Padron 4000 Maduro

Paired with Mocha Protein Shake and Water

Cut punch and lit with Xikar single flame

Approximate age of 8 months

This cigar had a nice wrapper that was slightly darker than that of the natural. The cigar had a nice solid feel, which is typical of most Padron cigars. The cigar has a slight box press feel and did not have any obvious wrapper flaws.

The cap of the cigar was easily punched and pre-light draw had a chocolate and nutty taste. The cigar lit without a problem and burned smooth and cool.

As the cigar moved along, the burn line stayed rather straight. Like I said before, Padron Cigars have a good reputation of being well built. This is evident when the burn line is relatively straight and does not require any touchups. I was smoking this cigar at a local cigar shop, The Hill Cigar Co. I was seated near the door, which was frequently opened, and brought a slight wind gust into the store and near my cigar. Despite this, I had no burn problems and the line never wavered too much. The body of the cigar was medium flavored and medium strength I would say. As I moved along the length of the cigar, I continued getting chocolate and some coffee from the cigar. This may have been accentuated by the Mocha smoothie I was drinking, but it was a perfect pairing.

It’s always fun to see how different cigars will act with what you’re drinking with it. After I finished the Mocha smoothie, I went to straight water to see how the flavors would change. They did a bit as the nuttiness mellowed out, but the chocolate coffee flavor became more prominent. The Padron 4000 stayed smooth throughout the duration of the smoke. I was expecting some bitterness, but there was none to be found.

The cigar’s nice white ash held for around an inch before it became too flaky. It was easily tapped off into an ashtray. As I got around halfway into the cigar and further, I began to feel the nicotine kick in. It was not overpowering, but I could tell it was present. It left me with a little bit of a nicotine buzz which was not unpleasant. I was surprised that the chocolaty, mocha flavor was staying with the cigar. I typically get a mocha flavor from good maduro cigars, but this one was a bit different. Sadly, I can’t exactly explain why, but it was a bit lighter I guess.

The cigar continued to burn rather straight, requiring it’s first touchup around the 2/3rds mark. The correction was easy and the cigar was still tasting good. Towards the end of the cigar, the smoke production dwindled a bit. This made me puff harder in an effort to get more smoke from the cigar. Because of this, the cigar began to burn a little hot and the flavor developed a bit of a burnt taste. It got a little bitter and I had to tell myself to slow down my puffs. After doing this, the bitterness faded away and the creamy mocha flavor returned.

I continued smoking this stick until just over an inch remained. At this point, I had been smoking the cigar for roughly an hour and a half. I was still feeling the nicotine buzz and the cigar starting smoking hot. After a few bitter puffs, I put the cigar to rest in the ashtray and continued on with my day.

Overall, I was again impressed with a Padron Cigar. The Padron 4000 retails between 6 and 8 dollars and for the money is a very solid cigar. When I’m looking for a tasty, dependable cigar, Padron is high on the list.