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I received two significant gifts for my birthday this year: a Canon40D camera, and the opportunity to smoke a Padron Family Reserve #44. This post is a combo of those two gifts.
Granted to only friends of the Padron family, these sticks are ridiculously difficult to get your hands on, unless you wander to Outlaw Cigars in Overland Park, KS (25min south of Kansas City, MO) really soon.
When the owner asked if he could have some for the new store location (which is stellar, btw) Seņor Padron asked how many. "Six." That's sixty of these cigars. They have three left as of tonight (see above image).
I received this blessed stick several days ago and set it aside. I had an audition for a summer opera company today, so I decided that it would be a celebratory stick this evening. And celebratory it was.
Having dry-boxed it today, it was right around 60%.
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Originally when I had the option of choosing between Natural and Maduro, I asked Kevin at Outlaw which he preferred. Without even a second's hesitation he replied, "Maduro. No question." Naturally I took his advice and I'm glad I did.
Just looking at the wrapper, you can see the Tootsie Roll-esque appearance that has Padron Anni lovers drooling.
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As you can see, inspection of the foot shows a nice roll. I toasted with a dual flame and puffed a couple. Crack. That's pretty much what I decided.
The initial hit is like cocoa with a distinct bite and a little woodiness thrown in. I was complex, yet blatant. Smooth yet robust. General notes of earthiness mixed with sweet cocoa and rich tobacco from the foot all the way to my scorched fingers. You rarely smoke a stick THIS consistent all the way through.
I took my time savoring everything, keeping the burn steady without overheating the stick. During an animated conversation about photography it went out briefly, but it hopped back into flame nicely with a quick touch up.
The smoke was a clean white/grey that I wanted basically to eat by itself it smelled so delicious. The ash was the same hue as the smoke, and it had a light flakey quality.
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The burn was fantastic. The flavor unmatched by ANY NC I've smoked. Its robust and in-your-face delectable taste never ceased, never got harsh, never wavered from a 9 out of 10. The wrapper was killer. I can't give this cigar anything but a 9 out of 10 all around.
This cigar climbed swiftly into my Top 10 Cigars Ever and settled at probably #6 or 7. And by the way, everything else on that select list is a very distinct and particular CC.
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I bought a box 6 months ago and tried the first one tonight.
It was a strange experience, especially for a Padron. The burn was lousy at first, very uneven and difficult draw. Very spicy, almost hot. As I smoked it down, it got better at times, but it never had complexity. Strong but not interesting.
Hopefully letting these sit longer will pay off. Had I tried this as a single, I never would have bought a box. Normally I don't have to think twice about buying high end Padrons.
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