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Padilla Signature 1932
Size: 6.87 x 42 ? Lancero
Origin: Nicaragua
Smoke time: 1hour 40mins Source: G-Mans Transatlantic school-run. Thanks Mike!
Appearance: Nicely rolled with a toothy, lightly veined Corojo wrapper and finished with a Cuban style cap and pig-tail.
Construction: Well balanced with a good heft. The stick felt firmly packed with just the barest of ?pinch?. The pre-draw was good an slightly resistive. The smoking draw was spot-on untill just after the first third, delivering generously aromatic amounts of creamy, luxurious smoke. The burn was slightly wayward, not massively so, but did require correcting (quite drastically at one point). The ash although compact was slightly ragged. Several relights.
Flavour: The pre-draw aroma was tea and wood over fresh tobacco. The smoke started exceptionally well with a barrage of dancing flavours. Wood, grasses, blackberry, sweet toasted caramel and a light saltiness which stayed on the lips. At this point the flavours coating my mouth were sweet and gorgeous, especially the soft citric notes from the blackberrylike taste. As the smoke moved towards the end of the first third the wood flavors took on what I?m going to describe as a delicious ?antique? oakiness. I thought the flavours mix was incredible, and at this point whilst unlike anything Cuban was certainly on a par. The flavour strength I would categorise as full, and into the second third, whilst the base mix remained I could also pick out cereal notes like wheat and oats. At a half inch or so into the second third the woodiness suddenly softened and all of sweeter notes were also dropping away. The draw, which up to that point had been so good, became vague and ?sloppy?, with the smoke quality deteriorating and the flavour rapidly becoming just burned tobacco. A front end inspection showed the cigar was running three small ?tunnels?, I was also having problems with keeping the smoke alight. In the end I made the decision to clear the problem in the only way I could think of, using a CGars freebie cutter I cut first a half inch, and then another half until I reached solid leaf. The downside however, was on re-lighting the initial flavours had been lost and only the strong, toasted straight tobacco flavour remained, and whilst not unpleasant that was it for the remainder of the smoke.
Overall: Problems aside I believe this to be good cigar and one I want to try again. Great flavours, but beware it?s strength, enjoying the flavours relaxed my guard and suddenly my head was buzzing a bit. At the third mark I thought this cigar was going to ?pip? the Monte, but from then on it let itself down and being my last NC in this series of reviews the crown will be going to Cuba.
Montecristo Especial v Padilla Signature 1932.
Montecristo E No1 ? by points decision.
Next man up. Bolivar Especiales No. 2
Size: 6.87 x 42 ? Lancero
Origin: Nicaragua
Smoke time: 1hour 40mins Source: G-Mans Transatlantic school-run. Thanks Mike!
Appearance: Nicely rolled with a toothy, lightly veined Corojo wrapper and finished with a Cuban style cap and pig-tail.
Construction: Well balanced with a good heft. The stick felt firmly packed with just the barest of ?pinch?. The pre-draw was good an slightly resistive. The smoking draw was spot-on untill just after the first third, delivering generously aromatic amounts of creamy, luxurious smoke. The burn was slightly wayward, not massively so, but did require correcting (quite drastically at one point). The ash although compact was slightly ragged. Several relights.
Flavour: The pre-draw aroma was tea and wood over fresh tobacco. The smoke started exceptionally well with a barrage of dancing flavours. Wood, grasses, blackberry, sweet toasted caramel and a light saltiness which stayed on the lips. At this point the flavours coating my mouth were sweet and gorgeous, especially the soft citric notes from the blackberrylike taste. As the smoke moved towards the end of the first third the wood flavors took on what I?m going to describe as a delicious ?antique? oakiness. I thought the flavours mix was incredible, and at this point whilst unlike anything Cuban was certainly on a par. The flavour strength I would categorise as full, and into the second third, whilst the base mix remained I could also pick out cereal notes like wheat and oats. At a half inch or so into the second third the woodiness suddenly softened and all of sweeter notes were also dropping away. The draw, which up to that point had been so good, became vague and ?sloppy?, with the smoke quality deteriorating and the flavour rapidly becoming just burned tobacco. A front end inspection showed the cigar was running three small ?tunnels?, I was also having problems with keeping the smoke alight. In the end I made the decision to clear the problem in the only way I could think of, using a CGars freebie cutter I cut first a half inch, and then another half until I reached solid leaf. The downside however, was on re-lighting the initial flavours had been lost and only the strong, toasted straight tobacco flavour remained, and whilst not unpleasant that was it for the remainder of the smoke.
Overall: Problems aside I believe this to be good cigar and one I want to try again. Great flavours, but beware it?s strength, enjoying the flavours relaxed my guard and suddenly my head was buzzing a bit. At the third mark I thought this cigar was going to ?pip? the Monte, but from then on it let itself down and being my last NC in this series of reviews the crown will be going to Cuba.
Montecristo Especial v Padilla Signature 1932.
Montecristo E No1 ? by points decision.
Next man up. Bolivar Especiales No. 2
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