Padrón PC-11

Today, we take a look at a rare limited edition shop exclusive to Corona Cigar Company, the Padrón PC-11. PC-11 stands for Padrón-Corona 11. While we have moved away from much of our single-store exclusive coverage, it isn’t often that Padrón Cigars does a store exclusive, so here we are doing an assessment. The genesis of this project goes back several years ago when Corona Cigar Company owner Jeff Borysiewicz asked Padron to create a milder, Connecticut version of the Padrón 1964 Anniversary. It took a few years for the project to complete, but eventually, a small run of 700 cigars of the Padrón PC-11 made it to market. Today, we take a closer look at the Padrón PC-11.

In terms of Connecticut Shade cigars, from my research, the Padrón PC-11 is the second Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapped Padrón. The other is the Padrón Dámaso line, which was introduced in 2015. For many years, I’ve heard stories of people swapping wrappers off the Padrón 1964 Anniversary and Padrón 1926 Serie lines and replacing them with a Connecticut Shade wrapper. From what I understand, Dámaso is an entirely different blend. I’ll infer that Padrón probably adjusted the blend when it constructed the PC-11 off the 1964 Anniversary line. One interesting point is that Padrón chose to use the Black Label – something it has been doing for its limited cigars and did not choose to call this a 1964 Anniversary.

Without further ado, let’s break down Padrón PC-11 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Padrón PC-11 – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Padrón PC-11’s shade-grown wrapper is sourced from Ecuador, and the remainder of the tobaccos are from Nicaragua. The cigars were priced at Padrón’s Tabacos Cubanica factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacos Cubanica S.A.

Vitolas Offered

Only 700 PC-11s were produced. These were not sold in boxes but by the single cigar. The only size produced was a 6 x 52 Toro.

Appearance

From my examination of the PC-11, the Connecticut Shade wrapper was on the darker side. In other words, it didn’t have a golden brown color, but you could still tell it was a Connecticut Shade wrapper. The surface of the wrapper had a light sheen of oil on it. There were both visible veins and visible wrapper seams on the surface.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap from the PC-11. Once the cap was clipped off the cigar, I moved onto the pre-light draw. The cold draw had some characteristics similar to many Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade cigars. This included notes of wood, cedar, earth, and a slight amount of cream. Overall, this was still a satisfactory pre-light experience. At this point, it was time to toast up the PC-11 and see what the smoking experience would deliver.

Tasting Notes

The PC-11 opened up with more wood, earth, cedar, and cream notes. Early on, the cedar notes moved to the forefront. The wood, earth, and cream notes settled in the background and were joined by a citrus note. As the PC-11 moved through the first third, the cream notes increased in intensity and closed in on the cedar in the forefront. Meanwhile, there was a layer of black pepper on the retro-hale.

The second third of the PC-11 saw the cedar notes remain grounded in the forefront. The creaminess began to subside, falling back with the wood, earth, and citrus notes. During this segment of the cigar experience, the wood notes increased in intensity. Toward the end of the second third, some of the black pepper notes emerged on the tongue.

The cedar notes remained in control when the cigar experience moved into the final third. The pepper notes increased and became a prominent but not overpowering secondary note. Meanwhile, the wood, earth, and citrus rounded out the final third. Traces of creaminess could be picked up in the background as well. This is how the PC-11 came to a close. The resulting nub was cool in temperature but firm to the touch.

Burn

For the most part, the PC-11 had an excellent burn. The cigar had a touch of jaggedness at occasional points, but for the most part, the PC-11 had no problems maintaining a straight burn path and straight burn line. This wasn’t a cigar that required frequent touch-ups. The resulting ash was silver-gray with an ash on the firm side. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both attributes had ideal levels.

Burn of the Padrón PC-11

Draw

The draw of the PC-11 was on the open side. I usually like a draw with a touch of resistance. In the end, this didn’t have any adverse effects on the cigar’s combustion or overall performance.

Strength and Body

The goal of producing a milder cigar was achieved with the PC-11. This is a cigar that started out with mild strength and mild to medium-bodied flavors. By the second third, the strength moved from mild to medium while the body moved into the. medium range. The PC-11 remained in this range for strength and body for the duration of the smoking experience. Throughout the smoking experience, the body maintained an edge over its strength.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

Since this cigar is sold individually, I can only comment on the bands. This has two bands. The primary band is the Padrón Black Label band, a black-colored version of the Padrón (thousand) series. The secondary band is the one that is seen on most of the other Padrón lines, and it contains a serial number. I like the look of these two bands against the Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Padrón PC-11 started out nicely, but the experience got less impressive as the cigar progressed. The second third became ordinary, and the final third saw the flavors muddled. The more I smoked this cigar, the more I surmised why Padrón did not make a Padrón 1964 Anniversary with a Connecticut Shade. Still, it was an interesting smoking experience. However, at $30.00, an interesting smoking experience is not enough to make me want to return to this cigar.

Summary

Key Flavors: Cedar, Wood, Cream, Earth, Citrus, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild (1st Third), Mild to Medium (Remainder)
Body: Mild to Medium (1st Third), Medium (Remainder)
Finish: Good