Cigar Review: Padrón 2000 Maduro
14 Nov 2012
If you peruse Padrón’s website, you’ll undoubtedly notice the image of a hammer in several not-so-subtle places. The symbol commemorates Cuban émigré José Orlando Padrón and his drive to work as a carpenter until he could establish a cigar company.
His patience and dedication paid off in spades. With over 600 employees, a tremendously loyal following, and more accolades than space permits mentioning, Padrón Cigars is considered by many to be the pinnacle of cigardom. The company’s place in cigar history is cemented by such super-premium offerings as the Anniversary Series (both 1926 and 1964) and Family Reserve.
Not to be overlooked is the original Padrón line, which includes over a dozen vitolas that are available in either Natural or Maduro formats. (By the way, with similar wrapper shades and no distinguishing markings, it’s really hard to tell a Natural from a Maduro without holding two next to each other.) Each is comprised of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan tobacco that’s sun-grown and aged for two and a half years.
The 2000 Maduro is a robusto that measures five inches long with a ring gauge of 50. I picked it up for under $6 at a tobacconist in downtown Chicago. Like the other vitolas in the blend, it isn’t the prettiest specimen, sporting thick veins, coarse seams, a hastily applied cap, and a lumpy surface. Yet its strong pre-light fragrance of dark chocolate and earth begs you to smoke it.
Right off the bat, what this cigar lacks in appearance it makes up in flavor. The taste is peppery, full-bodied, and characterized by espresso, cocoa, dark chocolate, and a little raisin. The resting smoke is exceptionally fragrant and the white ash is a stark contrast to the wrapper. The burn line and draw are excellent.
Like the Executive Maduro, which is a considerably longer vitola (7.5 x 50) that takes two hours to smoke, the 2000 Maduro doesn’t change much in flavor from light to nub. And that’s one reason why I prefer the 2000 Maduro: It draws to a close just as I start to lose interest.
At this point, it would be cliché to say the so-called “Thousand Series†is a great way to get Padrón quality and consistency without paying top dollar. Well I’m going to say that anyways. Again. And if you’re interested in one of the 15 cigars in Padrón’s original line, you can’t go wrong with the 2000 Maduro, which never overstays its welcome and is worthy of four stogies out of five.
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photo credit: Stogie Guys
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Agree 100%! Great Padron for the price.
This is one of my favorites. The only problem with them is cosmetic. They are lumpy, bumpy and often times bent! Often there are cracks in the wrapper or hunks of wrapper missing or carlessly glued back on. None of those seems to effect the burn and draw surprisingly and the flavor is first rate.
I'll start with pretty much my only complaint against Padron. Their caps are often non-existent. Or, you can just imagine the roller saying to himself, "Hmm, I need to cap this with something..OH look at that crumb of a leaf there, I'll use that."
I'll end with my praise. For the $5-6 range these thousand series are great little cigars. When you want a treat, I love the 1964 line as well.
Could not agree more. Although I guess I prefer the 1926 to the 1964.
This was one of the first good cigars I ever tried. Totally deserving of 4 stogies.
Can anyone tell me what the comparison for strength and body is with the 1964 vs 1926 vs the 2000 maduros. I know that the 1926 is more powerful and flavorful than the 1964, but I'm wondering how the 2000 compares to those other two lines. Thanks from Harlem.
When I said the 2000 maduro, I mean the whole 1000 series whatever it's called in maduro.