A true Nicaraguan puro, the Padron Standard series is easily the best value in cigars: near impeccable burn and draw, with loads of spicy Nicaraguan flavor. At $4.99 (California) retail, it cannot be beat. This weekend, I treated myself to both the “maduro” and natural lines. I use the word “maduro” in quotes because the darker version lacks all the negative hype of typical maduros, in that it is still smooth as silk while delievering an extra boost of flavor. Although I still prefer the natural wrapper, I would almost consider these gars interchangeable in terms of desireability.

I still can’t believe that Padron can put out such a high-quality product at such a reasonable price. They are about 75% as good as the 1964 line, at 25% of the price. This will definitely be my next box purchase (assuming I don’t get a kick-ass bonus, in which case I’m going with a box of the 1964 Exlusivo 1964s–keep your fingers crossed!) Either way, these will a part of my holiday season.

LT Rating: 8 / 10

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This is a perfect Dominican gar. The best I’ve had in 3 months. Nutty and woody, with loads of cedar, I couldn’t have asked for more. Perfect draw, burn and taste. Toasty as a marshmallow, it was easily as good as an Opus X, at half the price. If you haven’t had one of these in a while, now is definitely the time to return to this fantasitic brand. Viva Fuente.

LT Rating: 9/10

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Celebrating a 10 year anniverary is big news. It’s even bigger when you think back to 1996 which was the height of the cigar boom. At that time, cigar manufactures were producing many sub par sticks to make a quick buck. For a cigar to survive the boom and eventual bust is saying a lot. The CAO Gold was the flagship product for the then unknown CAO company. The Gold line paved the ground for so many other great CAOs like the Crillo and Italia. They have every reason to release a special 10th Anniversary Gold to celebrate their success.

I picked up a box of these after hearing a rave review from my brother. He had picked up a single from Vendomes a few weeks ago. When the box arrived from cigar.com, I was surprised to see that only 10 were in the box when their website clearly stated a box consisted of 20. A quick call to cigar.com customer service, and another box of 10 was on it’s way at no cost. I can’t say enough about cigar.com’s great service. That, the water pillow shipping, and overall great condition of their cigars are the reasons they’re my primary supplier now. Even if this cost a few bucks more. This is not supposed to be a commercial for cigar.com…I did get a FREE box of these sticks so I felt I had to give something back ;-). I’ll move right along to my review.

As for taste, it is very similar to standard CAO Gold cigars (CAO Gold Torpedo Review). The obvious difference is the perfecto shape and cool secondary 10th anniversary band. I find perfectos alter two variables to a cigars; 1) Burn and 2) Complexity. Most perfectos suffer from some type of burn issue. I’ve found that even well made perfectos, such as the Gold, will suffer from some burn issues. It really come down to how well it’s lit and making any early corrections that are necessary to ensure even burn when you reach the meaty middle. I’ve found the key is getting the small head lit evenly so that it will burn consistently. After smoking 12 of these, less is more when lighting. Let the perfecto shape work its magic. Don’t “over-light” these or any perfecto for that matter. The other tip I have is to start slow when puffing. The tendency will be to puff hard because you don’t get much smoke for the first 10 minutes. Let the cigar slowly warm up and burn until you reach the middle. Taking a single puff every 60 seconds early on will help this cigar warm up nicely and burn evenly. The other variable, complexity, is what make this cigar shine over a standard Gold. It starts off much subtler with a mild oak taste. By the middle, this cigar puts out volumes of smoke and the taste becomes slightly more bodied with a nutty almond taste added to the mix. By the end, it suffers from being a bit too hot and therefore bitter. But I’ve still nubbed everyone of these because they’re so good.Overall, you must pick up a box (or two!) of these limited edition cigars while they’re available. If you enjoy a nearly perfect mild bodied smoke, this is a true gem.

LT Rating: 8.5 / 10

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