Padron Series 7000 (Comparison Review)

Skip the fluff and jump straight to the review!

Cigar Stats
Brand Owner: Padron Cigars, Inc. – Miami, FL (website)
(distributor operates under the name Piloto Cigars, Inc.)
Factory: Tabacos Cubanica, S.A. – Esteli, Nicaragua
Factory: Tabacos Centroamericanos, S.A. – Danli, Honduras
Model/Vitola: Padron Series 7000 (Natural and Maduro)
Size: 6.25 x 60 (toro)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Filler & Binder: Nicaragua
Body: Medium to Full
Strength: Medium to Full
Average Retail: $6.31 USD
Cigar Insider/Aficionado Ratings: Consistently high 80s to low 90s

Fourteen other vitola sizes are available in the traditional Padron Series along with one which was recently discontinued.

Frontmark	Length x Ring	Shape
2000	5.0 x 50	robusto
3000	5.5 x 52	robusto
4000	6.5 x 54	toro
5000	5.5 x 56	robusto
6000	5.5 x 52	torpedo
7000	6.25 x 60	toro
Ambassador	6.875 x 42	lonsdale
Chicos	5.5 x 36	discontinued
Churchill	6.875 x 46	churchill
Corticos	4.25 x 35	short panatela
Delicias	4.875 x 46	corona extra
Executive	7.5 x 50	double corona
Londres	5.5 x 42	corona
Magnum	9.0 x 50	giant
Palmas	6.25 x 42	long corona
Panetela	6.875 x 36	panetela

All sizes come in laquered cedar boxes of 26, packaged with cellophane sleeves on individual cigars. Many vendors list a box size of 25. I am not entirely sure why that is. It may be that Padron changed the box count since the initial release. The Corticos are the exception packaged in boxes of 30 or tins of 6.

From the Padron website …..

“We deliver only the finest, handmade, complex cigars with the flavor of the Cuban heritage out of which the Padron recipe was born. Our primary mission is the exceptional quality of our product, not the quantity produced. As a vertically integrated, family-owned company, we pay personal attention to every detail throughout all steps of our tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing process. Because we strive to give you, the smoker, the confidence that each cigar is the same ….. perfect.”

If you are interested in more KOTF info on the Padron Story, you can read it here.

The Keepers of the Flame Padron Series Roundup

This comparison review is one in a series on the original Padron line of cigars. When we have completed reviews on the entire line, a vertical tasting for each wrapper will be published. Each review will be an amalgam opinion of cigarfan and lucky7 along with that of the guest reviewer(s). Our guest reviewers for this vitola are:

Padron Series 7000 – Natural and Maduro

The 60 ring gauge 7000 is the most recent addition to the classic Padron Series. It was released in the summer of 2007 at the RTDA in Houston, presumably in response to the trend toward large ring gauge cigars that started a few years back.

This is indeed a whopper of a smoke, and it can be expected to last for around 90 minutes on average. Our reviewers noted that despite the size of the cigar it still feels balanced, and two of us attributed the generous volume and coolness of the smoke to the large bore of the barrel.

Maduro

The wrapper on the Maduro 7000 is rough with veins and a dull sheen of oil gives it a “matte” black appearance. The roll is a bit lumpy, but firm. The draw is very loose, perhaps excessively so. Lucky7 remedied this by punching the cap, but he found that halfway through the smoke he had to clip it with his Xikar to keep the smoke flowing smoothly. While not a deal-breaker, the loose draw may be responsible for some later burning and flavor issues.

The pre-light scent of the wrapper is classic barnyard or compost, and the cold taste is earthy. (Brian picked up some prunes in there, which is interesting because Lucky7 later tasted raisins. Cigarfan found some cereal grains in the natural version, so maybe if we put them all together we can call the 7000 a wholesome breakfast.)

An interesting sidenote about the wrapper on this cigar is the grain. The maduro wrapper on the 7000 is rough with small dots or bumps which are often called tooth, but in this case they aren’t. Grain is often confused with “tooth” because both are forms of stippling that occur in the texture of the wrapper. What we have here is grain that is caused by an overabundance of magnesium and potash in the soil from which the plant grew. For further explanation, allow us to refer you to Doc’s short treatise on the subject at Stogiefresh.com.

Doc’s Review Stogies

The burn on the 7000 maddie is a bit bumpy at times, but for the most part it is self-correcting. The loose draw and large ring gauge may be partially responsible for it going out on two of the reviewers at the mid-way point; that aside, the burn was well behaved.

This maduro comes out of the gate with a playful bite that quickly mellows. Bean flavors are the predominating flavor here, though we didn’t all acknowledge the same bean: in the first third, reviewers reported variations of chocolate, cocoa, and coffee. The sugars in this wrapper add a level of sweetness that later in the stick become slightly carbonized and show up more char and toasty flavors.

The mid section of the cigar continues to provide plenty of rich sweet tobacco flavors, with notes of nuts and leather backing up the chocolate and coffee that continues from the first third. The body of this cigar is medium at this point, but it gradually approaches the full end of the spectrum. Lucky7 admired the way this stogie smoldered at this point with “blueish smoke from the foot mingling with the white smoke from the punched cap as together they waft up and out of sight.”

Leather takes over in the last third, with a strong sweet aroma reminiscent of the barbecue. Bean flavors are still prominent, but as the burn line approaches the nub these flavors darken and intensify. By the last inch and a half this cigar has given its all.

Natural

The general appearance of the Natural 7000 is similar to the maduro; in fact, the shade of the wrapper is only a few degrees lighter. Most of the adjectives used to describe the natural are not terribly flattering: lumpy, veiny, and mottled in color. Brian’s sample even featured a dime-sized patch near the head of the cigar. On the other hand, Doc gave this stick a little latitude when he described the wrapper as leathery, with a brushed velvet appearance, and cigarfan noted the grainy texture of the leaf.

In combination with the soft, almost mushy, roll of this stick, the 7000 natural is probably going to take a hit in the aesthetic department. But as Brian noted in reference to the simplicity of the band, this suggests that Padron is simply more concerned with quality than aesthetics.

The draw is a bit firmer than the maduro, but still quite free. As with the maduro, the burn wavers a little but is self-correcting. The ash is light gray, somewhat flaky, and shows small white dots of grain.

The natural opens with a initial burst of spice — one reviewer called it “raspy for the first half inch,” but then it backs off and mellows into cocoa, mocha coffee, and nuts. Cigarfan noted a grainy flavor as well, like cereal or raw fresh oats when you chew them up into a gum. There is a spicy tang on the tongue and some white pepper on the nose, but the overall texture of the smoke is still quite creamy.

The middle section of the cigar is smooth and pleasant. Descriptors here include buttery wood, earthy tobacco, toasted wood, and cocoa.

Into the last third, the body slowly builds and the nicotine powers up quite a bit. The spicy tang from early on morphs into pepper in the same regions of the palate while the cocoa turns to a light char. Other flavors make an exit at the nub and give way to lots of pepper and a bitter, dry aftertaste. And with that the last ash drops.

Conclusion

The general consensus among our reviewers was that the Padron 7000 is a high quality, but not exemplary cigar. Some of us found the large ring gauge to be cumbersome at first, but the 7000 still smokes very well and burns more quickly than expected. That said, this is still a huge stick, and it requires a good hour and a half to do it justice.

Most reviewers preferred the maduro wrapper, which is in line with the general preference toward the maduro selections in this series. While published ratings show no overall performance difference, the ratings at Top25Cigar.com are higher for maduros than they are for the corresponding natural wrapper in almost every size.

Both the maduro and the natural Padron 7000 are fine smokes, but the maduro takes a slight edge. That little extra sweetness and helping of chocolate really made an impression on our panel, though most would prefer these flavors in a slightly smaller package.

Lastly, and for your viewing pleasure we include something no review including Brian’s handiwork should be without. We are happy to present, the first ever “twin” towers of burn. Our sincere thanks to Brian and Doc for assisting us with this first review in the Padron Series Roundup.