Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo

Overall Score

1 review for Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo

  1. Lee

    Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo

    PadronOrigin : Nicaragua
    Format : Torpedo
    Size : 6 x 52
    Ring : 52
    Wrapper : Nicaraguan Maduro
    Binder : Nicaragua
    Filler : Nicaragua
    Hand-Made
    Price : ~$15 each

    There’s a seemingly endless debate as to whether this cigar is superior to its sister 1926 line of stogies. For comparison, I smoked both on the same afternoon. Unfortunately, the pure pleasure I experienced with a ’26 #2 maduro did not spill over into this smoke. To be fair, I lit another to give a second shot a week later… it missed the mark again.

    Appearance : [rating:5/5]
    The maduro wrapper is a dark, beautiful brown. This torpedo, like its sibling, is a wonderful example of a perfectly sized, well-made cigar. Simply put, the appearance of this cigar is beyond reproach.

    Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Torpedo

    Construction : [rating:5/5]
    Like appearance, there are no issues with regard to the construction of this cigar. Other manufacturers should aspire to such perfection. The draw was spot on… the burn unwavering.

    Flavor : [rating:3/5]
    Pre-light, this torpedo exhibited only a faint smell of tobacco. This is a big deal to me… I like a whiff of the foot to be full of aroma. Strike one. The stogie lit nicely and the first 10 puffs or so were very nice. At the start, it appeared fairly sweet, with a hint of chocolate that faded quickly. I didn’t notice as much spice as expected.

    Strike two came about an inch or so in, when the taste changed to a dull wood taste that seemed to predominate the middle portion of the smoke. To be honest, the 2nd third was a dud… mainly just a smoky taste. If this weren’t such a highly regarded stick and about $15, I would have ditched it.

    Luckily, I refrained from tossing it. To its credit, the last third was very nice. The spice started to pick up a bit and had a nice, but very subtle, coffee taste to compliment. The end saved this stick as an average smoke for me.

    Value : [rating:1/5]
    Strike three comes here. I have had numerous smokes in the $5 range that would rival this cigar. Numerous $10 smokes blow it away. You can pick up an Ashton VSG, Tatuaje, Gurkha or Fuente and find much fuller, more robust flavors and strength. At $15 a pop, this stick needs to be robust and full of flavors. The ’26 is… the ’64 is not.

    Overall Rating : [rating:3/5]
    I can’t stress enough how disappointed I was with this cigar. I have often heard remarks to the effect that it is as good or a better smoke than the ’26 series. That comparison seems far-fetched to me. However, to be fair, I like a strong cigar, and the ’26 is fairly strong… much stronger than the ’64. Unfortunately, the ’64 not only fails to live up to its strength rating, but falls short of exhibiting the robust flavor that is expected from this type of smoke. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a decent smoke, but not what I would consider a premium smoke. If you want a taste of Padron, save your money and pick up a 2000… you’ll get a similar (or better) profile from it and save about $10.

    [sz]padron 1964[/sz]

    Helpful?
    0 0
    • Sal

      I disagree. The 64 is worth the price. I’ve recommended it to many friends who have all praised it. I also smoke VSG , a wonderful stick. I think the 64 is a superior smoke.

    • drrickso

      I totally agree with this review. Perhaps it is my looking for more punch in a cigar or that my palate/tastes are different, but I do not think the 64’s hold a candle to the 26’s.

      Also, I’ll take it a step further and say I enjoy the natural wrappers much more than any of the padron maduros.

    • Benson

      I’m surprised to see the strong preference for maduros here. I rarely smoke maduros. To be sure, there are some excellent ones out there and I do enjoy them on occasion. The Fuente x-tra Viejo series contains and Opus-X filler and binder, but a maduro wrapper. These are one of my all time favourite cigars. Yet I still prefer the Rosado Red wrapper on a regular Opus. In any case, I tend to think of maduros in general, as a bit of a scam. Why? Because real maduros are very very rare. 95% of maduros just have a cooked(heat applied to wrapper leaf) or even a dyed wrapper. Also, since the wrapper leaf is heat treated, maduro cigars are poor candidates for long term aging, as the wrapper leaf will not continue to improve in flavor over time. In Cuba, there are no “fake maduros.” Cuban maduros are made from the most mature, and naturally darker, tobacco leaves.
      For an excellent Padron, try the ’64 series Monarch in Natural! It’s one of the best non-Cubans on the market right now.

    • Tee

      Here’s a review 18 months later: I found the 1964s far superior to any of the x000 padron’s. The consistency in appearance and construction of both the 1964s and the 1926s cannot be understated. The 1964 mellowed in the humidor to a nice level of spiciness with chocolate and cocoa undertones. I still prefer the 1926s, but the 1964 torpedo is a fine cigar in it’s own right. And the price has dropped to $10. You get what you pay for and have the patience to store.

    • H45

      Dry box them… your cigar is too wet! You’ll see a remarkable difference…. This cigar is just different than the ’26 it wasn’t meant to be compared, instead contrasting it’s brother in a awesome way that Padron can only do!

    • tobacmon

      Every Padron I have ever clip, lit and smoked were great–thx. for the review–makes me want to fire one up.

    • MB

      I too was so excited to lite this sucker up and see what all the fuss was about. I kept waiting for it to wow me but it never showed. It was like sitting through a bad movie. You keep hoping that it will get better but by the time the credits roll you realize it was a waste. It was okay at best but at $15 a stick and a 93 CA rating you want it to be great. I know I’ll never buy another. If you were to offer me a choice between this smoke and an Oliva V, at half the price, the V wins hands down.

    • Saint Jimbob

      Kal, if you smoke the 2000 or 3000 maddies, you’ve got all the flavors, at 1/3 the price.

    • Kalutika

      I was hoping to get my hands on one of these but I guess I need to try out the 2000 and 3000 series.

    • Saint Jimbob

      Lee, I’m with you on the buying a Padron 2000 and pocketing the difference. The 1964 didn’t strike me as 4x better than the 2000, or 3000, to justify the 4x price. It was a bit smoother, yes, but unless I’m riveted to the cigar and doing nothing else, it’s just not worth it.

      If it were a blind taste test, I could tell the difference between the two. But if I’m watching the Bruins, drinking coffee, and chilling with friends, the difference is negligible.

    • Jason T

      The lowest price I’ve been able to find is $15. It’s a bit hard to pull the trigger on that when there are other cigars for that price or lower that I know I like.

    • k0mmissar

      This particular series seems to have had a bit of a fall in quality, and i’ve heard it from many. Padron is definatly still churning out some fine cigars, but mabye give the ’26s the go for a year or so.

    • Avatar photo

      Inspector

      Just noticed that this cigar has got some bad press in European cigar magazines (2/5). The comments are similar to yours, Lee – perfect construction but lack of flavor and profoundness. Also, they probably took into account the MSRP (over 30 euros here!).

    • Lee

      Jason, I’m glad you enjoy them. The last third of the smoke is the only portion that fits your description. I’m sorry, but I have no desire to pay a premium for a good smoke 45 minutes in.

    • Jason

      I guess when you say it needs to be “robust” and you can get much “fuller” flavors from other sticks, that says to me that in order to get a higher rating it *has* to be robust and full. Robust the ’64s are not. Complex, subtle, and balanced, they are. I think some more weight should be given to that.

    • Lee

      Any way to edit for typos? 🙂

    • Lee

      Can’t say it any more clearly than this:

      “Numerous $10 smokes blow it away. You can pick up an Ashton VSG, Tatuaje, Gurkha or Fuente and find much fuller, more robust flavors and strength. At $15 a pop, this stick needs to be robust and full of flavors. The ’26 is… the ’64 is not”

      At it’s price range, a lot is expected from this stick.

    • Jason

      It sounds like the only reason you knocked it on value was because it wasn’t strong enough? Please clarify.

    • greg

      i like this smoke, i do prefer the ’26, but this is still nice

    • Lee

      Jimbob, I picked up a couple of the Perdomo 10th Maduros because, like you, I’m a sucker for that wrapper . . . and I heard a lot of good buzz about them. I smoked one a few days afterwards and it was a complete dud . . . nothing but smoke to me. Nowhere near one of my cheap faves . . . the Partagas Black. Anyway, I think I just got a bad stick. I put the other away for a little time in the humi. I’ve heard too many positives for a repeat to occur.

    • Saint Jimbob

      I love Nicaraguan cigars, but I have a burning passion for MADURO Nicaraguan cigars. Padron, Perdomo, Oliva, just give it to me dark.

      For Christmas, I splurged at the shop, and bought a Padron 1964 maduro, smoking it on New Years day. Wow, great flavors, and a smoother presentation of the same themes from the X000 line.

      Was it worth $16 (after local taxes)? Not quite. I’d smoke these things more if they were closer to $10-12, but with inflation and tax increases, that’s unlikely. So, They’ll remain a rare treat, when I have more money than I know what to do with. I don’t know when that will be.

      An inexpensive alternative would be Perdomo’s new 10th Anniversary Reserve maduros. I’m gearing up to score a box of these to salt away.

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Cigar Region Nicaragua
Filler Nicaragua
Wrapper Nicaragua
Binder Nicaragua
Length 6
Ring Gauge 52
Vitola Torpedo
Construction Hand Made