Beer Review Dude

This week, Aaron and I are back for another joint cigar review. We’re reviewing the Padron Family Reserve No. 45 Natural cigar, a super premium, very limited new cigar from Padron Cigars. Below is the story from Padron’s website about the origins of the Family Reserve.

The Little Hammer

A Story

In 1962, I arrived in Miami, an unknown city in a foreign land. I had to start from zero. At first, I received $60 monthly, as government aid given to Cuban refugees. I was thirty-six years old, strong, and in good health. Every time I cashed that check, I felt like a burden on the country that had taken me in. For many days, I looked for a job and did not find one. Every night, I went home and thought of the future. I was determined to do something so that I could support my family.

One day, Raul Fernandez, a friend who worked in the Cuban Refugee Office asked if I had any carpentry skills. I said I did. He gave me a gift – a small hammer – which he asked me to put to good use. The hammer made me feel I had the necessary tool to become self-sufficient and not depend on a government hand-out. During the days, I worked as a gardener. At nights, I did carpentry with the hammer.

My dream was to save enough money to open a factory to make great cigars, like the ones we used to smoke in Cuba. Through a lot of sacrifice and hard work, I managed to save $600 – money I made working with the hammer. With that, I made my dream come true and opened Padrón Cigars in 1964.

I still have the hammer as a reminder of how it all started. More than forty years later…The hammer is still here and so is Padrón Cigars, the brand the hammer helped build.

José O. Padrón

The story behind this cigar is certainly an interesting one, and I hope you enjoy our review of the cigar. Thanks for watching and, until next time, happy smoking!

Hey guys,

I decided to start a new weekly segment called the Question of the Week. In these posts, I will pose a question to you, the reader. Feel free to respond in the comments section, where you can also reply to other comments with our “threaded comments” feature. Anyway, on to the Question of the Week.

What country of origin do your favorite cigars come from?

For me, Nicaragua has the best tobacco on the planet right now. Most of my favorite cigars contain at least some Nicaraguan tobacco, but generally Nicaraguan tobacco is the majority in quite a few of my favorites. Brands like Tatuaje, Don Pepin Garcia, Illusione, Padron, and Oliva all use Nicaraguan tobacco, and these brands are among some of my all time favorites.