The Padrón 1964 Anniversary Series was released in 1994 when the company celebrated 30 years in business. The cigar was made by company founder (and Cuban émigré) José Orlando Padrón and his son Jorge. The idea was to make a high-end cigar from exceptional tobaccos with more age. Before 1994, Padrón’s production was mostly made up of its flagship brown-label brand. It was a good cigar at a good price—and still is—but a creation for an anniversary as big as 30 years had to be taken to the next level. The final product was a cigar of sun-grown, Cuban-seed tobaccos from Nicaragua. It was José’s idea to give the cigars the signature box-pressing. He wanted a smoke that resembled the cigars he used to enjoy in Cuba. “Not that we invented the box-press,” said Jorge Padrón, “but at the time there weren’t any box-pressed cigars in the market.” Rated 93 on Cigar Aficionado, this box pressed torpedo is “profoundly nutty and cedary with balancing sweetness. Chocolate, honey and leather notes all resound on the finish.” Cigar of the Year winner 2021
