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Padron 50th Anniversary Cigar review (Maduro) Introduction. A little over a year ago I smoked the Padron 50th Natural and didn't find much to it. I was gifted a few of the Natural and Maduro 50th's from a good friend shortly after they were released. It was recommended I hold off on the Maduro a bit as it was very strong upon release. These cigars were released late 2014/early 2015 to commemorate 50 Years for the Padron brand. These were released in Natural and Maduro versions. 1000 humidors in total. Learn more here: http://padron.com/50anniversary/more-details-padron-50th-anniversary-cigar/ Now. On to the review! Reviewers Notes: My style of cigar reviewing is “open”. I try to jot down what I’m experiencing with every draw. When you see a “//” consider that a break in between puffs. What I leave out in fancy prose is made up with observation. Consider each segment a play by play. This style works for me. I hope you enjoy it. Date: April 21, 2017 Place: Huatulco, Mexico, Secrets Resort Specifications: Vitola: Toro Extra Length: 6.5 RG: 52 (box pressed) Serial# 033963 First Third Coffee grounds // Toasty tobacco // Licorice // Oily finish on the draws // Bold // Good Burn, easy draw // Dark chocolate // Toffee // Burnt flavours linger after draws // Pepper // Chocolate // Bitter // Strong feeling to cigar. Second Third Still excellent burn despite wind // Licorice // White ash // Sweet draw // Caramel // Toasty tobacco // Oily mouth feel // Strong but enjoyable // Tangy // Burnt caramel, but on the charry side // Earthy, mineral flavours // Bitter chocolate // Excellent burn // Minimal smoke // Coffee on a few draws. Final Third Bitter chocolate // Oily finish persists // Cocoa // Boost of salted caramel (nice!) // Toasty tobacco // Minerals // Burnt chocolate // Cotton candy ( a first for me) // Licorice // Cocoa with peppery finish // Took Band off // Charry notes taking over. ? // Bitter chocolate // Burnt caramel // Earthy charry notes //. Pepper blast // Bitter and sour // Palate is all peppered up. Might ruin my next Cigar // I'm done // Sour finish to an overall decent cigar. Conclusions I don't smoke a lot of Non Cubans these days. When I got into cigars, that's where I started but as I started smoking more Cubans, I veered away from the NC's. The Padron 50th Anniversary release represents the company's current best cigar. It is not a cheap cigar by any stretch. Pricing IIRC for the original run is ~ $100USD/stick. Owners of the humidors can order refills, with different colored serial #'s for ~$40USD/stick. Compared to the 50th Natural, this one was far more enjoyable, despite some nasty sour notes towards the back end. If I were to compare it to a CC, I'd say it most reminded me of the new Montecristo Dantes. The Dantes didn't have the rough edges but it shared a lot of the dark chocolate and cocoa profile of the Padron. And price wise, it is the better buy IMO. Nonetheless, this cigar impressed me overall. It burned perfectly on a windy day, draw was smooth and flavourwise it took me on a journey, which is something I value greatly in a cigar. For those that like keeping score, I'd give this a 92 I still have a couple of these hidden away and probably won't light up another for a few years. I'm hoping that the rough edges will have smoothed out the longer I wait. This wasn't a strong cigar in the sense that it would make your brain "swim" but it was bold, which IMO bodes well for aging. I may give the Natural another shot next year to see how it's doing. But as it stands, this was time well spent.