Back in late 2020, Jeffrey Amendola, owner of Amendola Family Cigars, announced the company would be relocating the manufacturing of their cigars to different production factories. One of those was the company’s Padrino cigar which is now being produced at Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez. The Padrino falls under the Amendola Signature Series line of Cigars. Originally, the Padrino used an Indonesian Sumatra wrapper and was expressed in a (6 x 54) wedge vitola. With the move to Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez, the revamped Padrino is now expressed in a (5 3/4 x 52) belicoso and substitutes a Connecticut broadleaf for the wrapper.
Though we know the wrapper, the company continues to keep the rest of the blend secret.
- Wrapper – Connecticut broadleaf
- Binder – Undisclosed
- Filler – Undisclosed
The Amendola Signature Series Padrino is expressed in single (5 3/4 x 52) belicoso and comes packaged in a 20-count boxes with an MSRP of $11.00/cigar.
In case you are wondering, the name Padrino translates into “godfather” with is a revered term for a man in the roman catholic faith. The godfather takes a solemn vow to stand up for the new child during baptism and to be there in the event any thing should happen to the child’s father.
Pre-Light Examination
The Amendola Signature Series Padrino is a beautifully constructed cigar with a dark brown wrapper that has minimal veins and a mild tooth to the touch. It has a well applied cap and exhibits tight seams. The packing seems tight and firm with no soft spats detected in the roll.
Three bands adorn the Padrino. The primary band uses a purple and silver motif with the Amendola Family Cigars logo proudly centered. There is a secondary band placed directly below which declares it as the Padrino. Finally a violet satin footer band finishes the adornments.
As I ran the Padrino across the nose, I did not detect much of an aroma off the barrel but the foot exuded lightly pungent notes with a hint of spice.
Using my double blade cutter, I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder and proceeded to give it some draw puffs that I found to be just fine with restriction. Notes of fruity plum and growing pepper warmed up the palate for the journey I was about to embark on.
Using my triple flame torch, I warmed the foot slowly to an even orange glow and drew in the first puffs of peppery and dark chocolaty smoke. Follow along as I burn the Patrino to ash.
Cigar Review Notes
- Peppery notes hit off the first few puffs
- White and slightly flaky ash develops on top of a thin char line
- Bitter (good) dark chocolate fills in the early profile, blending well with the pepper
- Floral notes join the mix
- Smoke output is rich and chewy
- Vanilla cream sweetness adds to the pleasure
- Ash fell revealing a decent burn cone
- Dark chocolate continues as the primary core
- Strength start to increase
- A light citrus after note lingers on the palate
- Black licorice nuances develop moving through the second third
- Evolving caramel notes move in towards the final third
- Medium to Full in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 30 minutes
Final Analysis
The Amendola Signature Series Padrino Belicoso was what I expected from this partnership between Jeffrey Amendola and AJ Fernandez. It was a delicious, well preforming cigar that offered a fine array of nuanced flavors that the best of palates would appreciate. The transitions and consistent under core of dark chocolate definitely kept my palate interested from foot to nub. Construction wise, it was a quite decent, with just a mild jag in the burn and a little more flakiness in the ash than I prefer. This is worth grabbing a fiver of for sure. I rate the Padrino a 92.
Point Deductions: (-1) Mild Jag in Burn; (-1) Slightly Flaky Ash
