Robusto, 5" x 50 ring gauge, approx. $6 - 7The 2000 is the name for the robusto in the original Padron Series, which was first developed in 1964 and has been evolving every since. The Padron Series are Nicaraguan puros, featuring all sun-grown habano tobacco aged for a minimum of two-and-a-half years. This review features the maduro wrapper; I originally got it from the Big Smoke last November and it had been resting comfortably in my humidor ever since. There was a time not so long ago when I used to say "I've never had a Padron I liked" but that feeling was skewered by the 1964 and 1926 cigars that I had the privilege of smoking. Before picking up this smoke, I still had not had a regular Padron that I had enjoyed.
The aroma from the body of this smoke has notes of coffee and chocolate and the foot has a rich chocolate smell that almost knocks you over. The wrapper is a very dark brown and not at all smooth, but the roughness does not detract from what appears as a rugged, rustic, Cuban-style cigar all the way down to its simple band.
It took forever to get a clean cut on this stick, but once I did the prelight draw was very nice and had chocolate and coffee flavors plying the lead roles. About 7 minutes in, the flavors of dark-roast coffee and black pepper reigned supreme and a rather large canoe had developed in the otherwise superbly-performing stick.
By the beginning of the second third, I was experiencing a harsh edge to the cigar. Not a full-blown harshness like I've had from cigars like the Oliva V Maduro or Camacho Triple Maduro, just a touch of harshness on the finish. The flavor of coffee still dominated, but there was also roasted nuts in there, and hits of pepper from time-to-time. The draw continued to be great and the cigar burned straight since the time I touched it up.
At the end of the day, I will admit to enjoying this far more than other regular Padrons I have smoked in the past. It was full-flavored with lots of coffee, some pepper and chocolate notes, and it was medium to full-bodied. I can see picking these up in the future, whereas I have always passed them by before; amazing to see what some time and experience can do to your palate. This is a really solid smoke and a great price and sure to please all by the novice smoker.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 6/10
Complexity: 8/10
AFP Scale:
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
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