Issue: Cigar Insider, Jul 09, 2013

Score: 93

Bracingly spicy, this delicious cigar delivers espresso, cedar and loads of coffee bean flavor. It is well balanced, and the draw is superb.

Issue: Cigar Aficionado, Oct 01, 2011

Score: 94

Alluringly box-pressed, this thick robusto tastes as good as it looks, starting with rich black cherry notes that transition to leathery, earthy and mineral flavors. Complex.

Issue: Cigar Aficionado, Apr 01, 2007

Score: 92

A richly hued, semi pressed cigar that delivers an elegant range of medium-bodied flavors. The toasty balance of coffee, nut and cedar notes prime the palate for a complex, herbal finish that resonates with a touch of ginger.

Issue: Cigar Insider, May 23, 2006

Score: 91

A sweet cigar overall with some spicy notes and an undercurrent of toast and wood flavors. The finish is long and mellow.

Issue: Cigar Aficionado, Oct 01, 2005

Score: 91

A silky, dark wrapper covers this pressed and fat cigar. It’s rich and very cedary, with charbroiled meat notes and a touch of licorice. Complex, elegant and delicious, with a medium to full body.

Issue: Cigar Aficionado, Sep 01, 2002

Score: 91

A nicely pressed cigar with a rough cap and a toasty, nutty aroma. Its complex flavors consist of cherry and coffee notes, with hints of leather. It is well balanced with a long finish

Issue: Cigar Aficionado, Jan 01, 1970

Score: 97

What a great cigar. The Padrón Serie 1926 No. 9 impressed our tasting panel again and again, rising to the top after repeated tests to become the best cigar of the year. In the end, when only a few cigars remained in the last blind tasting, this one stood above the rest: it was richer, rounder, more complex and rewarding than any other cigar we smoked. This pressed beauty is rolled in the recently expanded Padrón factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, under the watchful eye of José Orlando Padrón, his son Jorge and the rest of the family members who ensure that the 5 million or so cigars they produce each year are of impeccable quality. This is perhaps the finest of the line, just blossoming with flavor right from the first puff. It’s a complex smoke with perfect balance, showing flavors of chocolate, coffee and nuts, as well as some black cherry. The cigar has a finish so long it seems to never leave the palate. The 97 points it was awarded is the highest score we have given a recent-production cigar in many years. Padrón Serie 1926 cigars are a bit stronger than the company’s other luxe line, the 1964 Anniversary Series, and are considerably more expensive. The family has an affinity for anniversaries: 1964 is the year the company began making cigars, and 1926 is the year José Orlando was born. The cigar debuted in 2002, on José Orlando’s 76th birthday, a year later than originally intended. The company recently marked another milestone, the 80th birthday of its patriarch. The Padrón Serie 1926 80 Years hit the market in late November—five months after José Orlando’s 81st birthday. As with all things Padrón, their cigars cannot be rushed. The Padróns have never finished out of the top three in our Top 25 tastings, and this is the second time one of their smokes has been named the No. 1 cigar of the year. They are clearly at the top of their game