The Velvet Cigar

Posted By Elvis on March 27, 2008

OK, I admit it. Even among all the hype lately, I have never tried a Padilla. Honestly, I get frustrated at all the Don Pepin products out there and have studied long and hard to try and keep them all straight. And now I read that the sticks that made Padilla such a big hit are no longer going to be produced because Pepin and Padilla have broken off their collaboration on sticks like the 1932 and Series 1968. So, if I missed something grand with those sticks, I guess it really doesn’t matter anymore does it? And think of the money I saved!

So, in the aftermath of that news, I thought I would study the normal Padilla line at their website and try and work my way up their ladder. It seems without the Hand of God…I mean Pepin, they make their own Maduro, Connecticut, Habano and Miami blends. I chose one I’ve seen a lot on C-bid for dirt cheap called the Hybrid. The wrapper is a Cuban seed mixed with a Connecticut seed…grown in Ecudaor. As if that wasn’t enough blending, the filler and binders are Nicaraguan, Honduran and Dominican. It seems their Miami blend is the best one based on ratings and other reviews I’ve read and I will have to try that one next. But these Hybrids sounded interesting and were easy to obtain a 5 pack of for the rock bottom price of $13. How could I go wrong?

First of all, I have to say that the first thing you will notice, that I don’t think I’ve noticed on any other cigar, is the way the wrapper feels. I know..this really has no bearing on the smoking experience, but it really struck me how soft and velvety the wrapper is. It literally feels like the softest blanket you can think of and is almost entirely vein free. It was not dry, it was not bumpy in the least and it wasn’t oily. Truly a unique amazing wrapper on this stick. The pre light smell of the cigar reminded me of a very crisp early Fall night here in Minnesota when I’m raking up that first round of leaves in the yard. When you reach down to grab a pile, they have that really fresh fallen leaf smell accentuated by the cold air. Some might say this is a woody or cedary smell, but it’s a little more complex than that.

The website says this is a medium bodied cigar so I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by heat as I lit up….espceially since the black pepper King Pepin was not involved in this one. The cigar opens with a nice smooth woody flavor that has a bit of tartness on the finish. The aroma is light and very soothing. My vocabulary always has a hard time matching what my palate is sensing, but the overall flavor that kept coming to my mind was those cedarly notes with some kind of Christmas spice in there. Not sure if it’s a light cinnamon or nutmeg perhaps, but throughout the cigar you get little hits of this family of spices. But here’s the thing I noticed only when I really focused and closed my eyes. Throughout the smoke, you get a very mild tingling of that black pepper in the back of your throat. Really cool because I hate the overwhelming pepper taste but still like a little hint of it and until now, it’s been hard to find a cigar that delivers it so subtlely like this. It’s a nice, complex blend of tobaccos packed into this stick.

Now, all that being said…and I’ve smoked three of them before writing simply because it was a really hard smoke to dissect…I am not a huge fan of this cigar. I think for the money, it’s a no brainer if you like the taste and the quality alone in the wrapper and construction make this a truly premium stick. I just like a little more power and I prefer the earthier tones of dark roasted coffee and leather most of the time. But it was a good departure cigar to go on a little journey with and it had so much going on in it that it made it a fun experience to try and pick out what those flavors were. It’s worth a 5 pack and I would dare you to try and compare it to other cigars out there…I couldn’t really think of any.

I will have to try some of the other Padilla blends and I am especially intrigued by their maduro and Miami lines. Bookmark this site and I’m sure Iron and I will be blogging in the future on more Padillas!

Elvis

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Categories: Cigar Indulgence
Tags: hybrid, padilla, torpedo