Cigar Review: Padron 1926 Serie #9

It’s Friday night, and I could think of many things to do on a chilly spring evening. A light dinner with the beloved is of course standard fare, but after that, all bets are off. A night out in town seems appropriate. Maybe I’ll take it slow this time around and head over to one of my favorite cigar melting pots with the boys.

The Padron 1926 Serie was released in 2001 to commemorate Jose O. Padron’s 75^th birthday (hence the “1926”). It’s a beautiful-looking cigar wrapped in an oily maduro leaf grown in Nicaragua, but it also carries a rustic appeal with its crude, veiny surface and a box-pressed profile.

We discuss the events of the week. Ideas. The market. A bit of philosophy. Women, of course. But soon all attention turns to the cigar I’m savoring: a Padron 1926 Serie #9, equal to the quality of company I keep.

Padron cigars do not require elaborate introductions, but deserve them. Any gentleman with some experience with the art of a fine cigar knows the Padron family’s pedigree for fine and highly-rated stogies. The legend was created by the family’s patriarch Jose O. Padron, who started his cigar business in 1964 and grew it into the veritable industry powerhouse it is today.

The Padron 1926 Serie was released in 2001 to commemorate Jose O. Padron’s 75^th birthday (hence the “1926”). It’s a beautiful-looking cigar wrapped in an oily maduro leaf grown in Nicaragua, but it also carries a rustic appeal with its crude, veiny surface and a box-pressed profile.

Bits of male-centric conversation and verbal jousting push the conversation along into a pleasant revelry as I take a few more puffs off my cigar. The ash is holds strong and firm, the burn line a testament to true Padron quality. The construction and mechanics are overwhelmed, however, by the complex flavors hidden within this beautiful cigar. This Nicaraguan puro floods my palate with notes of wood, coffee, hints of earth, and delicious renditions of chocolate flavors that seem to interchange every few puffs or so, creating a sophisticated smoking experience highlighted by a harmonious balance of varied flavors.

A shot of Macallan Cask Strength hauntingly calls my name and I gladly oblige during a conversation peppered with fast and witty one-liners, set to the melody of boisterous laughter. The Macallan opens up the 1926 Serie’s flavor to notes of leather, and it’s a welcome addition to the cigar’s already complex amalgam of flavors.

The cigar’s final two inches give more thickness to an already thick and creamy smoke. As the minutes whittle away, reducing my cigar to a half-inch nub, the verdict for the Padron 1926 Serie #9 is clear: This was a damn good cigar.

More talk, laughter, scotch and cigars consume the evening’s time, but nothing I smoke after approaches the Padron’s mystique. I prefer another 1926, but therein lies the rub: at ~$19.00 a stick, it can surely make a dent on a lot of wallets. Such great cigars are best reserved for special occasions, when you want to impress some of friends. The first draw will turn them green with envy for sure.