Padron Maduro
I’ve had this Padron Maduro Churchill sitting in my humidor for roughly 3 years now. It was given to me by a friend. Every time I open up the humidor, I see it, but can’t bring myself to smoke it. It’s one of those cigars that you can only expect to be good since it’s been sleeping so long. The wrapper has become incredibly toothy and the Spanish cedar from the humidor has influenced the aroma to something delicious. Well, last night I finally decided to take flame to the Padron. I filled my tall travel mug with a dark Columbia roast and parked myself in front of our retail store to enjoy the evening.
There I was: sitting on my favorite bench toasting the foot of a cigar I’ve been eyeing for as long as I remember. The first few puffs were great, and everything I was hoping. Rich, juicy and smooth. It was like that first sip of espresso, robust coffee-like flavors swarmed my taste buds. I sat back and looked forward to the enjoyable hour ahead. Unfortunately, the enjoyment was short-lived. After about 10 minutes, the flavor went flat. The cigar remained incredibly smooth, but the richness was lost. No more coffee-like notes, all that remained was a light tobacco flavor and the sweet Spanish cedar aroma created from my humidor walls. The aftertaste became short, leaving little to be desired. My coffee soon overpowered anything that the cigar had to offer, even after taking a few long puffs. I felt obligated to finish it, so I did. Oh well.
Why do we sit on cigars for so long? They’re meant to be enjoyed, not looked at. Maybe this Padron slept for too long and lost some pizzazz (read: all) along the way. Had I smoked it 2 years ago, I may have enjoyed it. Either way, I went returned to my apartment disappointed, grabbed a Vintage ’90 and went back to my bench.