Stogie Reviews: Padilla Series ’68 Robusto

5 Nov 2007

If there was ever a cigar with an interesting background story it’s the Series ’68 by Padilla. Well-respected stogie manufacturer Ernetso Padilla gave the line its unique name to commemorate the year his father, Heberto, was arrested for publishing a collection of poetry that was critical of Castro’s oppressive communist regime.

Padilla Series ’68 Robusto With a storied dedication like that, it’s no surprise that Ernesto took great care in composing the blend. He chose to pair a Cuban-seed corojo wrapper with Cuban-seed long filler, both grown in the Jalapa and Condega regions of Nicaragua. The result, according to retailers, is an earthy smoke with flavors of cedar, coffee, and sugar.

The robusto comes in traditional dimensions: five inches with a 50 ring gauge. It sells for about $6 and sports an attractive maroon and gold band and a smooth wrapper with a reddish hue.

Innocent-looking enough, but this stick really gets off to a fast start with full, spicy flavors of black pepper and clove. The aroma of the smoke is much sweeter and earthier than the actual taste.

After an inch or so the spice mellows to make room for pleasing notes of coffee and molasses. That flavor is steady and consistent until the very end, which is just fine with me.

What I’m not fine with are a few under-performing physical characteristics. Most notably, the burn is neither reliable nor even. Random touch-ups are absolutely necessary, so keep some wooden matches handy. The ash is also on the flakey side.

Despite these issues, I was fairly happy with the cigar. The medium-bodied flavor is on the verge of outstanding, especially for the price.

That’s why I’d love to rate it higher. But, given its sub-par construction, the Padilla Series ’68 Robusto will have to settle for a respectable three and ½ out of five stogies.