Agile Cigar Reviews are cigar assessments where we use a lightweight, shorter format. These will never take the place of our comprehensive reviews. They are only used on blends we have previously assessed. This might be a blend we are re-scoring or giving a score for the first time. It might be a blend we are looking at in a different size. Today we look at the Padrón Family Reserve No. 95. This is a cigar line that has been previously assessed back in November 2014 with the Padron Family Reserve No. 50 Natural.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacos Cubanica S.A.
No. 95: 4 3/4 x 60

In 2021, Padron Cigars would unveil its first new installment in the Padron Family Reserve Series in seven years with the Padrón Family Reserve No. 95. The Padron Family Reserve Series made its debut back in 2008 with the Padron Family Reserve No. 44 – a cigar that commemorated the company’s 44th anniversary. Each of the vitolas is given a number corresponding to a company anniversary or the birthday of company patriarch José Orlando Padrón. From 2008 through 2011, Padrón added a new installment to the Family Reserve Series, but over the past ten years has been much more selective in releasing a new Family Series. The Padron Family Reserve No. 95 pays homage to what would have been the 95th birthday of José Orlando Padrón. It’s the cigar we take a closer look at today in the Natural blend.

Like the rest of the Padrón Family Reserve installments, the No. 95 is available in Natural or Maduro. Both options feature 100% Nicaraguan tobacco. What makes the Family Reserve series different is it contains some of Padrón’s exceptional and oldest tobaccos. The No. 95, coming in at 4 3/4 x 60, is the shortest and chunkiest vitola in the Family Reserve line. It also was the first installment of the Family Reserve to be rounded (as the other installments are box pressed). It is worth noting that the Padron Family Reserve was a cigar that had quite a limited production, it was only made available to attendees of the 2021 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show). It is also worth noting that the soon-to-be-released Padron Family Reserve No. 96 will also be rounded and will be exclusive to 2022 PCA Trade Show attendees.

Here is a look at the Padron Family Reserve Series. All blends are available in Natural and Maduro:

Padrón Family Reserve No. 44: 6 x 52 (Belicoso)
Padrón Family Reserve No. 45: 6 x 52
Padrón Family Reserve No. 46: 5 1/2 x 56
Padrón Family Reserve No. 85: 5 1/4 x 50
Padrón Family Reserve No. 50: 5 x 54
Padrón Family Reserve No. 95: 4 3/4 x 60 (Rounded)
Padrón Family Reserve No. 96: 5 3/4 x 52 (Rounded, To Be Released)

The Padrón Family Reserve No. 95 Natural opened with notes of natural tobacco, dusty earth, cedar, and red pepper notes. There was also some mixed pepper that was present on the retro-hale. Early on the natural tobacco and earth notes had the edge. As the cigar experience progressed, the cedar notes increased in intensity and took over as the primary note in the second half. There also was an increase in pepper notes in the last third.

The Padrón Family Reserve No. 95 Natural started out as a medium-strength, medium-bodied smoking experience. Both attributes did have a nominal increase in intensity along the way, but in the end, the cigar still remained in the medium range of the strength and body spectrums. The burn did require multiple touch-ups to maintain a straight burn line and straight burn path. The draw was open, but this did not result in any adverse effects during the smoking experience.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

While notes of natural tobacco, cedar, earth, and pepper are not very exciting; the Padrón Family Reserve No. 95 Natural still started out with some excellent flavor. Then the cigar began to get more cedar-centric with its flavor profile, and this threw off the balance of the flavor profile, making it less enjoyable and more of an ordinary cigar. In the end, my expectations have been higher with the Family Reserve series and I am more inclined to smoke one of the other sizes in the Family Reserve series. At $29.50, this is also not an inexpensive cigar, so I would recommend trying a sample first.