It's a beautiful Spring day...wind is tolerable, sun is out, and (of course) they're forecasting rain and low 40's tomorrow...so I figured I'd enjoy today while it lasts, and I broke out this Padron 6000 Maduro (torpedo). I've got the "baby" laptop rocking out some Pandora radio and it's time to smoke!
Michelle got me five of the maduros and five of the naturals for my birthday a year and a half ago. At the time, they were okay but I certainly expected a little more. I smoked one or so every couple of months and started to see big time improvement after six months or so. Since this is one of the last cigars of the batch (and my blog is starting to sound like a Don Pepin Garcia fanboy machine) I figured I'd let you all know how this stick is.
Here's the Pardon with my cutter choice-my Swiss Army knife /w cigar scissors. Good stuff.
Like all Padrons I've seen, the appearance is mixed. The band is minimal and understated and the cigar is kind of rough looking-I see veins and it just seems kind of rough and maybe a little dry. But the color is great-deep brown and very attractive. Prelight smells like barnyard (that smell that, I suppose, mixes horses, hay, and other such odors into a unique odor.
Upon light, the stogie gives up some deep nutty and chocolately/coffee type flavors-very rich and very deep with a lot of sweetness. It reminds me of the sensation I get when I bite into a chocolate cake that is "too rich" but I somehow manage to eat a few more bites...head spinning all the way.
I paired the stogie with a small glass of Macallan 10 Year scotch...this Macallan is one of those bottles I buy when I try to explore something different beyond my favorite, Laphroaig. It's decent and pairs well with the Padron-and at $40 a bottle, it's not too hard on the pocket book, as far as single malt scotches go.
The Padron is delicious. The age really helped the flavors "pop". At $5 or $6 a stogie, I think it's a pretty good deal, especially if you enjoy chocolate-richness and sweet maduros in general. It seemed to burn a little fast though so if you're a "rapid smoker" (You know who you are, Eric and Ry!) then you might pass this over.
The aroma and plummage on this cigar are first rate-great odor and volume. Very rich and leathery...
Overall, I'd rate this as a solid 3, maybe a 3.5 depending upon your tastes (on the new 4 point RTR scale). It's a premium cigar-perhaps not the best but real damn fine.
I'm stealing (and butchering) this quote but I think it's safe to say that "if you don't like this cigar, you don't like cigars".
RTR'S LIFE BONUS FEATURE
I really enjoyed the Watchmen movie. I had never read the graphic novel and found myself wondering about the various characters and such several times, days after watching it. Michelle bought me the graphic novel compilation and I immediately put away my Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 books to devour the Watchmen...
It's a great movie and a great novel-especially if you've enjoyed comic books (or fantasy role playing) like I have. It has some great characters and really challenged the genre (and me, as a reader). The characters of The Comedian, Ozymandias, Dr. Manhattan, and (especially) Rorschach really interest me. I think any of them would make great pc type characters/personalities...and the Watchmen really made an impact on me. If you haven't experienced it, I really suggest you do so.
I've also been really enjoying the Warhammer Omnibus books. They're big, they're violent, and they're pretty darn good. One in particular I think would appeal to just about any of the folks who might read this, Gotrek and Felix...which follows a very bad ass dwarf on a death mission and his human friend who has sworn to chronicle the Dwarf's "epic death". Reading it takes me back to some good D&D gaming...particularly those campaigns that had super cool dwarfs or bard like characters (I'm talking to you, Eric, Seth and Craig!).
My orange Fit is finally fixed, I've got a Clutch concert coming up, and a trip to KC for a little gaming... and the future looks bright!
Here's a guest shot of my swinging' wife and daughter, enjoying the nice evening weather!
2 comments:
Nice! Good to see you smoke something other than Senor Pepin once in awhile. ;-) Liked the Life Update section, too. When I spot being too busy to spit, maybe I'll post a backlogged review. Promises, promises. Plus, I want to borrow your Watchmen book!
Hey, Pepin makes some good stuff and a whole bunch of different lines...I think I could smoke a different cigar every day for a month and they could all be blended by Don Pepin Garcia! He's a cigar makin' ho!
Yes, you need to take a break from work and do a stogie review so our huge audience can see your new smoke shack and/or deck!
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