Padrón Family Reserve No. 44 Maduro
Padron is touted by connoisseurs as the best non-Cuban (and in many cases the best overall) cigar manufacturer. The quality of their tobacco is unmatched in the industry, and the construction is top-notch. We have never had a Padron that was rolled too tight, burned funny, blew up, didnt stay lit, or had any other problems whatsoever. They are an industry standard; a benchmark for other smokers to refer to and for manufacturers to aim for. In the years leading up to their 50th anniversary, Padron has started releasing one special cigar every year until their 50th year. Today, Ben and I smoked the first one in the Family Reserve series the No. 44 Maduro. The 44 started out as a cigar you could only get from one of the Padrons themselves at an event, but eventually got released in limited quantities to retailers. All of the boxes are signed by the Padron family, and they come in natural and maduro.
Pre-Light: Standard tobacco smells dominate the pre-light. A nice, rich cedar is present as well.
First Third: The No. 44 starts out very spicy and full-bodied. The first half inch of this stick is all black pepper, but this quickly turns into a sweet chocolatey treat. The rich dark chocolate is prominent over some cedar notes, but the cigar is still incredibly powerful. As the cedar starts to fade, a graham cracker (slight floral, earthy, and cinnamon notes) flavor takes its place. So far, this cigar is more or less a richer, more full-bodied version of Padrons 1964 Maduro. The smoke is creamy and consistent, and this cigar is smooth despite being extremely full-bodied.
Second Third: We start to get more graham cracker flavor in this third, and the chocolate taste fades a bit. This seemed to be an anomaly, though, as the chocolate soon came back stronger than before. Slight hints of cinnamon pick up, too, and remind us of a Mayan chocolate. At the end of this third a coffee bean flavor comes around, which may have been the chocolate taste from before but slightly more bitter.
Final Third: The coffee taste soon disappears and the graham cracker takes over again. A cinnamon pops up as well, accounting for a good percentage of the overall flavor. The last inch and a half of this cigar yield a powerful molasses flavor, which we both found unusual and pleasant. Along with the molasses flavor is a nice bitter coffee taste, and we really liked the combination of these two. The cigar ended with these flavors, and the strength during the last third was almost too overpowering. Final smoking time was 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Padrons No. 44 Maduro was a great smoke, but Ben and I both agreed that it had too much strength to it. It was very full-bodied so much so that we found it difficult to focus on all its different flavors and intricacies. A few years in a humidor will no doubt produce great results, but right now we would both rather have smoked a regular 64 Maduro. If you are looking for a strong cigar that is extremely rich and flavorful then the No. 44 will be perfect for you. We would not be willing to spend more than $17 on one, though, as we appreciate more medium to medium-full cigars where you can really pick apart the different flavors while you smoke.
where to find it: Cheaper Cigars lists them as in stock at $277.20 for a box of 10. Also available on cigar forums and from collectors.
expect to pay: $25-40 per cigar; boxes from $250-375.
Padron is touted by connoisseurs as the best non-Cuban (and in many cases the best overall) cigar manufacturer. The quality of their tobacco is unmatched in the industry, and the construction is top-notch. We have never had a Padron that was rolled too tight, burned funny, blew up, didnt stay lit, or had any other problems whatsoever. They are an industry standard; a benchmark for other smokers to refer to and for manufacturers to aim for. In the years leading up to their 50th anniversary, Padron has started releasing one special cigar every year until their 50th year. Today, Ben and I smoked the first one in the Family Reserve series the No. 44 Maduro. The 44 started out as a cigar you could only get from one of the Padrons themselves at an event, but eventually got released in limited quantities to retailers. All of the boxes are signed by the Padron family, and they come in natural and maduro.
Pre-Light: Standard tobacco smells dominate the pre-light. A nice, rich cedar is present as well.
First Third: The No. 44 starts out very spicy and full-bodied. The first half inch of this stick is all black pepper, but this quickly turns into a sweet chocolatey treat. The rich dark chocolate is prominent over some cedar notes, but the cigar is still incredibly powerful. As the cedar starts to fade, a graham cracker (slight floral, earthy, and cinnamon notes) flavor takes its place. So far, this cigar is more or less a richer, more full-bodied version of Padrons 1964 Maduro. The smoke is creamy and consistent, and this cigar is smooth despite being extremely full-bodied.
Second Third: We start to get more graham cracker flavor in this third, and the chocolate taste fades a bit. This seemed to be an anomaly, though, as the chocolate soon came back stronger than before. Slight hints of cinnamon pick up, too, and remind us of a Mayan chocolate. At the end of this third a coffee bean flavor comes around, which may have been the chocolate taste from before but slightly more bitter.
Final Third: The coffee taste soon disappears and the graham cracker takes over again. A cinnamon pops up as well, accounting for a good percentage of the overall flavor. The last inch and a half of this cigar yield a powerful molasses flavor, which we both found unusual and pleasant. Along with the molasses flavor is a nice bitter coffee taste, and we really liked the combination of these two. The cigar ended with these flavors, and the strength during the last third was almost too overpowering. Final smoking time was 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Padrons No. 44 Maduro was a great smoke, but Ben and I both agreed that it had too much strength to it. It was very full-bodied so much so that we found it difficult to focus on all its different flavors and intricacies. A few years in a humidor will no doubt produce great results, but right now we would both rather have smoked a regular 64 Maduro. If you are looking for a strong cigar that is extremely rich and flavorful then the No. 44 will be perfect for you. We would not be willing to spend more than $17 on one, though, as we appreciate more medium to medium-full cigars where you can really pick apart the different flavors while you smoke.
where to find it: Cheaper Cigars lists them as in stock at $277.20 for a box of 10. Also available on cigar forums and from collectors.
expect to pay: $25-40 per cigar; boxes from $250-375.
