Cigar Asylum Cigar Forum - Review: Padron 64 SI-15 Special Release

"....You can't create a monster, then whine when it stomps on a few buildings......"
- Yeardley Smith

And what a monster these guys are..!! A Padron 64 in 6 X 60..?? Really..??..!! Being the hard core Padron fan that I am, I wanted to get my hands on some of these and try them. Well, a 5-er turned into a 10-er and then I just said to hell with it and got a whole box... I did, however, ask that my box be 7 Natural wrapper, 8 Maduros as I really find nice differences between them, and enjoy them both. Now, I have to admit that 60 ring jawbreakers aren't really my idea of a "go to" smoke, but hey, it's a Padron 64 so I was sure that I'd be in for an interesting experience.

Boy, they are nice to look at;

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A little hard to see, but the Maduro's have a bunch of tooth on the wrappers. The Regular wrappers have some, though not nearly as much. For today's smoke, I picked a Maduro and set out to enjoy a nice warm day (finally...!!) and some quiet as the wife was out and about for a while. Beverage of choice was sparkling water, no flavors, so that I could focus on the cigar and not the companion beverage. So, the dogs and I retreated to the deck and I set about to see what this beast of a cigar had to offer:

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The wrapper felt and smelled......like a Padron 64. Punched with the biggest punch on my Swiss Army Knife, it did require a little "clean up" with the knife blade to come clean and open up. Had my trusty Xikar on stand by in case I ran into draw issues or in case this baby decided to tar up. Neither of which happened. The Padron guys know very well how to make a fantastically constructed smoke and these are no exception.

You're going to hear me say that it "...tasted like a Padron 64....". A fair question being; what does a 64 taste like, anyway? I've said it before and I'll say it again (and again, and again....); what captures and holds my interest is complexity of taste. Be it food, Bourbon, cigars, wine, whatever....complex tastes are what it's all about. 64's are a wonderful medley that's very characteristic, very unique in the cigar world. A lovely blend with predominantly dark tastes that walks the line between being too dark and being delicious. A great mix of coffee, cinnamon, earth, perhaps some chocolate or even some coco flavors in there; mixed in with wonderful, simple, great tobacco flavors that's obviously been carefully grown, fermented and blended. To my palate, these aren't as dark as the 26's, but honestly probably more to my liking. The natural wrappers have more of the great tobacco tastes with less of the other flavors, while the maduros allow the other flavors to stand out and up front more. Both are equally well balanced and blended; yet different in a very nice way. Both have unique flavor profiles, both have real similarities that are hard to mistake. They are typically not spicy or zippy on the tongue like the great Pepin smokes. Typically.....

Pre-light, the draw was nicely open....which I prefer. Not completely open, but just right as far as I'm concerned. And the pre-light flavors.....wow. Unmistakable Padron 64 goodness ready to be unleashed....torch time..!!

What hit me right out of the gate was a blast of spice that I was not expecting. Wow..!! Not so much pepper like you'd find in a Pepin, but more cinnamon tastes. A couple of puffs and I was getting some hot, super spicy tastes that were really unlike the Padron 64 flavors I know and like. Ah ha...drawing too hard...too hot, better slow down. One of the downsides of a nicely open draw, I believe. I probably smoke too fast most of the time; this was clearly a case where some patience and a gentle draw would pay off.

And, pay off it certainly did. It took about an inch for the blast of spice to back off, and then I was treated to the classic, unmistakable 64 flavor profile. But, make no mistake, it was a BIG taste. A little hard to describe; it was clearly a 64, but maybe a 64 on steroids. Incredibly complex, very wonderful. Dense, thick clouds of wonderfully fragrant smoke billowed from this monster. Cleaning my palate with some water and refreshing my opinions didn't change my perceptions of this monster. I found it interesting how sensitive the cigar was to draw; a little too much and it got HOT and the spice blast returned....a couple of gentle draws and it settled right back down and went along as I more or less expected. A function of the 60 ring, perhaps? Make no mistake, I was really enjoying this smoke.

First ash was at about the 2" mark as it looked like it would end up in my lap if I didn't. Some minor uneven burn that quickly corrected itself without any coaxing from the torch. I'll admit that these guys didn't have any significant humidor time, so perhaps once the RH settles down a bit, this wouldn't have happened. Even so, it was a complete non-issue. If there are better constructed smokes in the world than a Padron, I haven't seen them yet. Just flawless from start to finish, construction wise. Smoked like a champ, very pleasurable, very perfect. And the smoke....!! Dense clouds that drifted across the back yard....so cool.

While some smokes change flavor and go through some significant changes as they go, in my experience Padron smokes typically don't do that. This was no exception other than the spice blast on first light, and along the first inch or so. Awesomely consistent, very wonderful....right up until it was burning my fingers and hit the ash tray. You bet I nubbed this monster...it was a really great smoke.

So, what did I think.....I think the Padron family hit it out of the park again. Almost like a re-invention of the 64. The new vitola has some nice differences and is a unique smoke, to be sure. No, they aren't cheap. Would I buy more..?? Well, I'll buy LOTS more Padron smokes, but these are still a bit of a question mark. Did I enjoy it a lot more than an Exclusivo...?? Probably not, which is still saying a lot. The 64 profile is in full effect with these beasts, and they are completely enjoyable and very well worth your time and money. I'll have to smoke a couple more, and a natural wrapper or two, before I decide if this is one I want to "go deep" on.

But, make no mistake...these are wonderful, complex, tasty, fantastic smokes. Buy a couple and test drive them yourself and see what you think. My guess is that you'll like them a lot.....

Cheers, guys - N.F.H.