I recently had the chance to chat with Chris Herath, Social Media Manager here at Smokingpipes, about Padrón Cigars, particularly their 1964 Anniversary and Serie 1926 Series, commemorating important milestones within the brand. Learn more about what makes Padrón so beloved by cigar connoisseurs and newcomers.

[Tyler Caldwell]: It is an honor to have Chris here with us today. Not just a man behind the camera but now in front of the camera. He is a very well-known fan of Padrón cigars.

[Chris Herath]: I appreciate you having me here to talk about a brand that I really respect and love. Padrón is one that, from the very beginning, I've really been drawn to. Like a lot of us who get into the hobby, we get very interested in learning as much as we can about the cigars we're smoking, and I was someone who dove really deep, very early on, into learning about the heritage brands. I immediately stumbled upon the Cigar Aficionado list and it's hard not to take notice that Padrón is always in the top 10 on pretty much everybody's list every year.

It's a brand with a portfolio that I think is very clear. There's not a ton of different offshoots; it's a very concise line, and it's one that, although I don't smoke on a daily basis now, I always reserve for special occasions. When I know I want a consistent cigar, and I know what the experience is gonna be every time, that's when I lean on Padrón.

1964 Anniversary and Serie 1926

[TC]: Today I'm smoking the 1964 Anniversary Series blend in the Exclusivo, which has always been my personal favorite.

[CH]: Absolutely. Perfect size.

[TC]: It's one of their top sellers as well. It's definitely a cigar that's known to people within the Padrón family, but also when you walk into any humidor, you're gonna notice an Exclusivo right away. The 1964 came out in 1994 originally to celebrate 30 years of them being in the business and the inception of their factory.

[CH]: I'm smoking the Serie 1926. This is a treat. This is a special occasion, even if your special occasion is just, hey, it's Friday night and I want a perfect cigar. 1926 is the birth year of Jose Padrón, who started the Padrón empire. He came from Cuba to Miami in the 1960s, so it pays homage to him.

If you're just giving Padrón a shot for the first time, or you're revisiting the line after trying a bunch of other things, I think the '26 is a great place to start. I think the '64 is also a great place to start. It's a way to really understand Padrón's philosophy in cigars. I suggest you try both. Although bandwise and from the box, they're very similar, I think you do get a different experience in both of these.

[TC]: Absolutely. I've always gravitated towards this Exclusivo in general in the 1964 Anniversary line because it's so smooth. You could smoke this in the morning, at night after dinner, and as a little nightcap before going to bed — It's perfect for any time of the day. It's very well balanced and there's a lot of good flavor to it, and what I've always appreciated about Padrón is their consistency.

I've been smoking cigars for 20 years. One of the first cigars I ever smoked was a Padrón based on the recommendation of the shop that I was buying cigars from. I still go to it today, and I've probably smoked a couple hundred Padróns over time. I always get the same Padrón every time, and that's a hard thing to do.

[CH]: You're somebody that smokes everything.

[TC]: Yeah, my tastes are all across the board. But to say that after 20 years the first Padrón I had tastes like this one right here, that's a hard feat to accomplish. I think that's where Padrón deserves a lot of respect.

[CH]: They're a brand appealing to those who only smoke once a year or for those who have been in the industry for decades — everyone recognizes the quality as top tier. It doesn't matter what part of the cigar-smoking journey you're on, you're gonna find that Padrón has incredible quality, heritage, and consistency. When I'm looking for a cigar that is a perfect expression of Nicaraguan tobacco, I reach for Padrón.

Distinct Differences

It's a strong cigar. If I'm comparing it to something like an everyday smoke for me, I'm typically medium. But the 1926 cigar is a stronger one. This is probably not something I'd reach for in the morning, but it would be something I'd reach for after dinner. It's not something that's gonna leave me wanting more; it's gonna give me exactly what I want when I want a stronger cigar, and I think that strength difference is one of the differences between the 1964 and the 1926.

[TC]: Out of the Padrón portfolio, I would definitely agree with you. Getting into the Family series, and the higher ends, I find those a little bit stronger, but out of what we're smoking here today, absolutely, the 1926 is a touch stronger. You get a little more kick and pungentness from it.

[CH]: Something that confused me when I first started getting into the 1926 versus 1964 is that they advertised the 1964 as a cigar with a minimum age of four years on the tobacco, and the 1926 utilizing tobacco aged for a minimum of five years. You cannot take a 1964 cigar and just sit it in your humidor for a year and get a 1926 cigar. It is a totally different profile.

Even though the 1926 kind of reads a little bit on the stronger side, a lot of those edges and sharpness you typically associate with a stronger cigar are rounded off due to age. It's a very smooth cigar, but it's definitely on the fuller side.

[TC]: We know both cigars have Nicaraguan binder and fillers. I would imagine a lot of these tobaccos in both of our cigars are the same, maybe tweaked variations or blending styles of how they're doing it, yet it shows you a massive difference between what four and five years of age can do with those components.

Aged Cigars Right Away

[CH]: If you want to taste what people mean when they talk about the experience of smoking aged tobacco, check out these cigars. It's something you can grab out of your local humidor or off of Smokingpipes.com. You can smoke it now, with no additional aging time needed, and you're gonna get the effects of what aging does to tobacco immediately.

That's part of what you're paying for with these Padróns — you're paying for their massive storage capacity. I've heard people talk about how there's nothing more amazing than their cellar and storage facilities, and all of the aged tobacco that Padrón is sitting on in order to make these. They're storing tobacco for years for the future, and then they're rolling it and getting it to us with that age already on it.

[TC]: I think that's the beauty of it that maybe some consumers don't really think about — Padrón is doing the work for you. You don't have to buy a cigar to sit on it and wait for a special day; you can go to your local retailer or your favorite place to buy cigars from and you can have that right there for that special occasion.

[CH]: They're blended with the age already baked into the flavor they're trying to achieve. You are smoking cigars exactly as Padrón's blenders intended it to be with the age on the tobacco. We all like aging. We all have pretty deep humidors and we like to see how cigars change, especially if you buy a box and you can smoke through it and see how it changes over time. But Padrón is ready to go right out of the humidor.

[TC]: Absolutely. Until you become very familiar with the brand, it could be a little difficult to understand.

Technically the 1964 is listed as a limited product because they do only make so many each year.

[CH]: There's only so much tobacco aged that much.

[TC]: Right, and to make that recipe consistent, you have to make sure you have tobacco that will be just as good as the previous year, and so on and so forth.

I gotta say, if this cigar never came out, I don't know where my love for Padrón would've been because this was the cigar that got me into the brand.

[CH]: And it keeps you coming back.

[TC]: Yes. Padrón has essentially only a handful of blends but a more extensive size range.

Natural or Maduro?

[CH]: Let's talk about that range. They have vitolas for everybody. They've got larger ring gauges and thinner ring gauges.

As somebody who's a fan of Padrón, in each one of these sizes, you have two choices to make, and this is a hotly debated topic on the forums and among those in the industry: Natural or Maduro? I'm smoking Natural right now. I believe you're smoking Maduro.

[TC]: I am.

[CH]: What differences do you see? Which one do you gravitate towards?

[TC]: I always gravitate towards Maduro when it comes to Padrón cigars because that's the flavor I want. My knowledge of their Naturals is probably lacking.

[CH]: Are you looking for rich notes, like a chocolate bar?

[TC]: Yeah, it's that rich, crisp, milk chocolate kind of flavor and texture.

[CH]: Those base notes.

[TC]: Yeah, absolutely.

[CH]: I grabbed the Natural because I knew we'd be filming this in the morning. I typically want those brighter notes for the morning. If I was smoking this cigar after dinner, I would've gravitated towards the Maduro. As a joke, I like to say the Maduro 1926 is my chocolate bar dessert after dinner. I don't know if it has to do with just the darker tone, but it gives you those very rich and smooth flavors.

Honestly, I have a box of 1926 Naturals and Maduros in this size. It's a little bit smaller. I believe they call it the #6 but it's a little 4.75" x 50, which is the perfect size range for me when I'm looking for a 45 minutes-to-an-hour smoke. I've got two kids, so that's often all the time I get after dinner.

Between the Natural and the Maduro, you can't go wrong with either. It is really just situational, for me. I love 'em both.

Other Padrón Cigars to Explore

I do think they have some other cigars in their lineup that are very interesting.

[TC]: Yes, absolutely. The Dámaso is one of my favorites. I would say it's a very underrated line from Padrón. It's their most unique and most outside of the norm.

Padrón is known for their style of box-pressed formats and cigars similar to the two we're smoking today. The Dámaso line is non-box pressed. They utilize Connecticut shade-grown leaf on the wrapper. They're much milder than most of their cigars are typically but if you're someone who's wanting that creamier, morning-style smoke, you've absolutely gotta try Dámaso.

They do have other offerings as well. You've got what I like to call the "Thousand" series. It's a little more budget friendly and has the everyday smoke philosophy behind it. Their Family Reserve series is more of their top tier.

[CH]: Yeah, try those. They're awesome.

[TC]: If you've never tried the 50th Anniversary, that is a way to celebrate. You also have some smaller productions, with lesser availability, like the Padrón Blacks.

They have a very wide portfolio and so many options that people might not try, 'cause they get so accustomed to loving something like these, which are great. If you want to smoke these all the time, perfect, but don't count out the rest of their portfolio. They make killer cigars and absolutely if you get the chance to try multiples of different blends, you should.

[CH]: The Family Reserve series is top-tier. If you like 1926 and 1964 and you really wanna treat yourself, dive into that Family Reserve series, but these are a great place to start. Let us know in the comments what your favorite Padrón cigar is. Do you like Naturals? Do you like Maduros? What's your favorite size? I think we will see that Padrón is unanimously loved.