After reviewing the Padron Black Label No. 89 Natural TAA Exclusive, I figured it would only be appropriate to also check out the Padron Black Label No. 89 Maduro TAA as well.  The Padron Black Label No. 89 Maduro TAA Exclusive has been the most popular as Padron usually makes amazing cigars with their maduro wrappers.  I won’t go into much detail here about the cigar, because the maduro version is the same as the natural with a different wrapper.

• Wrapper:  Maduro Nicaraguan?
• Binder:  Nicaraguan?
• Filler:  Nicaraguan?
• Size:  6 x 46
• Vitola:  Corona Gorda
• MSRP: $16.50

Cigars purchased at Harbor Cigars in Destin, FL.

Pre-Light

The Padron Black Label No. 89 Maduro TAA Exclusive has a bumpy, rough, dark brown wrapper.  I will say the cigar won’t win an beauty contests.  After clipping the cap, I tested the draw which was a little loose, but with enough resistance to make the cigar not burn too hot.  I got notes of leather, earth and cocoa on the cold draw.

First Half

The Padron Black Label No. 89 Maduro TAA Exclusive has a nice black pepper kick at the very beginning.  The black pepper is followed by notes of cocoa, leather, cedar and earth.  It seems to have a much fuller body than the natural as well.  I get a lot of black pepper on retrohale.  The cigar is smoking well and produces a ton of smoke.

Second Half

The Padron Black Label No. 89 Maduro TAA Exclusive doesn’t change too much on the last half.  I still get notes of cedar, earth, cocoa and black pepper, but now I’m getting a hint of coffee as well.  The body is totally full bodied now with the retrohale still a ton of black pepper.  I also started getting hint of black cherry on the last quarter of the cigar that I hadn’t gotten before.  It was a nice addition to the flavor profile.

Conclusion

The Padron Black Label No. 89 Maduro TAA Exclusive was quite the cigar.  The flavors were what you would expect from a maduro wrapper Padron.  Earthy, spicy and savory with a hint sweetness was a good flavor profile.  It didn’t seem as smooth as the Anniversary Series, but it had more of the character from the 1000 series.  While good, I prefer the natural version over the maduro version.  The natural version seemed more balanced and the flavors were more to my liking.  If you get a chance, try both and see which you prefer.  Both are quite good, but, like I said, the natural is more my style.

 

Final Score:  91