Search the Community

Got a free five pack of these when I purchased a Xikar cutter and lighter combo. The cigar itself looked great construction wise and the wrapper looked beautiful. It smelled rich and delicious as I pulled from the cellophane. First third. Started off bland. But after the cigar got going it really took off. Strong chocolate coming through. It almost felt like I ate some chocolate and have that coating on my tongue. Very smooth. Second third. The chocolate continues though I’m detecting some other sweet notes. Hints of graham cracker, molasses, and a tiny bit of banana. Not banana as in a fresh banana or even a strong banana note. More like a banana chip flake was added into the tobacco to just peek out behind the chocolate flavor. Last third. Much of the same. Starting to ease up on the outside sweet notes. More of the chocolate with some pepper coming through. Not overpowering but breaks it up a bit so you can appreciate the chocolate again where as you might have grown bored with the chocolate the entire cigar. Towards the nub started getting hot and had to put it down. Wish it was a bigger vitola because it was a very enjoyable cigar. Smoked this outside and was walking around with a decent breeze or else the burn probably would’ve been perfect. Which makes the ash length even more surprising. Never had to relight. I’m glad I have 4 more. Might try a few singles in various sizes to see if I enjoy those more. Not bad for a freebie and now will probably stay in my rotation. I’m new to reviewing and cigars in general so I hesitate to put a number on here out of fear of giving it too high a number and then discovering cigars that blow this one away. 92

I've wanted to build a reference thread in regards to the difference between maduro shade wrappers and the maduro wrapper process for a little while now, as I believe the terms can be a little confusing for the average cigar smoker. The main difference between these terms is in understanding that one of these is a reference to the colour or shade of the wrapper, the other represents the process undertaken to develop a wrapper for specific brands such as the Cohiba Maduro 5 series and the Partagas Maduro No.1. Wrappers come from shade-grown plants, with the lightest shades coming from the bottom of the plant and the darkest shades coming for the top of the plant as it gets the most sun. In order these are; Claro, Colorado Claro, Colorado, Colorado Maduro and Maduro. These distinctions describe the shading of the wrappers Maduro wrappers utilised in the Cohiba Maduro 5 series (released in 2007) come for the very top of these shade-grown plants, with extra aging (5 years) and fermentation required. These result in an added 'sweetness' 'to the flavour of the blend. The Partagas Maduro No.1 was released in 2015. Habanos S.A described this cigar as follows, 'The Partagas Maduro No.1 offers the smoker all the flavour and intensity of Partagas, with a very special wrapper, selected from the best leaves harvested from the top levels of the “ Shade-Grown ” tobacco plant and which has developed, after an additional period of fermentation, a texture and intense color that are the ideal complements to the full flavour blend of Maduro No.1'. And so, maduro wrappers in this sense differ from the shading reference above due to the process undertaken to produce these wrappers, which require extra aging and fermentation. What about Limited Edition cigars? Do these utilise maduro-shaded wrappers or technically-speaking, are they maduro-processed wrappers? The wrappers on the cigars are described thusly, 'Limited Edition wrappers are darker than those found on standard Habanos. Darker wrappers come from the leaves picked from the higher levels on shade-grown tobacco plants, which are thicker. Such leaves demand longer periods for fermentation and ageing so they are left in bales for at least two years before the cigars are made.' In my opinion, these are maduro-shaded wrappers that are a little sweeter than normal, helping to influence the common 'chocolate-y' flavour of Limited Edition cigars. (N.B. Information from this thread has been sourced from Habanos.com)

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.

I just wrote a Partagas Maduro no 1 review on my blog and figured I would share with the great FOHers here. You can see the the full review here with more pics. Pre light: One of the aspects of sitting down and reviewing a cigar I like the most is taking the time to taste the cigar unlit just to taste the flavors the raw tobacco gives you. The Partagas Maduro no 1 is giving me some interesting flavors. At cold, I get a minty freshness feeling on the tongue along with some algae flavors. This cigar is still fresh and full of youth. The box code is EML MAY15 It is now spark’o’clock 1st third: Right after I lit, the cigar gives me some bread like flavors. I can’t exactly pin point it but it is along the line of toast, rye bread or maybe even pumpernickel bread. This is quite tasty. Unlike the other brothers of the Partagas line, this one has little spiciness but some sweetness instead. It sits at medium body with a surprising long finish. For this review, I decided to start with the good ol’ cold sparkling water with lemon. I find it clears the palate very well without leaving too much taste in the mouth to alter the cigar tasting experience. 2nd third As I move along this cigar, the body seems to be staying comfortably at medium body. The flavours are quite vibrant and vivid but very muted. This reminds me of a wine that is served too cold where you need to let it rest for a while to really taste it. The bread aspect is still there it is toasted or maybe even slightly burned bread. Just like the Por Larranaga Picadores, a couple of months to a year of waiting time needed to be able estimate the ideal aging time for this cigar. 3rd third On the last part of the cigar, I get a lot more sweetness coming. This is very nice. It has transformed the bread to cinnamon brioche with raisins. The body is also evolving and settling at medium full. That is quite an impressive change and it was much needed to keep my interest going. On the last few draws the smoke is very full of deep complex flavours. It changes very much from the rest of the cigars. I get flavors of licorice and believe it or not, notes of fabric, similar to the smell of new and raw denim or cotton. It might sound bizarre but this is quite interesting and pleasant. The Partagas Maduro no 1 would be quite an interesting cigar to review again in a year to see about its aging capacity and development but so far, I find it to be pretty nice addition to the Habanos portfolio. 7.75/10

Partagas Maduro No.1 - a look to the future A very nice friend asked me to review the Partagas Maduro No.1 and the RyJ Cedros de Luxe before their official launch in The Benelux. For this review I choose to smoke the Partagas Maduro in my office. Of course I was happy to comply The Ashes Size: Maduro No. 1 Smoking time: from 13:00 to - 14:20, 1:20 hours of smoking pleasure Location: Kortenhoef, The Netherlands A cru Appearance The cigar is maduro in color, darker than medium, with a nice oily feel to it and a bit veiny but not rough. The smell is sweet cacoa, some hay. Predraw reveals a good construction, easy draw. After lighting and cutting @ 12:59 Combustion and construction Very easy burn and a very easy draw. Ash is not firm and has a tendency to drop Well constructed and not underfilled. Taste The cigar has a full, but not overly strong taste- more medium than strong. As this is a first for Partagas, I cannot readily benchmark it against other cigars. They are not like the Cohiba Maduro line. 1st third start 13:05 - A medium peppery cigar with some sweetnes. It is enjoyable and different in taste from many others. Pepper and Black Coffee are the baseline with some Cedar, Peat and Dark Cacao as noticeable accents. White Pepper -3-4/5 Black coffee - 3/5 Cacao - 1/5 Cedar - 1/5 Peat - 1/5 An enjoyable mix, albeit a little bit unbalanced towards the peppery end. 2nd third start 13:30 - Similar, slightly stronger in general than medium now. Shift in blend, increase coffee, decrease in pepper, resulting in better balance. Some sweet licorice starts to appear. This part of the cigar gives a better balanced and full flavour. White Pepper -2/5 Black coffee - 3/5 Cacao - 2/5 Licorice - 2/5 Cedar - 1/5 Peat - 1/5 An enjoyable mix, better balanced but still quite spicy. 3rd third start @ 13:55 - Balance is even better. Sweet with coffee, pepper have become distant but present. Again increase in strenght but no bitterness. White Pepper -2/5 Black coffee - 3/5 Cacao - 2/5 Licorice - 2/5 Cedar - 1/5 Peat - 1/5 An enjoyable mix, better balanced but still strong and spicy. The best part of the cigar.. . Fin @ 14:20 Good finish - this Partagas Maduro packs a punch!. Verdict A start that was unbalanced with a peppery blast, settling down to a very balanced and strong smoke, some sweet, some dark tobacco taste. Recommended for a change of pace. Verdict 8.75/10

Partagas Maduro No 1 Date Smoked: August 9, 2015 Vitals: Dimensions: 52 * 5.1" Vitola: Robusto Pre-light observations. A bit of barnyard on the foot. Hints of pine. dare i say cherry? Something sweet and fruity. Construction is a bit squishy and somewhat under filled it seems. I punch the head, easy draw..maybe too easy. 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. This min-review is a bit light in comparison to previous reviews. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. First Third cedary/fruity draw // smooth // easy draw..not a wind tunnel thankfully // kinda toffee flavour // lots of smoke // fairly monotone // some licorice on some finishes and fruitiness on others // fairly light but interesting // the cigar smells like coffee when I'm not puffing // bit of marshmallow now and then too // barely a ½ inch in and it gives out.? do a purge and relight // the cigar is loaded with ammonia..though I can't taste it on several purges..lots of flame! makes you wonder whats going on? aging a leaf to maduro stages should result in a very fermented and "clean" leaf no? // slight , bitter chocolate finish on a few draws // I feel like I'm smoking a PSD4 so far. Odd. Second Third A prevailing sweetness on a few finishes. // a bit of pine // bit of a concave burn // less ammonia now.// hints of black pepper on the tongue on most draws // light coffee ground flavours // lots of smoke ...impressive // some breadiness now // some pepper // cigar now smells a bit like BBQ, but no taste of it on the draws, // growing a bit bitter, acrid on some draws // cigar goes out again // toasty tobacco // hints of pine again // not much going on really, not horrible either but not something that makes me take notice // some hints of sweetness // the cigar does have a slow buildup of tobacco strength/nicotine, or its the ammonia that was present during the 1st half coming out? // pine again, Third Third toasty tobacco // pine // a bit of hickory // still lots of smoke & some mushroom // BBQ flavours emerge // very savoury flavours now // black pepper in the back of the throat as well // a swig of water // hickory again // nice sweet smell from the cigar // touch up needed // more toasty tobacco // good rich tobacco taste // hints of coffee as well // very strong draw! like coffee grounds and pepper // back to more pine // a slight beany flavour appears // some dark chocolate on a few draws FIN FINAL THOUGHTS Grabbed this from the local LCDH. A wallet gouging $41 CAD. Such is the price of early adoption I guess? It is an attractive cigar for sure. From a flavour perspective, I'd say this is a somewhat predictable mix of a PSD4 and Genios. More Partagas than Cohiba though. The final third did give way to that trademark Cohiba Maduro 5 "chocolatiness". The amount of ammonia on the purges was a bit unsettling. I suspect these are still fresh. No indication as to whether or not they're made to the same standard as the Maduro 5 series. Given the lack of nomenclature, perhaps not? Overall it was an enjoyable cigar. I'd smoke one again. Maybe not so soon. It looks like they might need to settle down a bit. I'd like to hear what others think once they get their hands on these. For being a decent cigar and somewhat besting my expectations I'll give this a decent score of 90. Thanks for reading.

Pics: http://imgur.com/a/VjCDs Cigar: Avo Uvezian Maduro (bought in 2009 from The Kensington Tobacconist Reading, PA) Vitola: Belicoso Pairing: Water Pre-light Inspection: Once taken out of its stained cellophane, this cigar was glistening in the sunlight. I hope it came out in the pictures. The sheen was beautiful, especially towards the head of the cigar. One small sun spot on the wrapper, and one medium sized vein pushing up under the wrapper were its only cosmetic flaws. There was also a slight variation in maduro color from the foot to head. The construction is very good, with no soft or hard patches on feeling the cigar, a very even packing of tobacco. Smell: The aroma coming of the wrapper is dominated by the smell of manure and puppy smell. You know what I’m talking about dog lovers. The foot of the cigar has much less manure and smells more of sweet earth and chocolate. Draw: There is a perfect amount of resistance. The cold draw has flavors of subtle manure, creamy, sweet chocolate, and earth. 1/3: The cigar starts off with a non-aggressive spiciness, predominantly cinnamon. As the cigar cools from lighting, a rich chocolate flavor comes out in force. The aftertaste has an interesting green tea like tannic sensation. It is not a bad thing at all. It makes me want to take another puff to refresh my palate with chocolate. 2/3: As we move into the second-third the flavors have progressed to become more intense and rich. There is a distinct creaminess to the smoke with a lingering sweetness. The aftertaste reminds me of sweetened condensed milk. This is a delicious smoke. 3/3: I smoked the 2/3 too quickly, resulting in the beginning of the 3/3 being very hot and aggressive. After I let the cigar cool down and puffed with some caution, I found the flavors to have changed a little. Spiciness now dominates the flavor profile, black pepper and cinnamon. The sweetness and creaminess have decreased as well. Chocolate is still present in the aftertaste, and the cigar ends with the last few puffs reminding me of grilled meat. Total smoking time: 2 hours This was a favorite cigar of mine early in my smoking life, and I’m glad I put a few of these away for a few years. The 2/3 of this cigar was absolutely amazing and if the 3/3 was exactly like the 2nd, I would be giving this cigar a much higher rating. Overall, I would rate the experience as 91/100. Happy smoking!