The Padron 1926 Serie No. 47 Maduro is one of two blends contributed by Padron Cigars’ to the Tobacconist Association of America (TAA) Exclusive Series for 2015. This is the third installment by Padron Cigars that has been done for the TAA, but it is the first one to feature Padron’s 1926 Serie blend. The No. 47 introduces a 5 1/2 x 50 vitola in the Serie 1926 line. This is the same size as the Exclusivo vitola in Padron’s other ultra-premium line, the Padron 1964 Anniversary. The significance of the “No. 47 ” refers to the anniversary (2015) of the annual TAA convention. As with the other TAA releases, there are two blends for the No. 47 – a maduro and a natural. Today we take a closer look at the Padron 1926 Serie No. 47 in the Maduro blend. While I wouldn’t say the No. 47 Maduro is my favorite size in the 1926 Serie Maduro line, I still found this to a very good installment for both Padron and the TAA.

The TAA is a small group of retailers. At press time the number of retailers is approximately 80. As per their web-site, the TAA is defined as:

The Tobacconists’ Association of America, Ltd. is a trade organization established in 1968 by visionary retail tobacconists. By providing education, communication, research, advocacy, and member discount programs, The TAA works with our members and the industry they support to offer the tools and relationship building opportunities needed to maximize professionalism and success.

The TAA Exclusive Series has grown over the past few years and 2015 represents the most ambitious series to date as ten new blends were released. When adding these blends to five on-going TAA releases it brings the total cigars for 2015 available to TAA members to fifteen.

This year, the following new cigars have been released for the 2015 TAA Exclusive Series.

• Asylum Nyctophilia Maduro (*)
• Casa Magna D. Magnus II TAA Exclusive Hadrian
• Crowned Heads – The Angel’s Anvil 2015
• La Antiguedad TAA Exclusive 2015 Toro by My Father Cigars
• La Flor Dominicana TAA 47
• Nat Sherman Panamericana (*)
• Padron Serie 1926 No. 47 (Two blends – Maduro and Natural)
• Por Larranaga TAA En Cedro by Altadis U.S.A.
• Tatuaje TAA 2015

* – Denotes cigar being released in multiple vitolas

The ongoing (annually released) TAA releases are:

• Ashton VSG Robusto Especial TAA Exclusive
• Drew Estate Acid Big Bang TAA Exclusive
• Padron 1964 Anniversary Toro TAA Exclusive (Natural and Maduro)
• Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary TAA Exclusive Robusto Grande

As mentioned this is the third installment to the TAA by Padron. The Padron 1964 Anniversary Toro TAA Exclusive is an on-going release to the TAA. In 2014, Padron released the Padron 1964 Anniversary Belicoso TAA Exclusive as a part of the 2014 TAA Exclusive Series. Both of these releases were done in natural and maduro, so there have been six cigars total released by Padron to the TAA to date.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Padron 1926 Serie No. 47 Maduro and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Padron 1926 Serie Maduro line is a Nicaraguan puro:

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua (Tabacos Cubanica S.A.)

Vitolas Available

Each of the vitolas of the Padron 1926 Serie are available in a sun-grown natural or a maduro wrapper (except where noted). Each size is in a box-press shape.

No. 47: 5 1/2 x 50 (2015 TAA Exclusive)
No. 1: 6 3/4 x 54
No. 2 5 1/4 x 52 (Belicoso)
No 6: 4 3/4 x 50
No. 9 5 1/4 x 56
No. 35: 4 x 48
40th Anniversary: 6 1/2 x 54 (Torpedo)
80 Years:  6 3/4 x 54 (Perfecto)
LP40: 6 1/4 x 60 (Limited Edition to Tobacco Plaza – Maduro only)

Appearance

The Padron Serie 1926’s Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper had a chocolate bown color. There was some oil on the surface of the wrapper. The wrapper itself had a bit of a rugged look to it. The surface had some bumps on it. There are some visible veins, but this was not what I would call a “toothy” wrapper. The wrapper seams are visible, but are on the thin side.

The Padron 1926 Serie No. 47 has two bands with each using the same design as the rest of the 1926 Serie line. The primary band has an antique white background and features the maroon and gold Padron logo. Just below it is a maroon quadrangle with the text “1926” in white. There are two thin gold leaves flanking the quadrangle. Below the quadrangle is the text “SERIE” in maroon font. On the left side of the band is the text “HAND” in gold font. On the right side of the band is the text “MADE” – also in gold font. There are gold stripes to the far left and far right that come together when the band is closed. The band also features gold trim.

The second band has an ivory and dull gold color scheme. It rests just under the first band and serves as a band of authenticity for the Padron cigars – which are often subject to counterfeiting. It features the scripted Padron logo in gray and the text “AUTHENTICITY GUARANTEED BY JOSE O PADRÓN” in a gold(ish) font – all sitting on an ivory background. Each Padron 1926 has a unique serial number located on that second band in black font. My serial number was 891296 for the cigar used for the photos in this review.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I normally do, I commenced the cigar experience of the Padron 1926 Serie No. 47 Maduro with a straight cut. Once the cap was clipped I proceeded with the pre-light draw. The dry draw of the No. 47 Maduro produced notes of earth with hints of chocolate and cedar. Overall I considered the pre-light draw of the Padron 1926 Serie No. 47 Maduro to be satisfactory. At this point I was ready to light up the cigar and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The start to the Padron 1926 Serie No. 47 Maduro delivered a mix of earth, chocolate, and cedar notes. As the cigar progressed through the early stages the earth notes became primary. The chocolate and cedar notes became secondary. Meanwhile, there were assorted spices on the retro-hale that included a mix of cedar and exotic spice.

As the cigar experience progressed through the first half, I found the chocolate notes crept into the forefront from time to time. Once the Padron 1926 Serie No. 47 Maduro reached the second third, I found the overall flavor profile to smooth out quite a bit. By the midway point, the cedar spice start to increase.

Later in the second third, the cedar notes moved into the forefront with the earth notes. The chocolate notes receded into the background. I also detected a slight natural tobacco note in the background.

During the last third, I found the 1926 Serie No. 47 Maduro to have more in the way of spice. The spice was not overpowering and shared the forefront with the earth notes. The natural tobacco notes were secondary and occasionally I still picked up an occasional chocolate note in the background. By this point, the cigar had lost much of its smoothness. This is the way the Padron 1926 Serie No. 47 Maduro came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn and Draw

The Padron 1926 Serie No.47 Maduro scored very nice when it came to burn. I found the cigar maintained a straight burn path and had a relatively straight burn line. This was not a cigar that required an excessive amount of touch-ups to maintain a quality burn. The resulting ash had a salt and pepper color. It wasn’t an overly firm ash, but I wouldn’t consider it a loose ash either. The 1926 Serie No.47 Maduro had excellent combustion as it maintained an ideal burn rate and ideal burn temperature.

The draw was also low maintenance. I found this draw to be open, but not loose. This resulted in a cigar that was hassle-free in terms of deriving flavor.

Strength and Body

Compared to the its Natural counterpart, I found the Padron 1926 Serie No.47 Maduro to be more dialed back. I even found this to be a slightly dialed back when compared to some of the other vitolas in the 1926 Serie Maduro line. This cigar delivered  a medium strength, medium-bodied experience. While both attributes did increase along the way, I still found that it maintained its medium profile right until the end. In terms of strength versus body, I found both attributes balanced each other nicely with neither having the edge over the other.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to the Padron 1926 Serie Maduro line, I find the No. 9 to be the belle of the ball. When it comes to the No. 47, I didn’t find it to be at the same level as the No. 9. However this is still an enjoyable cigar. It delivered some very nice flavors, and in particular the second third had a very smooth profile and the medium profile worked well. In terms of the 2015 TAA Exclusive Series, this is still one of the better releases. However, given how good I know the No. 9 Maduro is, the No. 47 Maduro still comes up a little short.

Overall the Padron 1926 Serie No. 47 Maduro is one I can still recommend to a novice and experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, there was still enough going on with this cigar to hold my interest. It’s a nice change of pace for the Padron 1926 Serie line – and it’s still worthy of a box split in my book.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent
Assessment: 3.5-Box Split
Score: 91

References

News: Padron Serie 1926 No. 47 to be TAA Exclusive
Price: $18.00
Source: Cigars Provided by Manufacturer
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