Padrón Black Staff Review
Padrón cigars enjoy a mammoth legacy thanks to a lengthy list of ratings and awards, including the reigning ‘Cigar of the Year’ title for 2025 with Padrón 60th Anniversary from the critics in Cigar Aficionado, the fifth time the company has earned top cigar honors. Today I’m smoking Padrón Black, a lesser-known blend in the brand’s portfolio, and I’m smoking the No. 99 Maduro, a round 60-ring Gordo with a dark, oily wrapper leaf.
Padrón Black cigars debuted in 2016 to commemorate the 89th birthday of brand founder José Orlando Padrón. The Black series is blended from exclusive reserves of premium Nicaraguan tobaccos and is available in Natural and Maduro wrappers. This hefty cigar is dressed in a black cigar band with a gold Padrón logo and comes in a 10-count box.
Historically, company President Jorge Padrón has set aside the Black blend for special industry-related initiatives. Padrón Black cigars have been reserved for retailers who are members of the TAA (Tobacconists’ Association of America), the PCA (Premium Cigar Association), and the Cigar Rights of America (CRA), an organization whose members advocate collectively on behalf of the cigar industry and its patrons to fight punitive taxation, government regulation, and smoking bans.
Fortunately, the latest incarnation of Padrón Black has been distributed more widely, making this rare smoke available to fans of big-ring cigars. The cigars offer a sweet and spicy bouquet when I crack a fresh box open. Most Padrón cigars are packaged without cellophane, a traditional presentation the company prefers for the majority of its portfolio to highlight the complexion of its wrapper leaves and allow the cigars to age naturally inside their cedar boxes.
After cutting the cap on a fat No. 99 Maduro with my cigar scissors, the cold draw immediately entices with woody and chocolaty notes followed by a soft, lingering spice. When lighting a fat cigar, I slowly toast the foot, giving its extra girth time to ignite fully. Abundant wafts of leather, dark cocoa powder, and cinnamon layer my palate with hints of mesquite throughout the first ten minutes. Padrón Black develops with a big, malty flavor and a reasonable degree of spice.
Keep in mind, the No. 99 will easily take more than an hour to smoke due to its length, thickness, and density. And this will likely finish on the stronger side, based on my experience with other Padrón Anniversary cigars. Don’t smoke it on an empty stomach. Set aside enough time so that you’re not rushing. At nearly $45 per cigar, you’ll want to finish the whole cigar.
Bold tasting notes of milk chocolate, pepper, cedar, and baking spices slowly bathe my taste buds throughout the middle of Padrón Black. Because the Padrón family ages their tobaccos for several years before rolling the cigars, they offer unbelievably smooth taste despite their strength. Undulating notes of pepper, molasses, and espresso bean offer a mouthwatering crescendo heading into the final third.
I’m not going to lie, I wouldn’t try to stand up for a while as I power through the nub. Nearly seventy minutes are off the clock, and I’m prepared to take the finish slow and steady. Classic Padrón tasting notes of wood, mesquite, and cocoa gather in the final stretch, while a stack of firm ashes fills the ashtray on my desk.
Every year, the CRA releases an exclusive sampler that features ten ultra-rare cigars from participating cigarmakers, and this year’s collection includes a Padrón Black Maduro in a 5.74-by-54 size. If the No. 99 sounds a little big for your appetite, add this opulent collection to your humidor while supplies last and try Padrón Black alongside several other rarities, including a Fuente Fuente Opus X Oro Oscuro, La Flor Dominicana Andalusian Bull, and My Father Garcia & Garcia.
