danthebugman
BoM Nov '10
Last night a thunderstorm rolled in and dropped the mercury on the thermometer. It felt great outside as I got set up for a cigar. I decided I was gonna do a review on a cigar that while I have smoked quite a few and recommended the crap out of, I have surprisingly not done a review on...the Padron x000 series. Rummaging through the humidor I dug up a Londres Maduro, but wanted a longer smoke so dug deeper and came out with a 4000 Natural. I normally prefer the Maduro wrapper so it's been a while since I've tried the Naturals. Seemed like a perfect evening for it.
The 4000 measures in at 6 1/2 x 54 and overall is a pretty unimpressive cigar to behold. The band isn't flashy, the seams look a little loose in places, the cap is off kilter a bit and not smoothed down. But looks, as we all know, can deceive. The filler, binder, and wrapper are sun grown Nicaraguan tobacco that has been aged 2 1/2 years. The wrapper is your run of the mill brown with some tooth to it, but no real veins to speak of. The cigar feels well packed, but still has some slight springiness to it when pinched. Aroma is a wonderful mixture of graham cracker and a barnyard-like mustiness. I normally just shave the cap off these with my double guillotine, but I have been using a punch a lot lately and decided to go ahead with that. Well the cap ended up splitting and falling off with the first cold draw. I think next time I'll probably just stick to how I usually do it. The draw is perfect though, just the right amount of resistance. I've seen a few threads where people complained about Padrons being wind tunnels. This hasn't been my experience with any I've smoked. The cold draw flavors were a spicy tobacco and graham cracker mixture and I sat for a while watching the lightening, enjoying the cool breeze, and savoring the flavor of my unlit cigar. When the time came to light it, the cigar didn't take much persuasion despite the somewhat larger ring gauge.
The first few draws were dominated by a spicy/peppery blast that almost brought tears to my eyes when exhaled through the nose. In the background there was a faint leathery flavor. The pepper died way down after about half a dozen puffs and allowed the other flavors to come forward. Earth followed by some leather and some nutty coffee when exhaling through the nose. The burn was straight. The ash layered well and was a vibrant white color mottled with a lighter gray. The cigar put off massive clouds of thick smoke.
Transitioning into the second third the same flavors are present, though the leather soon dissipated and was replaced by a slightly roasted flavor that went well with the coffee through the nose. The slight box pressed shape of the cigar makes it very comfortable to hold in the mouth, like it was custom molded to fit. Makes it very easy to smoke while doing other things...like typing :grin:.
The burn has continued to be great. The ash has fallen unexpectedly a few times, but for the most part is strong and holds for between an inch or two before releasing. Entering the home stretch with the beginning of the last third the leather has left leaving a slightly spicy earth with a little sweetness when exhaled through the nose.
Unfortunately the last third is where things began to go awry. The cigar started to tunnel, but i caught it and got it corrected. Then it sputtered and tried to go out. Then it developed a off egg-like flavor. I purged and things were better for a while, but when the off flavors returned I decided it wasn't worth the effort and laid it in the ashtray.
Overall I still prefer the Madruo, but a nice cigar. Especially when you consider the price (~$6.00 for this size, but cheaper for others). The issues at the end are not indicative of the line as a whole as this is the first time I've ever had issues with one and I've smoked at least a few of most of the vitolas. Wouldn't you know it though the first time I try to review one it has an issue :laugh:.
Dan
The 4000 measures in at 6 1/2 x 54 and overall is a pretty unimpressive cigar to behold. The band isn't flashy, the seams look a little loose in places, the cap is off kilter a bit and not smoothed down. But looks, as we all know, can deceive. The filler, binder, and wrapper are sun grown Nicaraguan tobacco that has been aged 2 1/2 years. The wrapper is your run of the mill brown with some tooth to it, but no real veins to speak of. The cigar feels well packed, but still has some slight springiness to it when pinched. Aroma is a wonderful mixture of graham cracker and a barnyard-like mustiness. I normally just shave the cap off these with my double guillotine, but I have been using a punch a lot lately and decided to go ahead with that. Well the cap ended up splitting and falling off with the first cold draw. I think next time I'll probably just stick to how I usually do it. The draw is perfect though, just the right amount of resistance. I've seen a few threads where people complained about Padrons being wind tunnels. This hasn't been my experience with any I've smoked. The cold draw flavors were a spicy tobacco and graham cracker mixture and I sat for a while watching the lightening, enjoying the cool breeze, and savoring the flavor of my unlit cigar. When the time came to light it, the cigar didn't take much persuasion despite the somewhat larger ring gauge.
The first few draws were dominated by a spicy/peppery blast that almost brought tears to my eyes when exhaled through the nose. In the background there was a faint leathery flavor. The pepper died way down after about half a dozen puffs and allowed the other flavors to come forward. Earth followed by some leather and some nutty coffee when exhaling through the nose. The burn was straight. The ash layered well and was a vibrant white color mottled with a lighter gray. The cigar put off massive clouds of thick smoke.
Transitioning into the second third the same flavors are present, though the leather soon dissipated and was replaced by a slightly roasted flavor that went well with the coffee through the nose. The slight box pressed shape of the cigar makes it very comfortable to hold in the mouth, like it was custom molded to fit. Makes it very easy to smoke while doing other things...like typing :grin:.
The burn has continued to be great. The ash has fallen unexpectedly a few times, but for the most part is strong and holds for between an inch or two before releasing. Entering the home stretch with the beginning of the last third the leather has left leaving a slightly spicy earth with a little sweetness when exhaled through the nose.
Unfortunately the last third is where things began to go awry. The cigar started to tunnel, but i caught it and got it corrected. Then it sputtered and tried to go out. Then it developed a off egg-like flavor. I purged and things were better for a while, but when the off flavors returned I decided it wasn't worth the effort and laid it in the ashtray.
Overall I still prefer the Madruo, but a nice cigar. Especially when you consider the price (~$6.00 for this size, but cheaper for others). The issues at the end are not indicative of the line as a whole as this is the first time I've ever had issues with one and I've smoked at least a few of most of the vitolas. Wouldn't you know it though the first time I try to review one it has an issue :laugh:.
Dan
