For those of you that don’t know…

We reviewed the Natural on Wednesday, and today we are reviewing the the Padrón 1964 Smoke Inn 15^th Anniversary Maduro. This year will mark 15 years Smoke Inn has been in business. If you aren’t familiar with Smoke Inn you really should check them out. They have been providing the South Florida cigar community with great customer service, a knowledgeable staff and a wonderful selection since they opened up. Abe Dabebnah is the owner and all you have to do is speak with him for a few moments to realize that he is very passionate about cigars. This isn’t just a business for him, this is a way of life, and that shows in his dealings.

The Padrón 1964 SI-15 is something very special in that it will be the largest Padrón cigar produced to date, coming in at a whopping 6 x 60. We are told the blend of this cigar has not been altered in any way (except what is necessary to make a larger cigar), it’s everything you would expect from the 1964 line, but we are told this size has really created something unique in the way it smokes and tastes. All the tobacco in these cigars have been aged for at least four years.

This Padrón cigar is the second installment of a Four part series of 15^th Anniversary cigar releases that Smoke Inn will have this year. You may remember the Tatuaje Anarachy at the end of 2010? That was the first installment and we are told the third installment will be a box pressed My Father cigar this summer, with a Fuente cigar to follow in the fall.

As with the regular Padrón 1964, line this Smoke Inn 15th Anniversary will come in Natural and Maduro wrappers and will be available in 5 packs and 15 count boxes (275 boxes of the Maduro, and 225 boxes of the Natural). Here is a photo of the two cigars next to each other (Natural Wrapper on the left, Maduro wrapper on the right)…

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But enough of that, let’s get down to business, shall we?

• Cigar Reviewed:Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series SI-15 Maduro
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacos Cubanica S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Size: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 60
• Vitola: Double Toro
• Est. Price: $18.50 each (Boxes of 15 for $277.50)
• Year Released: April 2011
• Number of Cigars Released: 225 Boxes of 15 Cigars (3,375 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 1

The First thing you notice about this cigar is the fact that it is HUGE…It almost feels like it is too big (for a Padrón anyway)…It looks to have impeccable construction and the wrapper is smooth as silk, albeit with very little oil…It is hard as a rock when squeezed (which is not unusual for a Padrón, in fact, most seem to be that way)…The wrapper is a dark espresso brown and smells  like spicy cedar, coffee, dark chocolate and pepper…

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The First Third starts out with Leather, a bit of spice, black pepper, wood and a Strong Coca Powder flavor that all blends in VERY nicely together…The spice dies down to a background note after about 15 puffs, but does not go away totally…A great start…

The Second Third still has the same rich (and Great) coca flavor dominant, but it has also turned a bit sweeter, mostly as a background element (i.e. it fades in and out)…There are also still notes of leather, cedar and espresso, but the spice has disappeared to almost nothing…The strength has also started to ramp up by the end of the second third, although it is still in the middle of medium at this point…

The Final Third pretty much continues in the same vein, flavor wise…Strong Coca, with just a bit more spice at the end (and less sweetness in the background)…However, unlike the first two thirds, the strength is quite noticeable in the last third…I don’t want you to think it is an overwhelmingly strong cigar, but it gets up to the high side of Medium bodied by the end…

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Final Notes:

• I was extremely surprised at the strength that was present (especially in the last third) for such a large Ring Gauge…Usually, the larger the RG, the less power it has, but this cigar seemed to buck that trend…
• Interestingly, while the cigar feels almost too big in your mouth when smoking it, it feels great in your hand while holding it…It also does not feel as big as other 60 RG cigars, mostly (I expect) because of the fact that it is box-pressed…
• The Draw was a bit loose (which is not unusual for a cigar this size) but the burn was classic Padrón (i.e. wonderful)…Just a bit of advise for those buying these cigars…when you cut the cap to smoke it, just take the tiniest bit off the top, or the draw may be too loose to smoke…
• Like the SI 15th Natural, the Maduro produced smoke like a Freight Train…If you like a cigar with a buttload of great smelling smoke, this is the one…
• The Padrón 1964 Smoke Inn 15th (SI-15) Maduro was a surprisingly fast burner for a cigar it’s size, and the Final Smoking Time was 1 Hour and 40 Minutes…
• The Padrón S1-15 is limited to only 500 boxes, so if you have any desire to purchase a box I would pre order them now. You can call 1-888-smokes-1 or go to SmokeInn.com to preorder (cigars will ship April 18th)…

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The Bottom Line: This cigar is a FLAVOR BOMB! While not the most complex flavors, (and let’s be honest, Padróns are not really known for their complexity, for the most part), the notes that ARE present are amazingly rich and distinct…The minor annoyances (the monstrous ring gauge for one, and the fairly loose draw for another) pale in comparison to the wonderful flavors…Add in the surprising strength for such a large RG, and you have a winner, no matter how you slice it…While I have not had the Natural yet, I have no problem saying that from everything I have heard, the Maduro wrapper may be the way to go for these specific cigars…This is the cigar to smoke when you want to feel like a baller on the golf course…

Final Score: 92