This cigar was once rated Best Cigar of the Year by Cigar Aficionado, and after smoking several of these both before and after that rating, I would say it was a no brainer. The Padrón’s are unlike any other cigar makers out there right now. As far as I am concerned, they are the bar at its highest. They are the only company who make consistently great cigars, and not just in taste, but also in construction. Their box pressed 1926 and 1964 Series are always of impeccable quality. I have yet to have a single draw or burn problem with a Padrón cigar, and I’ve smoked at least sixty of them by now. That is astonishing!

This particular size is my favorite. Not too short, not too long, but just right. And unlike the more infamous 80th perfecto, the price is just right too. At $18 MSRP (and God knows what in your local B&M, I paid $23 a stick for my recent acquisitions) it’s certainly not cheap. But for what you get, it’s right on the money. You simply can’t get a better smoke for less. Hell, you’d be hard pressed to get a better smoke than this AT ANY price.

The cut, light, and draw of this baby was perfect; so lets just move on to what you really want to know about, the taste. To me, Padróns have a very distinct flavor profile and no other cigars come close. Pre-light tastes of good-ol-fashioned aged tobacco, maybe tea leaves as well. It’s cedary and a tad spicy out of the gate, but then mellows down within the first inch to open up to some beautiful black cherry, roasted nut notes. Halfway brings on espresso, coffee bean, and dark chocolate flavors, all notably sweet, but in that subtle Padrón way. The finish is a mile long and holds strong with a dryer, cocoa-like note. Spices are dusted throughout the smoke, framing and balancing it perfectly.

This cigar doesn’t disappoint. And if it does, email me and I will happily take any extras you might have off your hand. To José and Jorge: Well done guys. Well done.
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I would agree on flavor that it is one of the best cigars out there (for my flavor profile, at least), but I would have to strongly disagree on the construction. I open four to five boxes of these a week at my job and the Padrón Anniversary series (as far as construction goes) has suffered immensely from overproduction. A couple of years ago (before the #1 cigar stuff came out) you would open a box of 26's or 64's and nearly every stick would be flawless because of very strict quality control. These days about half the sticks have wrapper bubbles or cap issues. Don't get me wrong - I love Padrón, but I wish they would tighten their quality control back up. It is often that customers comment on the shoddy construction. I wish it was just one box, but I have opened something along the lines of a hundred boxes of these smokes this year, and they all have the same problem.

:-)
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Thanks for the review. Love the pic :-)

A couple of comments... As far as CA ratings are concerned, I tend to prefer the cigars they rate in the 80s over the 90 and above group. That is the case almost every month. The only exception is their "Connoisseur's Corner" with all those 99-rated beauties :-). I'm sure those are incredible, but I'll never know...

Also, I do enjoy the construction and consistency of the high-end Padrons, but I could say the same thing about half of the nc brands I buy. Lots folks doing great work in the cigar biz, imo. :-)
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wonderful cigar, thanks for review
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One Of My All Time Favorites! Thanks For The Great Review & Pics!:-)
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Nice review and dead on with my experience. The Padron 1926 Series No. 9 is my favorite Padron although I prefer the Maduro over the Natural it's just a shade spicier.
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You may be right on QC. I am not well-funded enough to buy boxes of their cigars. I usually buy 5-6 of each of my favorite vitolas at a time. I've never noticed it, but that doesn't mean anything.

Thanks for the insight.
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You are absolutely right. There are some great folks doing, IMHO just as good work out there. Some of them I can think of is Pete Johnson (although he's been over-reaching as of late), Dion Giolito, Don Pepin, and Litto Gomez.

However, these cigars hold a special kind of romance in my heart because, as a young guy, these were the first cigars I smoked that I could really TASTE the difference between these and everything else out there. You can say what you want about the rest of the pack, but for some reason, these smokes just taste consistently different.

Why? I have no idea. Maybe it's just me.
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Your review is on nose. Each note you explained is exactly the way each one that I've smoked. Nice job
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Great review of a great smoke. I prefer the naturals to the maduros. Thanks!
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thanks for the great review. I have 2 resting in my vino. might have to burn one soon.
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Thought I was the only One, Luke!:-) I Generally Prefer Maduros But Definitely Like The Nats Better In The Anniversary Series!:-)
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I picked one of these up after the CA review to see what the fuss was about. I was fairly new to premium cigars at the time. Too many other cigars got in the way and I still have this sitting in the humi. I think it's time I took it out and smoked it. I really like the '64 maduro Monarcas (nice price too) and I've had a couple other vitolas, but this will be my first 1926 natural. Thanks for the inpiration to dig this out.
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Nice pic and thanks for the review Anthony.
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I am the same way, for some reason I prefer Natural to Maduro on all the Padron lines...
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This is the best cigar I have ever had -- better than the cuban cohiba and the cuban R&J.
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I like the naturals, but I prefer the maduros. I plan to enjoy one tomorrow during the superbowl :-)
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Thanks for the review.

I like the 64s in maduro but I think I prefer the natural for the 1926 line. I really need to sample more though
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Nice review, thanks.
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