As a four-time winner of Cigar of the Year, and placement in the top 10 bracket every year since the Top 25 list has existed, Padrón is the most highly decorated cigar brand in the premium market. Its consistency is nothing short of remarkable and the 1964 Anniversary Series is the brand that transformed Padrón from a small producer of inexpensive smokes to a marquee name in handmade cigars.

The brand was born in 1994 when Jorge Padrón proposed making a more expensive cigar with aged tobacco to celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary. His father, company founder José Orlando Padrón, agreed, and the cigars have been sought after ever since. Most of the sizes in the line are quite large, but the small, box-pressed Principe succeeds in conveying all the personality of the 1964 Anniversary Series in a shorter format. Each puff seems to pour a creamy, cappuccino-like smoke onto the palate, along with the brand’s signature notes of refined milk chocolate. 

Contrary to typical industry practice, Padrón does not put its cigars in an aging room after rolling. According to the company, the tobacco has already been adequately aged and is ready to smoke as soon as the cigar is constructed. We agree.