Padron 1926 Series No.9 Maduro

The Padron 1926 Serie No. 9 Maduro is the cigar that won Cigar Aficionado's #1 Cigar of the Year in 2007 — and nearly two decades later, it still smokes like it owns the title. The 1926 Serie was created to honor José Padron's 75th birthday, and the No. 9 is its most decorated vitola: a 5¼ × 56 box-pressed robusto gordo, hand-rolled in Estelí, Nicaragua, from sun-grown tobaccos aged a minimum of five years. The Maduro wrapper is fermented longer and darker, converting the leaf's starches into the natural sweetness this cigar is famous for.

Construction

Classic 1926: a firm, precisely squared box-press, dark oily wrapper with minimal veins, and a cold draw of dark chocolate and raisin. The burn line stays razor sharp, the ash stacks in dense inch-long segments, and the draw is calibrated dead-center — never tight, never loose.

Flavor profile

Full-bodied and rich rather than aggressive. The first third opens with dark cocoa, espresso, and a soft black pepper. The middle third sweetens — molasses, roasted nuts, and dark-roast coffee come forward. The final third deepens into leather and bittersweet chocolate with a long, warm finish. The retrohale is sweet and toasty throughout. Give it 60–75 unhurried minutes.

Pairings & occasion

This is an after-dinner cigar, full stop. Pair it with a bold bourbon (Booker's, Knob Creek 120), a peated Scotch (Lagavulin 16), an añejo rum, or a double espresso. The Maduro's sweetness can stand up to the biggest pairing on your shelf.

How we ship

Every Padron 1926 in our humidor is hand-inspected before shipping. Free shipping on orders over $50.