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{{expand|date=August 2008}}
{{Advert|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name =Piloto Cigars Inc.
| logo =LOGOS WITH HAMMER 2 tp.png
| logo_size =250px
| caption =
| type =[[Privately held company|Private]]
| foundation =[[Miami]], United States ({{Start date|1964|09|08}})
| founder =José Orlando Padrón
| location_city =[[Miami, Florida]]
| location_country =United States
| locations =
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = José Orlando Padrón, <small>[[Entrepreneur|Founder]] and [[Chairman#Types|Executive Chairman]]</small><br /> Jorge Padrón, <small>President</small><br />Orlando Padrón, <small>Vice President</small>
| industry = Cigar industry
| products = Padrón Serie 1926, Padrón Serie 1964
| num_employees =
| parent =
| divisions =
| subsid = cigar factory in [[Estelí]], [[Nicaragua]]
| homepage = {{URL|www.padron.com}}
| footnotes = Carcinogenicity: [[IARC group 1]]
}}


'''Piloto Cigars Inc.''' is a [[privately held company|private company]] that produces the Padrón [[cigar]] brand from [[Nicaragua]]. Commonly known as '''Padrón Cigars''', the company was founded in September 8, 1964,<ref>[http://www.padron.com/cigar_anniversary.php Padrón Cigars | Cigar Selection | Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> in [[Miami]], [[Florida]], by [[Cuba]]<nowiki/>n-native José Orlando Padrón. In 1970, Padrón moved the company to [[Estelí]], [[Nicaragua]].<ref name=autogenerated2>[http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/Cigar_Stars_Profile/0,2547,159,00.html Cigar Aficionado | Cigar Stars | Jorge Padrón<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
[[Image:Padron.gif|right|300px|thumb|Logo for Padrón Cigars]]


Padrón Cigars is managed and curated by three generations of the '''Padrόn''' family, under the leadership of José O. Padrón, and Jorge Padrón. The company controls all aspects of cigar production, including [[tobacco]] growing, [[sorting]], processing, cigar manufacturing, and distribution.<ref name=autogenerated2 />
==Background and History==
'''Padrón Cigars''' is a company that produces [[cigar|cigars]] from [[Nicaragua]]. The company was founded in 1964<ref>[http://www.padron.com/cigar_anniversary.php Padrón Cigars | Cigar Selection | Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> in [[Miami]], [[Florida]] by José Orlando Padrón. Padrón had moved there from [[Cuba]]. In 1970, Padrón moved the company to [[Esteli]], [[Nicaragua]].<ref name=autogenerated2>[http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/Cigar_Stars_Profile/0,2547,159,00.html Cigar Aficionado | Cigar Stars | Jorge Padrón<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Because of political problems in Nicaragua, the company opened a second factory in [[Honduras]] in 1977, and after an [[embargo]] was placed on Nicaragua by the [[United States]] in 1985, production was shifted entirely to the plant in Honduras.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> The company did not continue production out of Nicaragua again until 1990.<ref name=autogenerated2 />


==Company history==
Padrón Cigars is managed entirely by the Padrόn family, under the leadership of José O. Padrón and Jorge Padrón. The company controls all aspects of cigar production, including [[tobacco]] growing, sorting, processing, cigar manufacturing, and distribution.<ref name=autogenerated2 />
===Origins===


Damaso Padrón, Jose Orlando Padrón's grandfather, immigrated to Cuba from the [[Canary Islands]] (Spain) in the middle 1800s when he was a young boy. As was designated in those days, the "{{lang|es|isleños}}" ({{langx|en|islanders}}) were made to work in the tobacco fields. With what little money they had, the Padrón family bought a small farm in the Pinar del Río region of Cuba, Las Obas. At that time they made $7 every {{convert|100|lbs|kg}} of tobacco they cultivated in [[Cuba]]. From there, the Padrón family continued to buy farms around the Pinar del Río region including a factory in Piloto, where the name of Jose's company, Piloto Cigars, is derived.


Jose Orlando Padrón was born in 1926 in Cuba and grew up near the [[Pinar del Río]] region, famed for its tobacco. His family has been working in the tobacco industry since the 1850s, and, when Jose moved from Cuba in 1961 after his tobacco farm was nationalized by Fidel Castro, went to Spain, then New York, and then he brought over a century's worth of tobacco knowledge to Miami. In Miami, Jose earned $60 every month from government aid to Cuban refugees. After a friend gave him a small hammer, Jose obtained a carpentry job. It was this job that enabled him to raise the $600 to start his own cigar brand and business. To this day, the little hammer has been a symbol of Jose's start as a cigar blender and manufacturer.
==Awards/Recognition/Ratings==

* 1926 Serie No. 9 was designated one of the [http://www.padron.com/news/news.php?articleID=11 25 Best Cigars of 2007] by [http://www.cigaraficionado.com Cigar Aficionado magazine].
Padrón produced 200 cigars a day, made in typical Cuban rolling style, with one torcedor. Padrón then came to the idea of making a new cigar, the "Fuma". Made completely from [[Types of tobacco#Shade tobacco|Connecticut broadleaf tobacco]], many bought this cigar for its curly head cap, which resembled the traditional cigars from Cuba.

It soon became very limiting to deal only with Connecticut broadleaf tobacco because of its long curing process. Padrón was approached by a man from a tobacco company in Nicaragua touring around for potential buyers, who asked him to inspect his tobacco for its quality. Padrón thought very well of his tobacco and told him to come back after his trip to Europe so he may travel to Nicaragua and inspect the tobacco and the fields. There, in the [[Jalapa, Nueva Segovia|Jalapa]] valley of Nicaragua, Padrón found the tobacco he would use for his cigars.

===Move to Nicaragua===

Jose Padrón began using the Nicaraguan tobacco in 1967, but due to inability to meet the demands of his consumers, he moved his company to Estelí, Nicaragua in 1970 — a country with numerous political troubles at the time.<ref name=Shanken>Marvin R. Shanken, ''Cigar Aficionado's Cigar Companion.'' Philadelphia, PA: Running Press, 2005; pg. 58.</ref> Padrón tried to remain apolitical during his stay in Nicaragua however, after riots broke out and Padrón's factory was burnt down, Jose began to search for another location for his business.

While the factory in Nicaragua was rebuilt soon after the disaster, another factory was established across the border in Honduras.<ref name=Shanken /> After the Sandinista rebellion and take over, there was much uncertainty at the Padrón factory as to what the workers were to do. Padrón asked them to continue working, and eventually Padrón returned to Nicaragua where he spoke to a [[Sandinista]] official, who promised him there would be no more problems with his factory.

===Nicaraguan blockade===

A new problem arose for Padrón after making peace with the Sandinistas: the [[United States embargo against Nicaragua]] enacted by President [[Ronald Reagan]] on Nicaraguan products. Padrón scrambled to move as much tobacco and cigars from Nicaragua to [[Tampa]], Florida during the 5&nbsp;days allotted before the blockade took effect. He was later granted an extension by the U.S. government to continue to move his product for another 6&nbsp;months, then, whatever stock he had left in Nicaragua, remained there. After the blockade lifted, Padrón shifted his main operation back to Nicaragua, where it still remains today.

===Current history===

As President, Jorge is moving into the director's position for the company; making more trips to visit the factories in Estelí and working on the business end of the company. It is the intent of the Padrón family that Jorge will eventually take the main leadership role in the company one day.<ref>http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Archives/CA_Show_Article/0,2322,410,00.html "An Interview with Jose Padron: Chairman, Piloto Cigars Inc." Cigar Aficionado. Published: September/October 1998.</ref> Jose Orlando Padrón<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cigaraficionado.com/article/death-of-a-master-jose-orlando-padron|title=Death of a Master: José Orlando Padrón|last=Inc.|first=M. Shanken Communications|website=Cigar Aficionado|language=en-US|access-date=2017-12-05}}</ref> passed away on December 5, 2017.

In 2003, the company opened a new {{convert|12000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} rolling facility in [[Estelí, Nicaragua]], a building twice the size of the company's previous Estelí facility.<ref name="NewStart">David Savona, [http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Archives/CA_Show_Article/0,2322,1420,00.html "Nicaragua: The New Start for Nicaragua."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210230023/http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Archives/CA_Show_Article/0,2322,1420,00.html |date=2010-02-10 }} ''Cigar Aficionado'', November/December 2003.</ref> The new rolling center was the 17th building owned by Padrón in Estelí and brought the company's usable space in the city up to a total of {{convert|75000|sqft|m2}}, mostly dedicated to the storage of tobacco.<ref name="NewStart" /> At that time the company maintained an inventory sufficient for more than 25 million cigars — six years' worth of production.

==Product line==
[[Image:Padroncigars.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Examples of Padrón's three most common production series: a standard Padrón cigar (top); an Anniversary series (middle); and a Serie 1926 (bottom).]]


The Padrón cigar company makes three different blends of cigar, all with their own unique flavor and sizes. They also offer cigars and many different price points.
==Description==


==Regular Production==
[[Image:Padroncigars.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Examples of Padrón's three most common production series: a standard Padrón cigar (top); an Anniversary series (middle); and a 1926 Serie (bottom).]]
===Padrón Series===
===Padrón Series===
There are (14) fourteen [[vitola|vitolas]] in the Padrón series. Each is available in a natural and a maduro wrapper. With the exception of the Corticos, the band for all of the vitolas is brown with "Padrón" and "Handmade" in white lettering. The wrapper, filler, and binder leaves are all sun-grown habano from Nicaragua, aged two-and-one-half years.<ref>http://www.padron.com/cigars/cigars-padron.php</ref>


There are fifteen [[vitola]]s in the Padrón series. Each is available in a natural and a maduro wrapper. With the exception of the Corticos, the band for all of the vitolas is brown with "Padrón" and "Handmade" in white lettering. The wrapper, filler, and binder leaves are all sun-grown habano from Nicaragua, aged two-and-one-half years.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.padron.com/cigars/cigars-padron.php |title=Padron - 40 Years of Dedication |access-date=2008-08-01 |archive-date=2008-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014020054/http://www.padron.com/cigars/cigars-padron.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>


{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1.5em auto 1.5em auto"und va,d
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1.5em auto 1.5em auto"
|-
|-
! Name
! Name
Line 40: Line 82:
| Londres
| Londres
| align="center"|Corona
| align="center"|Corona
| align="center"|5 1/2
| align="center"|5 ½
| align="center"|42
| align="center"|42
|-
|-
| 3000
| 3000
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|5 1/2
| align="center"|5 ½
| align="center"|52
| align="center"|52
|-
|-
| 5000
| 5000
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|5 1/2
| align="center"|5 ½
| align="center"|56
| align="center"|56
|-
|-
| Palmas
| Palmas
| align="center"|Corona
| align="center"|Corona
| align="center"|6 1/2
| align="center"|6 ½
| align="center"|42
| align="center"|42
|-
|-
| 4000
| 4000
| align="center"|Double Corona
| align="center"|Double Corona
| align="center"|6 1/2
| align="center"|6 ½
| align="center"|54
| align="center"|54
|-
|-
Line 67: Line 109:
| align="center"|6 7/8
| align="center"|6 7/8
| align="center"|36
| align="center"|36
|-
| 6000
| align="center"|Torpedo
| align="center"|5 ½
| align="center"|52
|-
|-
| Ambassador
| Ambassador
Line 80: Line 127:
| Executive
| Executive
| align="center"|Churchill
| align="center"|Churchill
| align="center"|7 1/2
| align="center"|7 ½
| align="center"|50
| align="center"|50
|-
|-
Line 90: Line 137:
| 7000
| 7000
| align="center"|Toro
| align="center"|Toro
| align="center"|6 1/4
| align="center"|6 ¼
| align="center"|60
| align="center"|60
|-
|-
| Corticos
| Corticos
| align="center"|
| align="center"|
| align="center"|4 1/4
| align="center"|4 ¼
| align="center"|35
| align="center"|35
|}
|}
Line 101: Line 148:
===Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series===
===Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series===


In 1994, Padrón introduced the 1964 Anniversary Series, in celebration of the company's 30-year anniversary.<ref>''Perelman's Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars.'' Los Angeles: Perelman, Pioneer, and Company, 2004. p. 402. ISBN 1-893273-05-09</ref> Like the regular Padrón series, these cigars are made entirely from Nigaraguan-grown tobacco, and are available in both natural and maduro wrappers.<ref name=autogenerated1>ibid.</ref> The series is limited in its production.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> To assure authenticity, the company labels each individual cigar with its own 6-digit serial number.<ref name=autogenerated1 />
In 1994, Padrón introduced the 1964 Anniversary Series, in celebration of the company's 30-year anniversary.<ref name="Pocket">''Perelman's Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars.'' Los Angeles: Perelman, Pioneer, and Company, 2004; pg. 402.</ref> Like the regular Padrón series, these cigars are made entirely from Nicaraguan-grown tobacco, and are available in both natural and maduro wrappers<ref name="Pocket" /> The series is limited in its production and to assure authenticity, the company labels each individual cigar with its own 6-digit serial number.<ref name="Pocket" />


{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1.5em auto 1.5em auto"

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1.5em auto 1.5em auto"und va,d
|-
|-
! Name
! Name
Line 123: Line 169:
| Exclusivo
| Exclusivo
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|5 1/2
| align="center"|5 ½
| align="center"|50
| align="center"|50
|-
|-
| Monarca
| Monarca
| align="center"|Grand Corona
| align="center"|Grand Corona
| align="center"|6 1/2
| align="center"|6 ½
| align="center"|46
| align="center"|46
|-
|-
| Superior
| Superior
| align="center"|Lonsdale
| align="center"|Lonsdale
| align="center"|6 1/2
| align="center"|6 ½
| align="center"|42
| align="center"|42
|-
|-
Line 143: Line 189:
| Principe
| Principe
| align="center"|Corona extra
| align="center"|Corona extra
| align="center"|4 1/2
| align="center"|4 ½
| align="center"|46
| align="center"|46
|-
|-
Line 157: Line 203:
|}
|}


===Padron 1926 Serie===
===Padron Serie 1926===


The third cigar blend Padrón offers is the Padrón Serie 1926, created in 2002 in honor of Jose Padrón's 75th birthday, with the "1926" a reference to the family patriarch's birth year.<ref name=Shanken /> Consisting of 7 vitolas, each cigar features either a sun-grown habano natural or Maduro wrapper, and contains Nicaraguan tobacco aged for no less than five years. Just like the Padrón 1964 Anniversary blend, the Padrón Serie 1926 is box pressed and has 6 digit security codes on their bands to ensure against counterfeiting.
==External links==


The Padrón 1926 Serie Famous 75th, released in November of 2015, comes in a 5 x 54 box pressed robusto vitola, and is available in either a Nicaraguan habano or Nicaraguan habano maduro wrapper.
*[http://www.padron.com Official website]

Only 1500 boxes of each version are being produced, with box prices set at $210 and single stick prices at $21.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1.5em auto 1.5em auto"
|-
! Name
! [[Vitola]]
! Length (in.)
! Ring Gauge
|-
| No. 35
| align="center"|Rothschild (short Robusto)
| align="center"|4
| align="center"|48
|-
| No. 6
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|4 and ¾
| align="center"|50
|-
| No. 9
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|5 and ¼
| align="center"|56
|-
| No. 47
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|5 and ½
| align="center"|50
|-
| No. 90
| align="center"|Tubo
| align="center"|5 and ½
| align="center"|52
|-
| No. 2
| align="center"|Belicoso
| align="center"|5 and ½
| align="center"|52
|-
| No. 1
| align="center"|Toro
| align="center"|6 and ¾
| align="center"|54
|-
| 40th Anniversary
| align="center"|Torpedo
| align="center"|6 and ½
| align="center"|54
|-
| 75th Anniversary
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|5
| align="center"|54
|-
| 80th Anniversary
| align="center"|Figurado
| align="center"|6 and ¾
| align="center"|54
|-
|}

===Padron Family Reserve===

The fourth and final cigar blends that Padrón offers is the Padrón Family Reserve. They were first created in 2009, and each different blend was created to commemorate a special date to the company, with exception to the 85 year which was created for Jose Orlando Padrón's birthday. Consisting of 6 unique blends, each cigar features either a sun-grown habano natural or Maduro wrapper, and contains Nicaraguan tobacco aged for a minimum of ten years. Just like the Padrón 1964 Anniversary and Padrón Serie 1926 blends, all six blends are box pressed and have 6 digit security codes on their bands to ensure against counterfeiting.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1.5em auto 1.5em auto"
|-
! Name
! [[Vitola]]
! Length (in.)
! Ring Gauge
|-
| 44 Years
| align="center"|Torpedo
| align="center"|6
| align="center"|52
|-
| 45 Years
| align="center"|Toro
| align="center"|6
| align="center"|52
|-
| 46 Years
| align="center"|Robusto Grande
| align="center"|5 and ½
| align="center"|56
|-
| 50 Years
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|5
| align="center"|54
|-
| 50th Anniversary "The Hammer"
| align="center"|Toro
| align="center"|6 and ½
| align="center"|50
|-
| 85 Years
| align="center"|Robusto
| align="center"|5 and ¼
| align="center"|50
|-
|}

==Awards/Recognition/Ratings==

* Serie 1926 No. 9 was designated one of the [https://www.cigarsdirect.com/cigars/padron Best Padron Cigars] by [https://www.cigarsdirect.com Cigars Direct].
* Serie 1926 40th Anniversary was designated one of the [http://www.padron.com/news/news.php?articleID=10 25 Best Cigars of 2004] by [http://www.cigaraficionado.com Cigar Aficionado magazine].

Padrón has received numerous awards and high ratings from many respected cigar critics, connoisseurs and aficionados. The Thousand series has received over sixty one ratings, the lowest being an 88 and the highest being a 94 on a one hundred point scale. The Padrón 1964 Anniversary blend has received sixty two ratings, the lowest being a 90 and the highest being a 95 on a one hundred point scale. The Padrón Serie 1926 blend has received twenty seven ratings, the lowest being a 90 and the highest being a 97 on a 100-point scale. The special release Padrón 1964 Anniversary "A" received a rating of 91 twice, while the newest Padrón 1964 Anniversary "Millennium" has received no ratings.<ref>http://www.padron.com/ratings/ratings.php "Ratings". Padron Cigars. 2008.</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of cigar brands]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
{{reflist}}
*[http://www.padron.com Padrón Official website], padron.com/ Retrieved September 16, 2010.


{{DEFAULTSORT:Padron (Cigar Brand)}}
[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1964]]
[[Category:Cigar manufacturing companies]]
[[Category:Cigar brands]]
[[Category:Cigar brands]]
[[Category:1964 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Companies of Nicaragua]]

Latest revision as of 23:56, 29 October 2024

Piloto Cigars Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryCigar industry
FoundedMiami, United States (September 8, 1964 (1964-09-08))
FounderJosé Orlando Padrón
Headquarters,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
José Orlando Padrón, Founder and Executive Chairman
Jorge Padrón, President
Orlando Padrón, Vice President
ProductsPadrón Serie 1926, Padrón Serie 1964
Subsidiariescigar factory in Estelí, Nicaragua
Websitewww.padron.com
Footnotes / references
Carcinogenicity: IARC group 1

Piloto Cigars Inc. is a private company that produces the Padrón cigar brand from Nicaragua. Commonly known as Padrón Cigars, the company was founded in September 8, 1964,[1] in Miami, Florida, by Cuban-native José Orlando Padrón. In 1970, Padrón moved the company to Estelí, Nicaragua.[2]

Padrón Cigars is managed and curated by three generations of the Padrόn family, under the leadership of José O. Padrón, and Jorge Padrón. The company controls all aspects of cigar production, including tobacco growing, sorting, processing, cigar manufacturing, and distribution.[2]

Company history

[edit]

Origins

[edit]

Damaso Padrón, Jose Orlando Padrón's grandfather, immigrated to Cuba from the Canary Islands (Spain) in the middle 1800s when he was a young boy. As was designated in those days, the "isleños" (English: islanders) were made to work in the tobacco fields. With what little money they had, the Padrón family bought a small farm in the Pinar del Río region of Cuba, Las Obas. At that time they made $7 every 100 pounds (45 kg) of tobacco they cultivated in Cuba. From there, the Padrón family continued to buy farms around the Pinar del Río region including a factory in Piloto, where the name of Jose's company, Piloto Cigars, is derived.

Jose Orlando Padrón was born in 1926 in Cuba and grew up near the Pinar del Río region, famed for its tobacco. His family has been working in the tobacco industry since the 1850s, and, when Jose moved from Cuba in 1961 after his tobacco farm was nationalized by Fidel Castro, went to Spain, then New York, and then he brought over a century's worth of tobacco knowledge to Miami. In Miami, Jose earned $60 every month from government aid to Cuban refugees. After a friend gave him a small hammer, Jose obtained a carpentry job. It was this job that enabled him to raise the $600 to start his own cigar brand and business. To this day, the little hammer has been a symbol of Jose's start as a cigar blender and manufacturer.

Padrón produced 200 cigars a day, made in typical Cuban rolling style, with one torcedor. Padrón then came to the idea of making a new cigar, the "Fuma". Made completely from Connecticut broadleaf tobacco, many bought this cigar for its curly head cap, which resembled the traditional cigars from Cuba.

It soon became very limiting to deal only with Connecticut broadleaf tobacco because of its long curing process. Padrón was approached by a man from a tobacco company in Nicaragua touring around for potential buyers, who asked him to inspect his tobacco for its quality. Padrón thought very well of his tobacco and told him to come back after his trip to Europe so he may travel to Nicaragua and inspect the tobacco and the fields. There, in the Jalapa valley of Nicaragua, Padrón found the tobacco he would use for his cigars.

Move to Nicaragua

[edit]

Jose Padrón began using the Nicaraguan tobacco in 1967, but due to inability to meet the demands of his consumers, he moved his company to Estelí, Nicaragua in 1970 — a country with numerous political troubles at the time.[3] Padrón tried to remain apolitical during his stay in Nicaragua however, after riots broke out and Padrón's factory was burnt down, Jose began to search for another location for his business.

While the factory in Nicaragua was rebuilt soon after the disaster, another factory was established across the border in Honduras.[3] After the Sandinista rebellion and take over, there was much uncertainty at the Padrón factory as to what the workers were to do. Padrón asked them to continue working, and eventually Padrón returned to Nicaragua where he spoke to a Sandinista official, who promised him there would be no more problems with his factory.

Nicaraguan blockade

[edit]

A new problem arose for Padrón after making peace with the Sandinistas: the United States embargo against Nicaragua enacted by President Ronald Reagan on Nicaraguan products. Padrón scrambled to move as much tobacco and cigars from Nicaragua to Tampa, Florida during the 5 days allotted before the blockade took effect. He was later granted an extension by the U.S. government to continue to move his product for another 6 months, then, whatever stock he had left in Nicaragua, remained there. After the blockade lifted, Padrón shifted his main operation back to Nicaragua, where it still remains today.

Current history

[edit]

As President, Jorge is moving into the director's position for the company; making more trips to visit the factories in Estelí and working on the business end of the company. It is the intent of the Padrón family that Jorge will eventually take the main leadership role in the company one day.[4] Jose Orlando Padrón[5] passed away on December 5, 2017.

In 2003, the company opened a new 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m2) rolling facility in Estelí, Nicaragua, a building twice the size of the company's previous Estelí facility.[6] The new rolling center was the 17th building owned by Padrón in Estelí and brought the company's usable space in the city up to a total of 75,000 square feet (7,000 m2), mostly dedicated to the storage of tobacco.[6] At that time the company maintained an inventory sufficient for more than 25 million cigars — six years' worth of production.

Product line

[edit]
Examples of Padrón's three most common production series: a standard Padrón cigar (top); an Anniversary series (middle); and a Serie 1926 (bottom).

The Padrón cigar company makes three different blends of cigar, all with their own unique flavor and sizes. They also offer cigars and many different price points.

Padrón Series

[edit]

There are fifteen vitolas in the Padrón series. Each is available in a natural and a maduro wrapper. With the exception of the Corticos, the band for all of the vitolas is brown with "Padrón" and "Handmade" in white lettering. The wrapper, filler, and binder leaves are all sun-grown habano from Nicaragua, aged two-and-one-half years.[7]

Name Vitola Length (in.) Ring Gauge
Delicias Corona Extra 4 7/8 46
2000 Robusto 5 50
Londres Corona 5 ½ 42
3000 Robusto 5 ½ 52
5000 Robusto 5 ½ 56
Palmas Corona 6 ½ 42
4000 Double Corona 6 ½ 54
Panatela Panatela 6 7/8 36
6000 Torpedo 5 ½ 52
Ambassador Lonsdale 6 7/8 42
Churchill Churchill 6 7/8 46
Executive Churchill 7 ½ 50
Magnum Giant 9 50
7000 Toro 6 ¼ 60
Corticos 4 ¼ 35

Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series

[edit]

In 1994, Padrón introduced the 1964 Anniversary Series, in celebration of the company's 30-year anniversary.[8] Like the regular Padrón series, these cigars are made entirely from Nicaraguan-grown tobacco, and are available in both natural and maduro wrappers[8] The series is limited in its production and to assure authenticity, the company labels each individual cigar with its own 6-digit serial number.[8]

Name Vitola Length (in.) Ring Gauge
Diplomatico Double Corona 7 50
Piramide Pyramid 6 7/8 52
Exclusivo Robusto 5 ½ 50
Monarca Grand Corona 6 ½ 46
Superior Lonsdale 6 ½ 42
Corona Long corona 6 42
Principe Corona extra 4 ½ 46
Imperial Toro 6 54
Torpedo Torpedo 6 52

Padron Serie 1926

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The third cigar blend Padrón offers is the Padrón Serie 1926, created in 2002 in honor of Jose Padrón's 75th birthday, with the "1926" a reference to the family patriarch's birth year.[3] Consisting of 7 vitolas, each cigar features either a sun-grown habano natural or Maduro wrapper, and contains Nicaraguan tobacco aged for no less than five years. Just like the Padrón 1964 Anniversary blend, the Padrón Serie 1926 is box pressed and has 6 digit security codes on their bands to ensure against counterfeiting.

The Padrón 1926 Serie Famous 75th, released in November of 2015, comes in a 5 x 54 box pressed robusto vitola, and is available in either a Nicaraguan habano or Nicaraguan habano maduro wrapper.

Only 1500 boxes of each version are being produced, with box prices set at $210 and single stick prices at $21.

Name Vitola Length (in.) Ring Gauge
No. 35 Rothschild (short Robusto) 4 48
No. 6 Robusto 4 and ¾ 50
No. 9 Robusto 5 and ¼ 56
No. 47 Robusto 5 and ½ 50
No. 90 Tubo 5 and ½ 52
No. 2 Belicoso 5 and ½ 52
No. 1 Toro 6 and ¾ 54
40th Anniversary Torpedo 6 and ½ 54
75th Anniversary Robusto 5 54
80th Anniversary Figurado 6 and ¾ 54

Padron Family Reserve

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The fourth and final cigar blends that Padrón offers is the Padrón Family Reserve. They were first created in 2009, and each different blend was created to commemorate a special date to the company, with exception to the 85 year which was created for Jose Orlando Padrón's birthday. Consisting of 6 unique blends, each cigar features either a sun-grown habano natural or Maduro wrapper, and contains Nicaraguan tobacco aged for a minimum of ten years. Just like the Padrón 1964 Anniversary and Padrón Serie 1926 blends, all six blends are box pressed and have 6 digit security codes on their bands to ensure against counterfeiting.

Name Vitola Length (in.) Ring Gauge
44 Years Torpedo 6 52
45 Years Toro 6 52
46 Years Robusto Grande 5 and ½ 56
50 Years Robusto 5 54
50th Anniversary "The Hammer" Toro 6 and ½ 50
85 Years Robusto 5 and ¼ 50

Awards/Recognition/Ratings

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Padrón has received numerous awards and high ratings from many respected cigar critics, connoisseurs and aficionados. The Thousand series has received over sixty one ratings, the lowest being an 88 and the highest being a 94 on a one hundred point scale. The Padrón 1964 Anniversary blend has received sixty two ratings, the lowest being a 90 and the highest being a 95 on a one hundred point scale. The Padrón Serie 1926 blend has received twenty seven ratings, the lowest being a 90 and the highest being a 97 on a 100-point scale. The special release Padrón 1964 Anniversary "A" received a rating of 91 twice, while the newest Padrón 1964 Anniversary "Millennium" has received no ratings.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Padrón Cigars | Cigar Selection | Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series
  2. ^ a b Cigar Aficionado | Cigar Stars | Jorge Padrón
  3. ^ a b c Marvin R. Shanken, Cigar Aficionado's Cigar Companion. Philadelphia, PA: Running Press, 2005; pg. 58.
  4. ^ http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Archives/CA_Show_Article/0,2322,410,00.html "An Interview with Jose Padron: Chairman, Piloto Cigars Inc." Cigar Aficionado. Published: September/October 1998.
  5. ^ Inc., M. Shanken Communications. "Death of a Master: José Orlando Padrón". Cigar Aficionado. Retrieved 2017-12-05. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ a b David Savona, "Nicaragua: The New Start for Nicaragua." Archived 2010-02-10 at the Wayback Machine Cigar Aficionado, November/December 2003.
  7. ^ "Padron - 40 Years of Dedication". Archived from the original on 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  8. ^ a b c Perelman's Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars. Los Angeles: Perelman, Pioneer, and Company, 2004; pg. 402.
  9. ^ http://www.padron.com/ratings/ratings.php "Ratings". Padron Cigars. 2008.
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