The next set of reviews I am doing will be a variety of Padilla cigars, courtesy of our good friends over at Cigars Direct. The first cigar I will be reviewing is the Padilla Habano Churchill. Ernesto Padilla, the owner of Padilla Cigars, whose father was a world-renowned poet, is of Cuban heritage, so when he puts Habano on a cigar, you expect good things.
And, perhaps, that’s what this cigar suffers from, is lofty expectations due in part to the name of the brand. If anyone could bring the essence of great Cuban cigars, you would think Ernesto could do it. I would affirm that he has done this with success in some of his other lines, but the Habano falls short of the mark. I have found that the Padilla cigars which have been most successful were manufactured by Don Pepin Garcia’s fantastic factory, El Rey de los Habanos. The Habano, on the other hand, is made in Nicaragua by Abdel Fernandez, who is a respected cigarmaker, but not on the level of Don Pepin. It is not uncommon for brands to have different lines made by different makers, but I think this is a dangerous tact because what the brand stands for becomes diluted. The Habano brings to mind a lot of the downsides of Nicaraguan cigars, which is to say a harshness and lack of interesting flavor at times. It seems to me that people often look to Nicaragua to find the strength of tobacco they want, but sacrifice flavor and allure in the process.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give the Habano a 5. I would also pay close attention Padilla’s news in the future, because Ernesto and Don Pepin Garcia recently parted ways, and Ernesto is looking to set up his own factory in Miami.
