Padron Cigars is the result of the American Dream. In 1962 a Cuban refugee would land in Miami, Florida that would change the cigar industry forever. Jose Padron, came to American with nothing more then a dream. He would receive $60 a month as a Cuban refugee and in his own words, he felt like a burden on the country that welcomed him with open arms. Shortly after his arrival he would be given a hammer and with that he would take on carpentry jobs at night saving up $600. That $600 was used to create Padron Cigars.
In 2017 Jose Padron passed away, but the company continues to honor the legend with releases that are often tied into birthdays. The Padron Family Reserve No. 95 was first showcased in 2021 at the PCA trade show which would have been his 95h birthday and the only way to get them is if you ordered them at the show. The cigars themselves didn’t ship until 2022 which seems to be the normal for the cigar industry with nothing ever being on time.
Cigar Review: Padron Family Reserve No. 95 Natural
Size: 4.75 x 60
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Fillers: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacos Cubanica S.A.
Release Date: March 2022
Box Count: 10
The Cigar: There has long been a rumour that Padron cigars are actually San Andres wrappers that are color sorted into Natural or Maduro. However, the company calls the cigars Nicaraguan puros. The Family Reserve use to only be available to members of the Padron family prior to their introduction to the public in 2008. The wrapper is oily and toothy and the cigar which is normally box pressed is round for this release. Smoking a Padron in the round doesn’t feel right as it is the quintessential box pressed cigar and in the hand the cigar feels a bit light in the hand. The bands are red and gold with a secondary anti-counterfeiting band.
The Taste: The cold draw is almost non descript but there is a touch of earth and red pepper while the aroma from the food has a milk chocolate sweetness and some additional red pepper. Once the cigar is toasted and lit my wife is not a fan of the aroma and the initial notes are spicy.
Smoking the first third of the Padron Family Reserve No. 95 Natural the cigar offers up notes of dark toast, earth and nuttiness. As the first third comes to a close there are some roasted chestnuts that become the primary note. The retrohale offers up black pepper and some chocolate sweetness.
In the second third the cigar reminds me of a salty dry pretzel (think pretzel rods) along with a hearty woodiness and earthiness. The retrohale serves up so dark chocolate, leather and black pepper. It’s a balanced cigar that is medium-full in both flavor and strength.
The final third of the Family Reserve from Padron sees some tropical fruit develop and a wisp of cinnamon that only appears for 3 puffs before disappearing. The tropical fruit takes on a banana component that makes me wish I had some Old Forester 1920 to pour as I conclude this delicious smoke that sees addition notes of nuts, wood and earth with continued leather and black pepper on the retrohale.
Conclusion: In the colder weather I smoke in the house with the back slider with it open. As a compromise I have a list of cigars that are wife approved. These are cigars she likes the aroma of and there are a few from another room she can pick out just on the aroma which is impressive. With the Padron Family Reserve No. 95 Natural she could not wait for me to finish this cigar.
With that said and done, smoking the cigar I did not notice a pungent aroma. What I did notice was a typical Padron experience with is absolutely delicious. While I don’t smoke Padron on the regular there is no questioning the cigars are in a class by themselves. It’s an example of Nicaraguan luxury that is iconic and not matched in the industry.
As an afterthought I found the cigar in the round burns a lot slower then the box pressed versions of other sizes in the Family Reserve line.
Score: 95
Price: $29.50 (Before any local or state taxes)
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