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 Maduro. This is a cigar line that has been previously assessed back in December 2014 with the Padron Family Reserve No. 85 Maduro.

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

At the 2021 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show, Padrón Cigars introduced the sixth installment of its Family Reserve line, the Padrón Family Reserve No. 95. It’s not every year that Padrón comes out with a new cigar offering. In the case of the Family Reserve line, the No. 95 was the first new offering since 2014’s No. 50 release. Each installment of the Family Reserve line has significance to the Padrón family. In some cases, it is the company’s anniversary, and in other cases, it commemorates the birthday of company patriarch José Orlando Padrón. In this case, the No. 95 commemorates what would have been the 95th birthday of Mr. Padrón. Like the rest of the Padrón Family Reserve installments, the No. 95 is available in Natural or Maduro. Today we take a closer look at the Padrón Family Reserve No. 95 in the Maduro blend.

The Padrón Family Reserve features some of Padrón’s oldest and most exceptional tobaccos. Both the Natural and Maduro options feature 100% Nicaraguan tobacco. The No. 95 measures 4 3/4 x 60 – making it the shortest and thickest vitola in the Family Reserve to date. The No. 95 comes in a rounded format making it the first rounded installment of the Padrón Family Reserve series. 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. The Padrón 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. I’ve observed that the Maduro has been much more difficult to obtain than its Natural tobacco counterpart.

The Padrón Family Reserve No. 95 kicked off with notes of mocha, dried fruit, earth, cedar, grass, and red pepper notes. The mocha notes were a classic fusion of chocolate and coffee with the chocolate notes having the edge. The cedar, pepper, and earth were more prominent in the background than the fruit and grass notes. As the cigar moved into the second third, the mocha shed much of the chocolate qualities and become more of a coffee note. Around the midway point, the earth notes joined the coffee in the forefront. By the final third, the coffee notes receded into the background, but the pepper notes made their way into the forefront with the earth.

The flavors delivered from the Padrón Family Reserve No. 95 Maduro were medium to full-bodied countered by medium to full strength. For the most part, there was not any variance in the intensity levels of the strength and body. The body had a slight edge over the strength throughout the smoking experience. The burn did require several touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path and straight burn line. The draw was ideal as it had a slight amount of resistance.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

From a flavor standpoint, the first third of the Padrón Family Reserve No. 95 Maduro was outstanding. As the mocha notes diminished, the flavor experience became a lot more ordinary. In the end, the best way I can sum up the overall experience of the Padrón Family Reserve No. 95 Maduro was it was a cigar I liked, but didn’t love. If you are looking for a 60-ring offering with this line, the No. 95 will certainly fit the bill. This cigar scores a respectable 89, but I would reach for the other Padrón Family Reserve offerings first. If you can somehow try a sample, that would be my advice.

Summary

Key Flavors: Mocha (Chocolate/Coffee), Cedar, Dried Fruit, Earth, Grass, Red Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Very Good