Earlier this year at IPCPR 2016 in Las Vegas, NV, Padron released a new commemorative cigar called the Padron 1926 Serie No. 90 to celebrate the 90th birthday of Padron Cigars founder, Jose O. Padron.  The Padron Anniversary, in both the 1926 and 1964, are legendary cigars.  They are considered to be one of the benchmarks for Nicaraguan cigars.  Constantly garnering high praise and scores from everyone from Cigar Aficionado, Cigar Press, Cigar Snob, European Cigar Journal and even we lowly cigar bloggers, when Padron releases something new, we all sit up and take notice.  Both the 1926 and 1964 Anniversary cigars come in box pressed format without cellophane, but the new No. 90 diverges from that.  Released in both natural and maduro, these cigars are made in the standard round format, wrapped in cellophane and presented in tubos.

• Wrapper:  Nicaragua
• Binder:  Nicaragua
• Filler:  Nicaragua
• MSRP:  $19.50 per cigar/10 cigars per box
• Size:  5 1/2 x 52
• Purchased at The Cigar Shop in Biloxi, MS

 

Pre-Light and Construction

The wrapper is a beautiful raw umber color with a leathery appearance and feel.  The cigar is well constructed as per usual for Padron cigars.  I used my new Colibri V-Cutter to cut the cap.  The draw is a little loose for me, but it’s not over loose.  I get notes of cedar and spice on the cold draw.

First Half

The cigar is smoking great right from the start.  The cigar has a nice red pepper flake spice kick right up front with a slightly punchy citrus kick.  These notes are accompanied by a lovely toasted marshmallow note that adds a nice sweetness to balance it out.  The backbone of the cigar is the cedar note I picked up during the cold draw.  The cigar is producing a ton of smoke that adds to how great this cigar is starting off.

Second Half

The last half is just as tasty as the first.  The red pepper flake notes has completely faded away except on the retrohale.  I still get the toasted marshmallow note with the cedar back bone.  The citrus tang is gone as well giving the cigar sweet overall profile.

 

Overall Impression

This cigar is another outstanding cigar from Padron.  It has amazing flavor and smokes great.  The nice intermix of the spice, sweetness and tanginess of the citrus note made the cigar a very flavorful cigar to smoke.  I feel that Padron’s Anniversary cigars are worth their higher price tag and this cigar is no exception.  Give the new No. 90 a spin, either the natural (which I prefer in the 1926 blend) or the maduro because you won’t be let down.  I highly recommend this cigar.