Last year the 45 Years won cigar of the year from Cigar Aficionado and this year they are hoping to repeat. My top 3 are pretty much set in stone for my own list which will come out next month but will this cigar change that?

Cigar: Padron 46 Years
Size: 5.5 x 56
Wrapper: Nicaragua *
Binder: Nicaragua *
Filler: Nicaragua *
Strength: Medium
Facebook: Padron
Twitter: N/A

* Tobacco has been aged 10 years for this cigar.

Padron 46 Years Natural

Appearance and Construction: The Natural wrapper has some very fine veins to it and a nice amount of oils to the naked eye. Like many of the Padron “Hammer” Cigars I have there cigar is not perfectly straight. Even though these came mail order, the ones I’ve seen at my local tobacconist are slightly crooked and I am not sure why. While they haven’t altered the cigar and how they smoke I find it a little annoying. Much like wanting to collect a baseball card in mint condition I want my cigars to have that mint look too. The cigar feels a tad light and it has a slight tooth with no soft spots and a loosely packed foot.

Flavor & Notes: The pre-light draw f the cigar has some earthy notes that are very strong and all but cancel out the slight toffee note that is there as well. The foot of the cigar reminds me of cocoa and barnyard notes of hay and straw.  As I began to smoke the first third of the cigar I realized that this is not the same smoke as last year right off the bat. The notes consisted of some nuttiness and was incredibly smooth but so far it has failed to grasp my attention. The second third some sweet notes that border on toffee begin to emerge and take center stage while the nuttiness remains in the background. The final third of the Padron 46th Year offers up some creamy notes with some notes of vanilla, toffiee, nuts and earth making the final third the best of the smoke.

Smoking Characteristics: Let all cigars take a lesson from the this smoke. It burned well, drew well, the ash was a medium gray and strong but what really set this cigar apart was the aroma. Will an outstanding amount of smoke and a delicious vanilla like aroma this cigar delivers a great smoking experience.

Conclusion: Despite the characteristics of the cigar having an outstanding effect on the overall experience the 46th falls a little bit short for me. It lacks depth, flavor and complexity in all but the final third of the smoke. For me the cigar isn’t worth the price especial in NYC where it retails for over 40.00 once you figure sales tax in. My top 3 cigars of the year are safe and I am not sure if this performed well enough to make the top 15.

Rating: 90
Price: $124.95 a 5 pack at Uptown Cigar Company

Disclaimer: Uptown Cigar Company sent me a sample to try and I picked up another one to make sure my findings we accurate. So I smoked 2 cigars, each from a seperate but. As always the typo’s and spelling mistakes have been left in this review for your amusement or to annoy my friend Gary Arzt, take your pick

Padron Family Reserve

The Padron Family Reserve has begin to hit the shelves of tobacconists around the world. The cigar is meant to celebrate the company being in business for 45 years and is nicknamed “The Hammer”. The Padron Family Reserve comes in both the natural and maduro wrapper and are in boxes of 10 cigars. My local cigar shop got these in and despite the high price I have been smoking them religiously. I tend to favor the natural version, however on the shelf the difference between the maduro and natural to the naked eye was negligible.

Cigar: Padron Family Reserve (45 Years/The Hammer)
Size: 6 x 52 (Box Pressed Toro)
Wrapper: Nicaragua (Aged 10 Years)
Binder: Nicaragua (Aged 10 Years)
Filler: Nicaragua (Aged 10 Years)
Strength: Full

Appearance and Construction (20/20): Outstanding. That sums it up in one word. This toothy looking natural wrapper has almost no veins to speak up. The roll is seamleass, and the cigar is balanced. There are no soft spots on the stick and the foot reveals a well packed cigar. When it comes to box pressed sticks, Padron definitely sets the bar. The band is red and gold, and denotes the cigar is the Padron Family Blend. There is a hammer located between the 1964 which was the birth year of Padron Cigars. There is a secondary anti counterfeiting band underneath the primary band. The 3rd band denotes 45 Years.

Flavor & Notes (30/30): Prior to lighting my stick, the foot offered some notes of cedar and spice and the draw reveal some rich cocoa notes. From first light this cigar is definitely something special. Rich. That’s how I can describe this smoke. There are some notes of chocolate/cocoa with some coffee. But this cigar transcends the notes. The cigar is the smoothest, and most perfect cigar I have ever smoked. The second third has some slight spice to it which compliments the rich tobacco and cocoa notes. The final third right down til I couldn’t hold the stick provided wonderfully rich notes of chocolate, coffee and a slight cedar.

Burn/Ash/Draw (25/25): The cigar had the smallest carbon line I ever saw. The cigar burned even all the way down to the end. The ash was a nice light gray that held very well. The draw of the cigar was pure perfection.

Overall (24/25): In NJ with the tobacco tax these sticks retail for 35.00 and that prevents the cigar from being perfect. I know this is a contradiction, but despite the price I have been smoking them on a regular basis. The cigar is incredible. This stick provides a flavor profile that is so enjoyable and relaxing that I felt totally relaxed and unstressed after finishing the cigar. Those who don’t smoke, don’t understand. But this is my therapy and it’s cheaper then spending time on the couch of a psychologist.

Rating: 99
Price: $260.00 a box of 10 at Famous Smoke Shop