In 2016, colorful Padrón founder and patriarch José Orlando Padrón turned 90 years old, and this cigar commemorated the occasion, as well as marking his birth year of 1926.
More than almost any other figure in the cigar trade, Padrón “paid his dues,” bearing witness to his offices in Miami being bombed and his factory in Nicaragua being burned to the ground, among numerous other dramatic turns of events. Notwithstanding all of this, the elder Padrón succeeded in the face of adversity, and today, his sons Jorge and Orlando carry on the company name.
In spite of being a Natural variation, this cigar — the Padrón Serie 1926 No. 90 — is dark, rich and flawless in appearance. Like other cigars in the 1926 series, the No. 90 is a “puro” Nicaraguan, making use of some of the finest aged wrapper, binder and filler tobaccos in Padrón’s inventory. But unlike other cigars in the 1926 series, the No. 90 is not box-pressed, and its round shape and glossy tubo packaging (the company’s first foray into this style of presentation) makes it stand out.
Medium-to-full-strength and Toro-sized, the No. 90 was ranked fifth on Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars list for 2016, earning a rating of 94 — the third time it achieved this enviable score. Showcasing a nuanced, toasty blend of walnut, cedar and leather notes, it also integrates pepper into the mix, as well as Padrón’s signature influences of bold cocoa, coffee and earth.
Sadly, José Orlando Padrón passed away at the age of 91 on December 5, 2017. But his spirit lives on in this very special cigar created to honor this legendary, larger-than-life character.