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Old 03-26-2004, 08:50 PM   #1
Black Plague
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Southern Indiana
Posts: 7,650
Padron Palmas Maduro

Padron
Palmas Maduro
6 5/16 x 42 Lonsdale

Since I've a certain joint-stock company known as Habanos SA has begun luring me with its enticing selection of premium cigars, I believe my taste in tobacco has grown much more discerning.

For example, my old stand-by used to be the domestic version of Romeo y Julieta. But since exploring its Cuban cousin marque and other such lines, it just doesn't do it for me anymore. I used to love its beautiful taste, a medium-bodied mixture of toastiness and nutty creaminess. But now, those flavors are far overshadowed by a disgusting metallic/chemical edge that ruins the entire cigar. In fact, I've noticed that most regular-line Dominican cigars and ESPECIALLY Altadis-made non-Cuban cigars share this nauseating character.

But all hope is not lost...one country still stands out head-and-shoulders above the rest. Though Cuba is number one, the fair land of Nicaragua is a close number two. And there is no better example of a fine Nicaraguan like Padron, and for only about $3.50, one can enjoy its regular-line Palmas cigar, a smoke that is perhaps UNDERpriced.

In today's world of "bigger width is better" mentalities, where every company seems to be putting out cigars with ring gauges in the 52 range and up, I've come more and more to love the thinner cigars. I learned the advantages a thinner ring gauge can bring, such as increased spiciness and strength, from Cuban cigars, but now even Cuba is joining the trend, with this year witnessing the 54-gauge Cohiba Sublime EL and 52-sized Montecristo Edmundo.

Most Padron lovers seem to enjoy the 1000 line, which all have ring gauges in the 50 to 52 range, but I actually don't like these very much. In a bigger width, the Padron blend is a bit flat and too mild for my taste. But Padron's offerings in the thinner gauges, such as the Londres, Panetela, and (of course) the Palmas, are some of the best IMHO.

But enough of these rantings, it's time for the review...

Appearance: I got this one from a friend down the hall who bought a whole box. I think he might've kept them at a little too high of humidity. The wrapper was a dark maduro with a few pale veins. The disturbing thing was how wrinkled this cigar looked, plus its slightly spongy feel, making me think this cigar was a bit too wet. The cap was really small as well, not even really giving enough space to cut.

Prelight: Cut very easily, and thank the cigar gods it didn't start unraveling, due to the very short cap. The prelight flavors came out very strong, an anisey, semi-sweet tobacco flavor, the sign of a good cigar.

Flavor: Lit up very easily and evenly. The draw reconfirmed my suspicions of wetness, since the draw was tad tight, but not enough to detract from the flavor. From the get-go, a very creamy elixir of dark chocolate, a smidgin of old English leather, a dark-roast Cuban coffee edge, with a sweet, peppery spiciness on the tongue. Begin with a medium body, and intensified to full-bodied as the smoke progressed. After the halfway point, this cigar picked up a decidedly herbal quality that reminded me of home-made root beer, a flavor I love and can usually only find in Cuban edicion limitada wrappers. Due, I believe, to its thin ring gauge, the spiciness and body were very prominent. In the end, this ended up with a medium strength and a nice full-bodiedness.

Construction: As previously mentioned, the draw was a tad tight, but nothing major. The ash was a beautiful medium gray and held very well. Burned nicely, got a little crooked at points, but never required a touchup.

Misc: Accompanied with water, but now I wish I hadn't been so damn lazy and had walked to get some good coffee to compliment it. They would make a most-amazing pair.

Thanks for reading
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