I became clear that I have WAY more "special occasion" cigars than special occasions to smoke them, so when we had our best month ever at the dealership I manage, I decided that it was the perfect excuse to smoke a Padron 1926 80 Years Maduro that I have a box of, and hadn't smoked one yet. Opening the box, I am greeted with a really nice barnyard aroma. To be frank, it smelled like horse shit (and my wife agreed.) It has been said, the best compliment you can give to a cigar maker is that the smell of the box of cigars is "like shit." This one certainly was, in a good way, if you can imagine.
What an AMAZING smoke! Here is a pic with the pairing of choice, a bottle of Mount Gay Extra Old rum:
I clipped a small chocolate chip from the head, and found a perfect, medium firm draw with nice earthy flavors. I slowly toasted the small, perfecto head with my ST Dupont Ligne 2. Right off the bat I am getting a TON of red pepper, very spicy, with a leathery finish that lasted until the next draw. As the pepper died down the first flavor I noted was that of toast, a really enjoyable flavor.
Progressing in, it is immediately apparent that this cigar is every bit as strong as I had heard. After a light lunch, I am feeling the nicotine 1" in.
As the first third progresses into the second third, the am getting a really rich mocha/dark chocolate flavor that is really rich.
The ash is holding on very long, showing off the skill of the roller who skillfully put this cigar together. The flavors get very rich around the halfway point, and I am getting a really nice nutty flavor of hazelnuts or macadamia nuts. There is a nice maduro sweetness going on. I refill my glass with a good pour of Bookers bourbon, which compliments this full bodied cigar perfectly.
Progressing into the final third, the flavors persist, and never get bitter, or nasty. With just a little bit left, I decided to clip the head a bit more as I am seeing a lot of black tar buildup. This proves to be a mistake, as it doesn't improve the flavor profile at all, only making the draw a bit too loose.
I end up smoking this cigar until my fingers are burning, and never once did it require a correction or relight. The draw was razor sharp all the way down, the burn remained razor sharp, and the flavors were rich and delicious all the way through. I loved this cigar!
-BM
There hasn't been a decently high rated cigar we haven't tried from 2012, what we refer to as the 'Year of Mediocre Cigars'. There were really no noteworthy cigars to come out last year. This year, well, so far, nothing noteworthy. The La Gloria Cubana Sere R, and Serie N, were probably understated, as well as under rated from last year. Good smokes, a cut above mediocre so far, but they still need to condition a bit to really sample so the flavors really come out...do not smoke this one with high octane barrel proof. It will not stand up to barrel proof. It WILL, however, stand nicely with barreled in bond, and lower.
