Padron Series Magnum (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 Magnum (Natural and Maduro)
Size: 9.0 x 50 (toro)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Filler & Binder: Nicaragua
Body: Medium to Full
Strength: Medium to Full
Average Retail: $9.04 USD
Cigar Insider/Aficionado Ratings: Consistently low to mid 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 lacquered 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 reviewer for this vitola is:

Padron Series Magnum – Natural and Maduro

Also known as a gran corona, the “A” size has Cuban roots in cigars such as the Sancho Panza Sancho and most famously, the Montecristo A. Large format cigars like the double corona and the “A” require very large wrapper leaves of superior quality, a commodity which is in high demand depending on the success of the season’s harvest and the manufacturer’s back stock.

The Padron Magnum is technically not an “A” size cigar, but at 9 inches long by a 50 ring gauge, it certainly falls into the same family of “giant” cigars. If not the largest, it is at least the longest cigar made by the Padron family.

As Walt says, this cigar is “comically large” and all of our reviewers found it rather unwieldy. It’s not comfortable to hold in the mouth (though doing so allows one the opportunity to imitate Sid Caesar) and Lucky7 found that he had to search for a fulcrum point to keep it balanced in the hand.

Walt noted that the sheer size of the Magnum requires four wraps of the leaf to encompass the bunch, rather than the typical three. The size of the leaf required may also be responsible for its smooth and consistent texture — the natural Magnum in particular is one of the more attractive cigars in the classic Padron Series.

Natural

The Magnum’s natural claro wrapper is a pleasant milk chocolate tone with contrasting darker splotches. The roll is fairly soft and has a slight square press. The prelight scent is of compost, the proverbial “barnyard,” and the draw is free. Walt noted a taste of mild toffee on the cold draw.

We were all a little concerned about the amount of time required to smoke this monster. Walt is notorious for his slow methodical enjoyment of even normal sized cigars, so he reserved four hours and still felt a bit rushed. His smoking time came in just over three hours; we all agreed that this cigar smokes more quickly than we expected. Lucky7’s smoking time came in at two hours; cigarfan’s about two and a half.

The Magnum burns well, though it does waver from time to time. The extensive barrel results in a cool smoke, and it forms a conical crown. Walt noticed a blistering effect at the burn line for the first half of the cigar.

A cigar of this size could easily be divided into quarters rather than thirds for flavor assessment purposes, but the flavor transitions it goes through are not dramatic enough to warrant that. The first third is marked by a straightforward flavor of leather and earth with a bright acidic tang. It’s a little dry, and Walt found some “muted coffee with a mild fruit like sweetness.” It appears to be about medium in both body and strength.

Our reviewers glowingly endorsed the second third as “lackluster” and “more of the same.” A little more leather, some earthy cocoa flavors, and the tang seems to fade a little. Walt bided his time by passing the smoke through his sinuses and found some pepper and spice that aren’t apparent on the palate.

Into the last section the smoke gets creamier in body and the aroma picks up a caramel-nutty flavor. The body moves toward full and the smoke gets a little more aggressive. Walt picked up leather, toast, wood and dry earth as main components, with a “mild fruit like sweetness, pepper and spice” in the background. By the end, the tang has been replaced by pepper, and the flavors wash out into a dirty, somewhat tarry conclusion. Nubbing this giant rewards the brave smoker with a harsh and bitter tasting dose of pepper.

Maduro

The maduro wrapper is similar to the natural in consistency but is of course darker, oilier, and it has an attractively grainy texture. The caps are well formed, but the heads of these cigars seem a little fragile. In one a crack near the head caused the wrapper to tear off with the cap when it was removed, exposing the binder leaf beneath. Walt’s sample had a small hole that he noticed after clipping the cap.

But the roll is good — it’s a little firmer than the natural, similarly square pressed, and the resulting draw is free with just the right amount of resistance. The wrapper has a mild prelight scent and minimal taste on a cold draw.

Walt found the maduro Magnum to be a slow starter — after 20 minutes he was still looking for the flavors he normally enjoys from Padron maduros. He found some dull flavors of earth with mild coffee overtones, while Lucky7 noted an “aroma of strong sweet tea with a small twang.” In addition to the coffee that Walt noticed, cigarfan detected a touch of leather. For the first third the flavor is fairly constant and there isn’t much development.

This maduro finally started to open up for Walt about half-way through the smoke, 90 minutes after ignition. The body and strength have stepped it up a notch to a medium level and the smoke has become rich and creamy. The flavors here are of earth and coffee, with a dash of pepper. There are notes of cocoa and sweet char on the nose.

The last third features some bittersweet chocolate and brings back the leather from the first section. Walt found an interesting “off and on dark fruity flavor, sort of wine like,” and at long last the maduro flavors he was expecting from the start stand up and add character to the smoke. The finish lengthens and exits with a peppery aftertaste.

Conclusion

Even though this cigar clocked in at less than the three or four hours we were expecting, it still turned into an endurance contest. Maybe there is a hidden art to smoking the giant cigar, but we were all less than completely impressed with the Magnum. As Walt says, there’s just “too much waiting for the flavors to come into their own.” It’s like sitting through two hours of average opening acts to hear your favorite band play. The openers may put on a decent show, but it’s not what you paid to hear.

On the other hand, this is a decent cigar for a great price. Very large cigars are not easy to make and require massive leaves that are often difficult to acquire, one reason why the Cuban Montecristo A is one of the world’s most expensive regular production cigars. The Padron Magnum might not be the tastiest or most exciting cigar in the Padron Series, but in light of its basic materials and construction it is certainly a good value.

Our thanks to Walt for running the gauntlet with us! It’s been a pleasure, and as always we look forward to his reviews on Stogiereview.com.

… cigarfan & lucky7