José Orlando Padrón, late patriarch of the Padrón cigar-making family, was born in 1926, hence the year in this cigar series’ name. The 40th Anniversary refers to the commemoration of Padrón’s founding in Miami, Florida, where it operated as a modest, regional cigar-maker before José’s son Jorge put in tireless efforts to expand the company to the national stage prior to the mid-1990s.
Like their earlier 1964 Anniversary series, the 1926 series was a huge deal for the Padróns, with this cigar winning Cigar Aficionado’s inaugural Cigar of the Year competition in 2004 (CA called it “perhaps the best cigar Padrón has ever released”).
Torpedo-shaped, Figurado-sized and box-pressed, this 40th Anniversary Natural edition is superbly crafted, with an intense, complex flavor that’s slightly stronger than sticks in the previously mentioned 1964 series. A “puro” Nicaraguan cigar, it bears a wrapper that feels like fine silk, and each leaf inside is a minimum of five years old.
With gloriously full strength and a lush draw, this cigar produces creamy, toasty smoke with heavy chocolate, marshmallow and coffee notes set off by earthy spices. Additionally, there are delectable hints of salted peanuts, cedar and licorice. Rich, nuanced and tasty, this smoke has a long, luxuriant finish imbued with a pleasant mineral quality. See for yourself why this smoke was Cigar Aficionado’s original Cigar of the Year, and why it’s still a contender among Padróns.