Stogie Reviews: Padilla 1932 Churchill

Over a year ago, Don Pepin Garcia and Ernesto Padilla announced they would no longer be collaborating to make Padilla cigars. The partnership had produced some of Padilla’s most popular and highly acclaimed smokes, including the Padilla Miami, the Padilla 1948, and 1932.

All three cigars were blended by Pepin and produced at his Miami or Nicaragua factory, but are now are made completely by Padilla. After the split, Padilla moved forward with a plan to open a small cigar factory in Miami’s Little Havana. But despite the separation—which came about because Pepin was focusing on his many other clients, including Tatuaje, 601, San Cristobal, and Pepin’s own Don Pepin Garcia brand—many of the Pepin-made Padilla cigars are still popping up.

The handful of Padilla 1932s that I sampled for this review are from the Pepin-era. This series of photos demonstrates the differences, of which the most notable is the font used in the word Padilla: in the Pepin-era smoke, Padilla is in bold capitals; the newer band features Padilla in script. Given the timing of the split, I can conclude that my Pepin-made 1932s have at least one year of age.

Underneath the ornate band, the Padilla 1932 features a nearly flawless, deep brown Nicaraguan corojo wrapper that surrounds Nicaraguan criollo binder and Nicaraguan Cuban-seed filler. The seven inch by 50 ring gauge Churchill is firm to the touch, and has a well-made triple cap. Pre-light, the foot gives off an aroma of earth.

Once lit, I was greeted by a complex smoke of licorice, spicy cedar, roasted cashews, and bittersweet chocolate. The full-bodied taste is complex and balanced with a long, dry finish. As it progressed to the midway point, it became slightly milder, developing a bit of toffee sweetness. Some of Pepin’s characteristic peppery spice also came to the forefront. The construction was also impressive: no touch-ups were needed, the draw was deliberate but not difficult, and the ash held admirably.

The 1932 is fuller-flavored than the Padilla Miami and more complex than the 1968 blend. Once the toffee and pepper kicked in in the second half, it particularly reminded me of a combination of two of my favorite smokes: the Coronado by La Flor and the Pepin-made EO Cubao.

The cigar was created as a tribute by Ernesto Padilla to his late father, Heberto Padilla, a well-known Cuban writer and poet who was placed under house arrest by the Castro regime for “subversive” writings. Heberto was born in 1932, and it’s an impressive tribute.

At around $12 per cigar, it’s priced appropriately for the reliably complex, balanced, and, most of all, enjoyable flavors it provides. All of which earns the Padilla 1932 Churchill a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys