigar!
The verdict:
Without a doubt one of the best cigars I have ever smoked. I buy 64 Exclusivo's for $13 and they are also great but maybe less rich and complex. Its hard to justify the extra nine dollars but its something every aficionado should try at least once.
After about a week in my humidor I decided to light it up. I had just finished a meal of cheese and crackers as an appetizer and stuffed shrimp with a glass of 2003 Seghesio zinfandel. My palette felt a bit overwhelmed and I cleansed it with cool water as best I could. I matched that cigar with the rest of the bottle of wine (minus the couple of small glasses my wife drank). This was certainly a beautiful looking cigar, near flawless wrapper with minimal veins. It was consistently firm throughout yet a bit pliable with a moderate amount of oils on the wrapper. It had a peppery smell and I actually sneezed when sniffing the foot! I lit it with a match and it lit up easily. The first few puffs gave me a slight harshness at the back of my throat but this is completely normal and it quickly mellowed. It quickly opened up to nice dark chocolate, cocoa and a very slight almond and wood taste. It also left a bit of a metallic taste on my palate but the sips of wine helped with that nicely. As it burned It had notes of spice but not too overwhelmingly. The ash held very well, about half way down the cigar, which was very white with a few dark streaks. Half way down it became richer and creamier with a bit more spice but still not overly spicy. There were no hints of bitterness just rich and creamy smoke. The smoke volume seemed good but its hard to tell as my wife makes me smoke in the back room with the fan on. As it neared the end it got richer and richer. I even noticed some Opus X like raisin taste to it which surprised me. It had very little tar buildup until the very end which made it easy to nub. It had a razor sharp burn throughout. Definitely a classic cigar!
The verdict:
Without a doubt one of the best cigars I have ever smoked. I buy 64 Exclusivo's for $13 and they are also great but maybe less rich and complex. Its hard to justify the extra nine dollars but its something every aficionado should try at least once.
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