On 14 January I reviewed the Padrón 3000 Natural, an attractive, full-bodied 5.5 x 52 cigar.  Here I shall review the very same Padrón vitola, but one clothed in the maduro wrapper.  I found many similarities -- and some interesting differences.  In both cases the renowned Padrón quality shone through.

The previously-reviewed natural had been so deep brown in color that the maduro before me hardly seemed darker.  This second Padrón 3000 was indeed a beautiful chocolate brown.  An oily maduro, it appeared to be slightly box-pressed -- I do not recall the natural having been at all rectangluar.  It looked well-made, giving an overall impression of quality workmanship.  The feel in the hand was medium to light.

The lightup was smooth but powerful.  This was quality tobacco for sure.  My wife immediately appreciated the aroma.  The dominant factor in the initial profile was cedar; flavor was abundant without being strong.  This cigar was delicious, I remarked -- like biting into a steak.  There was some cocoa; smooth but full, this maduro might have been marginally milder than the natural.

A compact whitish ash an inch in length had built up during the first fifteen minutes.  At one and a half inches it was still firmly in place, and had developed a light gray, mottled appearance.  The cigar was burning flawlessly -- a sign of excellent construction, as was the silky medium draw, which I considered to be ideal.

At the 1/3 mark, a coffee character began to emerge.  But a smooth, cedary flavor remained dominant, while cocoa was becoming an ever greater part of the complex flavor profile.  This cigar had a beautiful, sun-ripened character, but not much aroma for others in the room.  (It was definitely a smoker's smoke, not a bystander's.)

But for me, it was delightful.  In much the same way that one can taste the peaty soil of the Isle of Islay in a Laphroaig single-malt Scotch, this cigar reminded me of its origins -- I could almost sense the warmth of the Nicaraguan sunshine and the smell of the rich, black earth.  The finish was the best part; long and complex, the experience seemingly took me to the humid Central American tobacco fields and the aromatic Padrón curing rooms.

At the halfway mark the taste of dry, dark cocoa began to take over.  The character had continued to change, becoming stronger, more powerful.  Soon the smoke began to lose its smoothness and seemed somewhat more serious.  There was an earthy note to the flavor now, but not too much; this had been a pleasant and welcome change.

One hour into the cigar, when 1-3/4 inches of stick remained, the flavor had become a rich, earthy mix of cocoa, ripe tobacco, and aromatic cedar.  The finish had become much spicier, even sweeter, than before.  Like the natural version of this vitola, the maduro was pleasureable down to the knuckle-burning stage.  It provided one and one-half hours of relaxation, contemplation, and enjoyment.

The appearance, construction and flavor of the Padrón 3000 Maduro were all exepmlary.  This was a smoke of top-notch quality.  I would not hesitate to declare the Padrón 3000 Maduro to be highly recommended.