Padron 50th Anniversary “The Hammer” Natural Cigar Review

This 6.5×52 stick features a milk chocolate mottled box pressed wrapper with small veins, tight invisible seams, an oily glove leather texture and very slight tooth with a peppery cedar and cocoa aroma. First light reveals a loose draw with rich plumes of medium-full bodied smoke showing flavors of a huge pepper and spice blast, dry cocoa and oily heat left through the long finish. The first third burns very well but a bit quickly, keeping the near full body, developing the cocoa a bit more through the draw, bringing down the big pepper but still letting it dominate. What surprises me is how full the finish is – it actually develops more and nearly full flavor for 30 seconds after you puff! The finish gets deeper with a wood and earth joining in followed by the spice on the lips. 50 minutes in at the 1/2 way point the draw is pure milk chocolate, almost infused intensity. The finish still has pepper and oily spice but it’s quite mellow and long with a tough of strength creeping in. Ending at 1:30 the last third continues the perfect burn and construction, dropping the as in thirds, with a creamy coffee mixing in the draw while the cocoa dies down. The finish keeps delivering the big blast of flavors all the way to the end and the strength tops out at a medium. Thank you very much to viewer Edward Schneider for providing this sample to review!