Speak the name Padrón in a room full of cigar smokers, and you'll see faces light up with knowing looks of approval, enthusiasm, as well as curiosity. It's similar to saying "Ferrari" among a group of sports car enthusiasts. Those fortunate enough to have driven one beam with approval. Excitement comes to the eyes of those driving soon. And curiosity covers the faces of those who've heard tales of greatness but are still discovering the path. Imagine the look on a smoking friend's face after gifting them one of our Padrón cigar samplers. It would most likely be a combination of shock, excitement, anticipation, and extreme gratitude.
The Padrón family is cigar royalty. And it’s not hard to understand why with multiple Cigar of the Year wins, unmatched consistency, and unmistakable signature flavors. Trust us—take a bunch of sticks and remove the labels before smoking. When you hit a Padrón, you’ll know it instantly.
So what makes Padrón cigar samplers so exceptional? For starters, the tricky thing here is finding a Padrón that is not exceptional, let alone an entire sampler. A great example is the 97-rated 1926 Natural, which commemorates Jose Padron’s 75th birthday with a complex smoke that is full-bodied and smooth. Another is the Family Reserve No. 44, with its dark and tasty Maduro wrapper covering 10-year-aged tobacco. As we said, it’s hard to find a Padrón that doesn’t make you want to shout glowing reviews from your rooftop.
No matter your pleasure, Padrón cigar samplers deliver that and more. The story of Padrón Cigars begins long before José Orlando Padrón beat back adversity through a famed hammer's work. The Padrón story goes all the way back to Damaso Padrón, who immigrated to Cuba from the Spanish Canary Islands as a young boy in the mid-1800s. As an immigrant, Padrón went to work in the tobacco fields. After the family saved some money, they purchased a small farm in the Pinar del Río region. The Padrón family worked hard, continued to buy farms in the region, and eventually added a factory in Piloto, hence the name Piloto Cigars which produces the Padrón cigar brand.
José Orlando Padrón was born in the Pinar del Río region in 1926. He learned and worked in the family business until he was offered a management position in the early 1950s at a local copper mine. The mine halted operations during the Cuban uprising against the Batista dictatorship. José Orlando felt strongly about the democratic principles Castro then championed and ultimately joined the fight.
After Castro seized power in 1959, José Orlando was offered a government post which he declined. Then, after the new government nationalized the Padrón farm in 1961, José Orlando left for Spain. As the story goes, he left just in time as he was wanted by Castro’s intelligence corps. José Orlando’s stint in Spain was short-lived, and he eventually settled in Miami by way of New York.
At the time, Cuban refugees received $60 per month in government aid. But the young, able-bodied Padrón wanted more than a handout. A friend asked José Orlando if he knew carpentry. After replying that he did, the friend gifted him a small hammer. With hammer in hand, Padrón felt the independence for which he longed. By day he would garden. At night it was carpentry.
José Orlando saved up $600, and his dream to manufacture excellent cigars again like those of Cuba was realized with the opening of Padrón Cigars in 1964. In Miami, Padrón produced around 200 cigars per day with the help of a single roller. It was during this time that he began making fuma cigars. The fuma is constructed entirely from Connecticut broadleaf tobacco and has a curly cap that resembles traditional Cuban cigars. It was for this reason that so many flocked to the cigar.
Those first Padrón cigar samplers were humble but undeniably good enough to propel the company forward.
Due to the long curing process of Connecticut broadleaf tobacco, Padrón realized that he was limiting his operation. A man from a Nicaraguan tobacco company traveling around searching for buyers asked José Orlando to gauge the quality of his tobacco. José thought highly of this tobacco and soon found himself touring Nicaragua's Jalapa valley's tobacco fields.
In 1967 Padrón began using Nicaraguan tobacco in Padrón cigar samplers, but demand quickly exceeded supply. In 1970 the company moved to Nicaragua only to have its factory burnt down in 1978 during the Nicaraguan civil war. They would rebuild this factory and establish another across the border in Honduras.
Padrón would continue to face and overcome obstacles as he built his empire, though he never took his eyes off the prize to create sticks like those of Cuba. José Orlando passed in 2017 with Padrón on top. Today the brand is in good hands with José Orlando's son Jorge and other family members overseeing operations.
We can't wait to see what's in store for Padrón moving forward.
Please browse our selection of Padrón cigar samplers at your leisure.
