JC Newman

April 14, 2019

Padilla Finest Hour Sungrown Robusto (5 x 52)






Video review HERE.


(Description taken from Cigar-Coop.com website)
Padilla Cigar Company has a new line that is inspired by celebrated cigar enthusiast Winston Churchill.

Padilla Finest Hour is a 3 blend line.

Padilla Finest Hour draws its inspiration from Churchill’s legendary “This was their finest hour” speech that he delivered to the House of Commons on June 18, 1940 as Great Britain was in the midst of the Second World War.

There will be three blends. The Padilla Finest Hour Connecticut will feature an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over a double Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Honduras. Finest Hour Sungrown is a 100% Nicaraguan puro highlighted by a Habano seed wrapper. Finally, Finest Hour Oscuro features a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, double Nicaraguan binder and a combination of Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. All three blends will be offered in three sizes: Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 52), and 6 x 60. Each size is presented in 20-count boxes. The company is not disclosing the factory name.

Today we look at the sungrown. I have only one sample so this will be a first impression review.

Finest Hour Sungrown
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Not Disclosed
Factory: Not Disclosed

Robusto: 5 x 52 REVIEWED TODAY
Toro: 6 x 52
6 x 60: 6 x 60



The cigar is a reddish brown and a little light in the hand.





The test draw after cutting the cap was effortless. The initial flavors at light up were an apple, table sugar, bitter nutmeg, leather, and a light black coffee. There was white pepper which I rated at a 7. The apple flavor was rather unique. I would expect an all Nicaraguan cigar to have a citrus or cedar flavor so the apple flavor was a surprise for me.




At the first third (19 minutes) some of the bitterness in the nutmeg has gone away but not all of it. The lead flavor continues to be an apple. The leather is light. The coffee is light. The cigar is mild to medium bodied, which is also a surprise. The cigar is not popping with me at this stage. This is not a typical Nicaraguan cigar. I rated the first third at 85.




At the second third (40 minutes) there was a touch of cedar that appeared with the apple flavor. The table sugar is still the sweetness. The leather is a little more pronounced. The nutmeg still has some bitterness. The black coffee is very light. The cigar is medium bodied at this point. The finish is nutmeg, apple, and leather with decent lingering black pepper. (yes, black pepper on the finish) The cigar is not moving in a positive direction for me yet. I rated the second third at 84.




The cigar lasted 57 minutes. In the final third I lost some sweetness due to the elevated leather and black coffee notes. The cigar is medium bodied and the finish is unchanged. This cigar did not hit on many cylinders with me. The lead flavor continued to be a light cedar, mostly apple flavor with basic table sugar sweetness, bitter nutmeg, and at this point elevated leather and black coffee. I rated the final third at 83.


Overall Score: 84

No comments: