Vitola: No. 45- 6” x 52 ring gauge
- ~$27
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
For many years, I maintained that the only Padrons I really cared for were the Maduros. Thousand Series (officially “Padron Series”)…Naturals were not something I care for at all. 1964 Anniversary Natural? Meh…alright in a pinch, I guess. 1926 Serie Natural? Actually quite good, but I still would rather have the Maduro. 50 Year Hammer? Definitely stick with the Maduro when I’m spending that much cash. Family Reserve Maduro? Yeah, actually don’t like it…every one I ever smoked I found harsh…so based on everything else I outlined above, I figured I wouldn’t like the Natural at all. So I never tried one…until a year or so ago and I discovered that they were actually excellent! Who knew?
Like other Padron Naturals, the Family Reserve is purported to be all Nicaraguan tobacco. I say purported because the company never reveals details about their tobacco and they never have acknowledged the use of Mexican leaf for at least some off their Maduros. The tobacco used in the Family Reserve line is supposed to be aged for 10 years before rolling.
I have smoked a half dozen or more Padron Family Reserve Naturals in the past year to year and a half, all of which were purchased at Burns Tobacconist either while I was working there or after. If your local shop doesn’t carry these, Leaf Enthusiast sponsor Small Batch Cigar does.
Prelight
The Family Reserve line has a fairly gorgeous dark red motif in both primary and secondary bands. The primary has gold type and trim, while the secondary adds some black trim, as well. There is another band under the primary that has the Padron logo and serial number on it. Apparently counterfeiting Padrons was a thing some years ago and they started doing this to guarantee quality. I am lucky enough to never have been to a shop that tried to pass off counterfeit Padrons.
The wrapper was very oily for a Natural Habano leaf. It had an almost greasy feel under my fingertips. The color was light-to-medium brown with more than a hint of red and it smelled of hay and leather, with just a touch of earth. The foot was woody with extra notes of bell pepper and earth.
I clipped the foot with a new-ish Xikar Xi cutter (the springs are going bad again in my primary cutter, although the blade is still very sharp). I had a good draw that tasted of cedar with touches of honey and red pepper.
Flavor
I fired up the Family Reserve Natural No 45 and got immediate woody notes, followed by earth with sweet berries on the finish. Subsequent puffs brought in some black pepper on the palate, along with searing red pepper on the nose. It’s surprising both the amount of sweetness in the flavor profile of this blend and the amount of pepper in it. Both of those items are things that I normally associate with Padron Maduros. As I went through the first third, the pepper died down substantially with just a black pepper burning at the back of my throat from time to time. There was plenty of dark fruit sweetness and cedar overlaying earth.
The sweetness got more pronounced in the second third, with cedar taking a back seat and more earthy notes coming up in the mix. Black pepper remained a nice low-level burn.
The final third of the Padron Family Reserve Natural No 45 saw cedar flavor taking over the primary role in the profile again while the sweetness backed off quite a bit.
Construction
I had a wonderful draw, very even burn line, and solid ash with the cigar burning very, very slowly.
Value
As with any cigar that is over $25 a stick even in low tax states, it can be hard to justify full price. The Padron Family Reserve Natural does, in my opinion.
Conclusions
The Family Reserve line is the cigar that made me rethink Padron Natural-wrapped cigars. While others left me fairly flat, this one was delicious and flavorful from end to end, with enough complexity to reward a slow and thoughtful smoking time. It’s one time that Cigar Aficionado really got it right.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10
