Jorge Padrón, the current head of Padrón Cigars, graduated with his MBA from the University of Miami in 1992. At the time, Padrón sold over 90% of their cigars in Miami. While Padrón dominated the Miami market, Jorge wanted to expand geographically — he feared the niche customer base in Miami wouldn’t support the company forever.
The first step was to find retailers nationally to sell to. Jorge and his brother, Orlando, went to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show 1993. The market at this time favored light, milder cigars — mostly Connecticut-seed and shade-grown wrappers. The Padrón’s only had one line: their brown band thousand series made with sun-grown, strong tobacco. They only sold to 12 retailers that year.
The brown label thousand series was popular in Miami, but what made them famous nationwide was the 1964 Anniversary Series — the company’s first “premium” cigar. Padrón introduced the 1964 Anniversary Series in 1994 to commemorate the company’s 30th anniversary. The series has 16 box-pressed vitolas, all in either Maduro or natural wrappers. The tobacco (not the cigar itself) is aged for four years.
The 1964 Anniversary Series, across the board, has been well-reviewed. Cigar Aficionado gives the Padrón 1964 Maduro Torpedo four separate ratings over the years: 92, 91, 91, and 89 (which seems to be worsening over time). The natural version of the cigar I’m reviewing today, the 52 x 6 torpedo, won the 2021 Cigar of the Year from Cigar Aficionado.
Purchased: June 30th 2023
Resting Period: 6 months, one week
Resting conditions: NeedOne ThermoElectric Humidor, 64 degrees F, 65% RH
Time smoked: 2.5 hours
Size: 6 x 52
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacos Cubanica S.A., Esteli, Nicaragua
Initial Release Date: 1994
Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
Aged by Producer: 4 years (tobacco only, not the cigar)
This 6 x 52 box-pressed torpedo has a dark brown satin, uniform color, and a uniformly solid but not overly filled pack. The wrap is rustic, in true Padrón fashion, and slightly toothy, with the teeth more noticeable near the head of the torpedo. The band is loose and moves up and down easily, which I like since I know there won’t be any problems getting it off later.
The wrapper has a heavy cedar aroma with cocoa and fruit from the foot. The pre-draw gives me flavors of raisins, dates, and earth and a hint of spice on the back of my palate. The draw is open.
The smoke texture is smooth — not chewy but not wispy. There is a long, peppery finish. The Padrón 1964 Maduro Torpedo creates enormous amounts of smoke, which is highly satisfying.
Flavors of coffee, cocoa, and a fruity sweetness abound. There are hints of barnyard, nuttiness, malt, and rye bread. The flavors swirl and a fantastic layered depth balances these notes. Near the end of the first third, fruity notes and raisins bob and weave. The primarily white ash naturally falls off an inch and a half in. The strength is a solid medium-full.
In the second third, the nicotine makes itself known with a pleasant euphoria, bringing this cigar to a full body. Smoothness abounds, and the finish becomes shorter but shares the same profile as the first third. Cocoa and coffee remain the primary flavor notes, and the smoke production stays cool and robust. Near the end of the second third, the earth, rye, malt, and pepper become more pronounced, with cedar popping in to balance the cast.
The final third adds depth – creamy, nutty malt – and highlights a bold coffee with cocoa notes and a barnyard. The profile is similar to before but even more profound and creamier. The pepper comes back strong through the nose, but the finish is short, and the smoke is thicker in texture. With many peppery sticks, my palate and the smoke become arid, but not with the Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series maduro torpedo. The body remains full, and the nicotine fully embraces me.
Final Thoughts
The Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series is a legendary line in the cigar world, and the Maduro torpedo variation is a “special occasion” cigar. The flavors are smooth with incredible balance. The body stays strong throughout, and the smoke bellows.
The cigar had something different to show in each third — the first third was an introduction to the complete profile with more pronounced dried fruit, the second third made chocolate and cocoa the headliners, and the final third made the barley, rye, and creamy malt the stars. The whole time, cocoa, coffee, and earth remained constant.
Original post: https://quickdrawcigars.com/padron-1964-anniversary-series-maduro-torpedo-review/
The first step was to find retailers nationally to sell to. Jorge and his brother, Orlando, went to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show 1993. The market at this time favored light, milder cigars — mostly Connecticut-seed and shade-grown wrappers. The Padrón’s only had one line: their brown band thousand series made with sun-grown, strong tobacco. They only sold to 12 retailers that year.
The brown label thousand series was popular in Miami, but what made them famous nationwide was the 1964 Anniversary Series — the company’s first “premium” cigar. Padrón introduced the 1964 Anniversary Series in 1994 to commemorate the company’s 30th anniversary. The series has 16 box-pressed vitolas, all in either Maduro or natural wrappers. The tobacco (not the cigar itself) is aged for four years.
The 1964 Anniversary Series, across the board, has been well-reviewed. Cigar Aficionado gives the Padrón 1964 Maduro Torpedo four separate ratings over the years: 92, 91, 91, and 89 (which seems to be worsening over time). The natural version of the cigar I’m reviewing today, the 52 x 6 torpedo, won the 2021 Cigar of the Year from Cigar Aficionado.
Purchased: June 30th 2023
Resting Period: 6 months, one week
Resting conditions: NeedOne ThermoElectric Humidor, 64 degrees F, 65% RH
Time smoked: 2.5 hours
Size: 6 x 52
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacos Cubanica S.A., Esteli, Nicaragua
Initial Release Date: 1994
Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
Aged by Producer: 4 years (tobacco only, not the cigar)
This 6 x 52 box-pressed torpedo has a dark brown satin, uniform color, and a uniformly solid but not overly filled pack. The wrap is rustic, in true Padrón fashion, and slightly toothy, with the teeth more noticeable near the head of the torpedo. The band is loose and moves up and down easily, which I like since I know there won’t be any problems getting it off later.
The wrapper has a heavy cedar aroma with cocoa and fruit from the foot. The pre-draw gives me flavors of raisins, dates, and earth and a hint of spice on the back of my palate. The draw is open.
The smoke texture is smooth — not chewy but not wispy. There is a long, peppery finish. The Padrón 1964 Maduro Torpedo creates enormous amounts of smoke, which is highly satisfying.
Flavors of coffee, cocoa, and a fruity sweetness abound. There are hints of barnyard, nuttiness, malt, and rye bread. The flavors swirl and a fantastic layered depth balances these notes. Near the end of the first third, fruity notes and raisins bob and weave. The primarily white ash naturally falls off an inch and a half in. The strength is a solid medium-full.
In the second third, the nicotine makes itself known with a pleasant euphoria, bringing this cigar to a full body. Smoothness abounds, and the finish becomes shorter but shares the same profile as the first third. Cocoa and coffee remain the primary flavor notes, and the smoke production stays cool and robust. Near the end of the second third, the earth, rye, malt, and pepper become more pronounced, with cedar popping in to balance the cast.
The final third adds depth – creamy, nutty malt – and highlights a bold coffee with cocoa notes and a barnyard. The profile is similar to before but even more profound and creamier. The pepper comes back strong through the nose, but the finish is short, and the smoke is thicker in texture. With many peppery sticks, my palate and the smoke become arid, but not with the Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series maduro torpedo. The body remains full, and the nicotine fully embraces me.
Final Thoughts
The Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series is a legendary line in the cigar world, and the Maduro torpedo variation is a “special occasion” cigar. The flavors are smooth with incredible balance. The body stays strong throughout, and the smoke bellows.
The cigar had something different to show in each third — the first third was an introduction to the complete profile with more pronounced dried fruit, the second third made chocolate and cocoa the headliners, and the final third made the barley, rye, and creamy malt the stars. The whole time, cocoa, coffee, and earth remained constant.
Original post: https://quickdrawcigars.com/padron-1964-anniversary-series-maduro-torpedo-review/
