The Padron 1926 Serie No.2 Maduro arrives with its signature box-pressed torpedo silhouette measuring 5.5" x 52. This Nicaraguan puro comes in boxes of 24 sticks that'll set you back about $500 - the kind of smoke you break out when celebrating big wins. Dark oily maduro wrapper hides 5-year-aged tobaccos underneath, promising that full-bodied kick Padron loyalists chase.
Cold draw punches you with black soil and leathery musk. First third burns straight razors of espresso and dark chocolate through nasal passages - no subtlety here. Transition brings burnt caramel sweetness riding shotgun with white pepper. Final act throws curveballs: damp cedar, roasted almonds, and that signature Nicaraguan earthiness demanding bourbon chasers.
The box-press holds tight even through aggressive puffing. Ash stacks like volcanic rock in 1.5" segments - textbook Padron combustion. Oil streaks appear post-second third warning of the nicotine payload incoming. Pair with sweet espresso or peated Scotch to cut through the intensity.
These Estelí-grown leaves bake under Nicaraguan sun before 5-year fermentation in Padron's bales. That maduro wrapper? 8-month extended fermentation creates the molasses-kissed surface. Each stick's hand-rolled in the same Little Havana factory since 2002 - consistency carved in tobacco.
