Padilla Cigars started to revamp their portfolio last year, and now offer the Reserva line of cigars which is made by Oliva (who now also distributes the cigars). The Reserva line is available in a Maduro and a Habano, and both blends are quite good, but it left the brand lacking a mild cigar. So earlier this year they announced the Padilla Connecticut which has made its way to retailer shelves.
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Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Seed
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Strength: Mild
Body: Full
Flavor: Full
Cigars Smoked For Review: 2
Rating: 89
MSRP: $8.00
Construction and Appearance: Like the rest of the Padilla Reserva line, the Connecticut features two bands. The top one is the same style as the other two lines, but has a much richer color scheme with gold and black tracing and the lion as a penciled outline on a white background. In my opinion, this is one of the nicer bands out there. It is simple, yet beautiful. The second band is a small band right below which designates it as a Padilla Connecticut, written in black on gold.
The wrapper of the Padilla Connecticut Robusto is a rich light golden brown with mild veins and a nice oil to it. The cap is very neat and tight, and there are no soft spots that I can detect on the sample I’m smoking for review.
Flavor and Notes: The wrapper of the Padilla Connecticut Robusto has notes of sweet grass and a little bit of a cedar. The foot has a scent of cedar, grass, and a light spice. To prepare smoking the Padilla Connecticut Robusto I use a straight cut, and on the cold draw there are flavors of nuts, cedar, hay, and a light bit of spice.
Smoking Characteristics: The Padilla Connecticut Robusto starts out with a very light blend of spices, hardly a blast in any way. The profile has a bit of cedar and a rich grassy flavor. The first few draws offer some restistance, but it quickly opens up providing a nice full body of the rich, cool, smooth, creamy smoke. After the first few puffs, the spice backs off a bit and there is a nice mix of cedar, sweet grass, and cream. The strength is mild, fulfilling the expectations of a Connecticut wrapped cigar.
Into the second third of the Padilla Connecticut Robusto, the flavor remains fairly consistent. The dominant flavor is still a nice rich cedar, along with a bit of sweet grass, cream, and an underlying light spice. The flavor in this third is a bit more smooth, and a touch sweeter with almost a light vanilla lingering on the palate between draws. The draw remains excellent, and the smoke production is quite high. The ash holds firmly well past the inch point, and the burn hasn’t required any corrections at this point.
During the final third of the Padilla Connecticut Robusto, the flavor remains much the same as the first two thirds. There are still notes of a rich cedar, sweet grass, cream, a light spice, and a light vanilla finishing on the palate between draws. The strength remains mild, and the draw remains excellent. The ash holds firmly well past the inch point, and there have been no burn corrections at all. The Padilla Connecticut Robusto smokes cool to the nub, remaining quite firm, and not souring at all.
Conclusion: It seems that most Connecticut shade cigars tend to fall in one of two categories to me. The first is the typical Connecticut shade, which is mild, grassy, smooth, nutty, and a little creamy. The second is one that shakes things up a bit, either with an added kick of strength, or much bolder flavor. In my opinion the Padilla Connecticut Robusto falls in the first category. It is a nice solid Connecticut shade cigar, but doesn’t really push the envelope at all. When I am in the mood for a Connecticut shade, the Padilla would do just fine, and I’d likely reach for it over many other selections on the shelf.