What do you guys think of the Padron 1964 Anniversaries?

[Sonic04GT]

Local Spec's Liquor has them in their own separate locked humidor for $10-20 a stick. I have an $8 credit and was thinking of putting it towards one of them. I have a Padron (5000 or 6000 I believe) that I received in a bomb but I haven't smoked it yet. It's back home in the FL humidor. Connecticut or Maduro?

http://www.lolzilla.net/images/7759097.jpg
http://www.lolzilla.net/images/3683438.jpg

[MurphysLaw]

The underband should have a serial number on it, make sure its there before you spend the cash. The Padron principe's are great little smokes, I'd highly recommend you trying some.

[Sonic04GT]

The underband should have a serial number on it, make sure its there before you spend the cash. The Padron principe's are great little smokes, I'd highly recommend you trying some.

You mean on the bottom of the cigar? Or are you implying I rip the band off and look underneath haha

This is the one I have at home. Not sure what kind.
http://www.lolzilla.net/images/4951059.jpg

[MurphysLaw]

You might be able to slide the upper band up a little to make sure the serial number is on the green and white underband, it should look something like this:

http://cigarfan.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/2009-best-cigar.jpg

[mash]

You mean on the bottom of the cigar? Or are you implying I rip the band off and look underneath haha

This is the one I have at home. Not sure what kind.
http://www.lolzilla.net/images/4951059.jpg

The second band should be visible under the band with "1964" on it because it extends below it. I see both bands on the picture you took.
The Principes are great, so are the Exclusivos. Maduro is my preference.

[Sonic04GT]

Had no clue. Thanks for the heads up guys. I'll pick up one up maybe tomorrow. Any wrapper preference? I'm too new to really distinguish which one I like more.

[Scottw]

MADURO!! In my humble opinion.

[Sonic04GT]

MADURO!! In my humble opinion.

Well in my opinion they do have a more elegantly tasty look ;) Likely what I'll get.

[MurphysLaw]

+1 for the maduro the 64 maduro is one of my favorites

[Ogre]

Maduro, can't go wrong with the Maduro

[icehog3]

I prefer the maduro on the '64s, and the natural on the '26s.

[akumushi]

I'm not a huge maduro fan in general, but the 64 Principe maduros are one of my all time favorite NCs. :tu

[Doctorossi]

It's a little suspicious to me that the serial number is not visible on any of the cigars in that pic. And, I don't want to be an alarmist, but I've seen an awful lot of Padron Anniversaries in my day and, to a one, they've all had "drier", rougher-looking wrappers than those. I don't know- it could just be the lighting/photography, but between that and the serial number underbands, my red flag is saying PEEK-A-BOO!

[ApexAZ]

I have one waiting for me in my humidor that I'm really looking forward to try!

[T.G]

It's a little suspicious to me that the serial number is not visible on any of the cigars in that pic. And, I don't want to be an alarmist, but I've seen an awful lot of Padron Anniversaries in my day and, to a one, they've all had "drier", rougher-looking wrappers than those. I don't know- it could just be the lighting/photography, but between that and the serial number underbands, my red flag is saying PEEK-A-BOO!

:tpd:

The first thing that caught my eye is that no serial number is visible on any of the cigars, it's like every gold band has been meticulously placed to cover up the area where the S/N should be.

Next thing, and this might just be the photography through the glass with a cell phone camera, those bands look flat - Padron and the dots on the sides of the band should be raised.

Lastly, the gold looks "wrong" and the lettering doesn't seem sharp. Again, this could be the camera, light and the display case.

[ChicagoWhiteSox]

The maduro 64 and maduro 26, any size will do, are some of my favorite NC's.
Posted via Mobile Device

[T.G]

Looking at a PAM64 now to make sure my memory is correct...

The serial number band and the gold band are stuck together slightly to prevent slipping.

I could see one or two bands sliding, but all of them?

Also, even if the top band slid down, the serial numbers and the "No " designation are so long that at least part of it should peek out from either side of the gold band.

Not getting a good feeling about those.

[DaBear]

I'm surprised no one's commented on the color of the "naturals" on the right. That was my first flag. I have never seen a natural with much of a difference in color from the maduros(pretty much always had to rely on the box to be sure). Also the prices on those look a little low, especially for a store that doesn't sound like it specializes in cigars. Then throw in the lack of the serial numbers, I HIGHLY doubt those are legit.

That said, the 64 maduros are my second favorite stick(a very close second to Hemingway Maduros(save for the WOAM, which I dislike comparatively)). Try one if you can find it.

[Jason]

price, bands, serial number 2nd band and the 'natural's' light wrapper all throw up red flags for sure. Unusual to hear of these being faked but at the prices they go for I'd think it an attractive candidate

[DaBear]

price, bands, serial number 2nd band and the 'natural's' light wrapper all throw up red flags for sure. Unusual to hear of these being faked but at the prices they go for I'd think it an attractive candidate

Its not that unusual to hear of them being faked as thats the reason they added the second band, but its definitely not common. I've never personally seen fakes.

[Sonic04GT]

I find it kind of weird that a store as reputable as Spec's would purchase or stumble upon fake cigars. I noticed both of their stores I've been to (in different cities) have smaller locked humidors within the walk-in that contain these.

I'm going to the other store tomorrow so I'll see what those look like.

[Dave128]

At my B&M, the '26s get locked up, not the '64s. At least, that's what I found this weekend.

[HumanAsh]

The 1964 maduro is absolutely an all-time favorite of mine, no question. One of the top few cigars on the market at any price imo, while the 26s are certainly no slouch, I prefer the 64s. That said, I agree with some of the others in this thread that based on those pics there is a chance they're fakes. If the shop has a good reputation they're probably real, but make sure that 2nd band is there and looks like the other pic posted here. I've never seen a fake one before, but I have heard from many sources that they do exist.

If you're unsure, I heard about some website that has 100% guaranteed authentic ones and sells singles for prices like the ones you see there....... ;-)

[RevSmoke]

First, there should be 2 bands, a second one under the top band. On the band underneath there will be a serial number (see Brian's picture in post #4 in this thread). If need be, take one out and look to see if there are two bands. If not, put it back and walk away.

Yes, I agree that the colors of the two wrappers should be closer. I have never seen PAM '64 maduros look that dark.

If these are legit - or you can get legitimate PAM '64 Principes, I love the maduro better than the natural.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[Doctorossi]

Yes, I agree that the colors of the two wrappers should be closer. I have never seen PAM '64 maduros look that dark.

Right. And I've never seen the naturals look that light (or, more precisely, yellow-greenish and "Connecticut-y"), either.

[AmsterDan]

Right. And I've never seen the naturals look that light (or, more precisely, yellow-greenish and "Connecticut-y"), either.

Agreed ... The serial number wasn't visible in the pictures, maybe because of the band covering them up, so the next thing you can look for is colour. First off all, as mentioned before, they are too light (which I didn't notice until I read this) but what I did notice is the difference in colours.

[Sonic04GT]

Well this is what I found at the local Spec's.

http://www.lolzilla.net/images/9030048.jpg
http://www.lolzilla.net/images/2811469.jpg
http://www.lolzilla.net/images/6851230.jpg

[ApexAZ]

Some of those appear to have serial numbers.

[Sonic04GT]

Some of those appear to have serial numbers.

Yeah most of them did. Damn those things are pricey though.

[Neuromancer]

Yeah most of them did. Damn those things are pricey though.

But they're just so yummy...:banger

[T.G]

Yeah most of them did. Damn those things are pricey though.

Yeah, real stuff tends to be that way.

[Sonic04GT]

$10 a stick ain't bad but I can't convince myself to spend $20+.

[kaisersozei]

I prefer the maduro on the '64s, and the natural on the '26s.

Tom is wise

[DaBear]

Those are some pretty damn good prices there. I know we tend to be a little on the pricier side with being in a mall and all, but those are some damn good prices there.

[Retiredguy]

My favorite cigars, maduro or natural.

[Sonic04GT]

Those are some pretty damn good prices there. I know we tend to be a little on the pricier side with being in a mall and all, but those are some damn good prices there.

Yeah I compared them to Cigar.com and was pretty impressed.

[South Shield]

I still can't get over the 2 different prices, one for cash and one for credit. Also the price sticker looks like I'm buying something out of an auto place warehouse.

[Zeuceone]

In the first picture the two natural color sizes are different colors.

[liltim]

Great smoke, I've never tried the maduro but I definitely plan on it. I don't think they are fakes, I have seen a few where the inner band will shift up behind the outer band covering up the serial number. The price looks good too. I have seen them go for much more in Cali.

[Pat1075]

sometimes the S/N is on the side of the underband like on the one I'm smoking right now. just my 2 cents

[DaBear]

Yeah I compared them to Cigar.com and was pretty impressed.

I don't consider Cigar.com to be the best price estimator, especially after I found one of the sticks they were trying to sell for ~$30 for $13 at a local B&M a few months after looking. The prices you have there are about what you'd look to pay online, so I'd say spring for as many as you can get. If you want an extremely good smoke, grab the 46. Just had one the other night and :dr:dr:dr

[akumushi]

Well this is what I found at the local Spec's.

http://www.lolzilla.net/images/9030048.jpg
http://www.lolzilla.net/images/2811469.jpg
http://www.lolzilla.net/images/6851230.jpg
The paranoia on this thread is hilarious. This picture should be enough to say, these are clearly legit, the bands were pushed down on a few, but the bands on these cigars can be loose. I see plenty of serial numbers exposed in this photo. The color and embossing on the padron label look fine, beyond that, with the low lighting and flash on a camera phone of course the wrapper colors are going to look off. The only counterfeit NCs I've ever seen truly exposed were some Opux X that were obviously fugazi from the start. We're not talking glass-top Cohibos here.
Those are decent but not bargain basement prices on some great sticks, so you should pick up a 64 maduro principe and see how you like them. I also have a hard time shelling out more than ~12 a stick, but IMO, the larger Padron Anni's are one of the few NCs worth the $20+ price tag, way better than the equivalent Opus or Davidoff. If CCs were suddenly to become unavailable to me, these would be my go-to cigar. :2

[Doctorossi]

The paranoia on this thread is hilarious. This picture should be enough to say, these are clearly legit, the bands were pushed down on a few, but the bands on these cigars can be loose. I see plenty of serial numbers exposed in this photo.

Well, this is a different photo, isn't it?

I agree that, with respect to this pic, things are looking legit. However, I will also still defend my warning about the previous pic. I wouldn't call it paranoia at all- just due diligence.

[Pat1075]

Do you look at their wine with equal skepticism?

[Doctorossi]

Do you look at their wine with equal skepticism?

I've never been to this store, but if I saw a picture of some wine that looked sketchy, I would indeed warn someone less familiar with the particular product that it didn't look like the authentic items I'm familiar with.

:sh

Does that seem unreasonable to you? :confused:

[Sonic04GT]

Anything is possible, but it appears to be one of the largest alcohol retailers in the state. I don't live here so I wouldn't know, but they're big.

http://www.specsonline.com/

"Browse The Store" on the left side shows all of their cigars and prices, although they only carry a portion in stores. The 2 I've been to varied quite a bit as well.

5% off for cash and about 11.5% for military.

[Pat1075]

I've never been to this store, but if I saw a picture of some wine that looked sketchy, I would indeed warn someone less familiar with the particular product that it didn't look like the authentic items I'm familiar with.

:sh

Does that seem unreasonable to you? :confused:

Doesn't seem unreasonable. But from what I have read on this thread this retailer has become quite large in the liquor trade which means that they have been providing legitimate goods to customers at a proper price for some time. I would therefore hazard the guess that they are not going to blow it all for a box of fake cigars. Additionally out of the literally hundreds of boxes of padrons I have inspected upon opening I have seen all wrapper shades and S/N locations the underband is even backwards sometimes. right out of the box that comes out of the box with the invoice from padron. but what do I know I just sell the things.:)
To the OP the cigars look fine all of them pick up whichever one you want and enjoy especially that 1926 #35 in the natural wrap :tu

[kafreeman]

I picked up a box of the 1964 Exclusivo at Duke City Cigars for.....

$182 shipped...

black friday... 40% off the store.

[akumushi]

My point was that the op didn't ask for an opinion on whether these were fake or not; it was an inquiry on people's opinions of the Padron Anniversary line. I simply find it amusing that any time certain netizens see a blurry, off color picture of some cigars posted online they have to start analyzing every minor detail to sniff out potential counterfeits. I would hate to see the hand wringing that happens when those same people walk into a B&M. Boredom, paranoia, due dilligence, call it what you will, I can understand it in the habanos forum, because we've all seen fake habanos and there is a real and constant need to steer newbs away from the prodigious counterfeits, but really, when was the last time any of us saw a counterfeited NC in person? Especially in a large chain store? I know it happens once every few years; I can recall the big Swisher Sweets ring and a batch of fake Opus Maduros in the last 3 years, but really, to start doubting the authenticity of a major retailer's product from one grainy photo when it wasn't even asked for?... :sh

[MurphysLaw]

I've never been to this store, but if I saw a picture of some wine that looked sketchy, I would indeed warn someone less familiar with the particular product that it didn't look like the authentic items I'm familiar with.

:sh

Does that seem unreasonable to you? :confused:

:tpd: nothing wrong with looking out for a new guy. Caveat emptor always applies :2

[DaBear]

My point was that the op didn't ask for an opinion on whether these were fake or not; it was an inquiry on people's opinions of the Padron Anniversary line. I simply find it amusing that any time certain netizens see a blurry, off color picture of some cigars posted online they have to start analyzing every minor detail to sniff out potential counterfeits. I would hate to see the hand wringing that happens when those same people walk into a B&M. Boredom, paranoia, due dilligence, call it what you will, I can understand it in the habanos forum, because we've all seen fake habanos and there is a real and constant need to steer newbs away from the prodigious counterfeits, but really, when was the last time any of us saw a counterfeited NC in person? Especially in a large chain store? I know it happens once every few years; I can recall the big Swisher Sweets ring and a batch of fake Opus Maduros in the last 3 years, but really, to start doubting the authenticity of a major retailer's product from one grainy photo when it wasn't even asked for?... :sh

Most of us answered the OPs question, but also voiced our concern based on the photos given. No, NCs aren't counterfeited very often, but these particular sticks have a history of being counterfeited enough that the producer felt the need to put a counter-counterfeit protection in there with the serial numbers on the second bands, so when we see a lack of those serial numbers a red flag is raised. I work in a B&M and have personally never seen naturals with that light of a color wrapper so that was a secondary red flag for me. When I add both of those together and see the price thats low, even for my standards living in a state with one of the lower cigar taxes in the US, I get even more skeptical.

That said, the secondary pictures have clearly shown that the cigars are legit and as soon as that was shown most everyone admitted their mistake and moved on.

[Doctorossi]

My point was that the op didn't ask for an opinion on whether these were fake or not; it was an inquiry on people's opinions of the Padron Anniversary line.

So, if someone posted a picture that raised your eyebrows, along with a note to the effect of "I think I'm gonna pick some of these up", you wouldn't let him know it looked fishy to you?

I'm not trying to push my advice on anyone, but sometimes a question isn't asked only because someone isn't aware that there even is a question to be asked. :2

[Sonic04GT]

Just to note, in case anyone missed it. The second set of pictures is from a different store than the first.

[nofeardiver]

Padron 26 #9 still my absolute favorite padron...those looks so tasty...

[BlindedByScience]

Doesn't seem unreasonable. But from what I have read on this thread this retailer has become quite large in the liquor trade which means that they have been providing legitimate goods to customers at a proper price for some time. I would therefore hazard the guess that they are not going to blow it all for a box of fake cigars. Additionally out of the literally hundreds of boxes of padrons I have inspected upon opening I have seen all wrapper shades and S/N locations the underband is even backwards sometimes. right out of the box that comes out of the box with the invoice from padron. but what do I know I just sell the things.:)
To the OP the cigars look fine all of them pick up whichever one you want and enjoy especially that 1926 #35 in the natural wrap :tu

Just because they are experienced in the liquor trade, that does not make them experts in the cigar trade. They would probably not sell fakes....if indeed they knew they were fakes. I would agree that in the many boxes of '64's and '26's I've had the pleasure of smoking, there have been some pretty dramatic differences in wrapper shades. Label locations have seemed to be more consistent that what's in the photos, but who knows how these sticks have been handled. What do I know, I just smoke the things....:D

I don't buy my liquor at the cigar store, and I don't buy my cigars from the liquor store. Worked out pretty well, so far....:2

Cheers - B.B.S.

[akumushi]

So, if someone posted a picture that raised your eyebrows, along with a note to the effect of "I think I'm gonna pick some of these up", you wouldn't let him know it looked fishy to you?

I'm not trying to push my advice on anyone, but sometimes a question isn't asked only because someone isn't aware that there even is a question to be asked. :2

:bdh
Look, I'm just just playing the devil's advocate, so don't get too defensive. It's not inappropriate or unwarranted to question authenticity when you see a red flag, it's just that what passes for a red flag in some people's minds makes me smile. Bands get jiggled around when you take cigars out of a box and lock them in a bin, prices are lower in states with low tobacco taxes, and wrapper shades vary quite a bit on cigars whose manufacturers don't dye them jet black with tobacco juice. I know I've been guilty of paranoia in the past, but largely because I was initiated into the culture that goes around on chatboards where we teach newbs to scrutinize every cigar they ever purchase as if fake cigars were as common as fake t!ts in Hollywood. I'm just ribbing you a little, and calling attention to the fact that it takes some of the pleasure out of our hobby to overthink things. It's taken me a while to learn to just relax, buy from sources that I trust and to take slight inconsistencies for what they are. I personally find it keeps my blood pressure much lower. For those who prefer to look at every cigar under the microscope, carry on.
:tf

[Doctorossi]

Uh, ok. Seems to me like a really odd subject to play devil's advocate on, but whatever floats your boat.

The pic looked fishy to me for several reasons (and I'm not alone) and the guy threatened to drop some cash on it, so I said 'watch out'. I'm sorry if it sucked out some of the fun for you, but if the OP had dropped some significant dollars on counterfeit cigars, that probably would've sucked out some fun for him, too, and I'm just trying to help a brother out.

[Sonic04GT]

Well the store I went to today had a few left and I didn't care for the way they looked. Appeared to have been tossed around by customers a bit, but did in fact have the serial number on the side, instead of on top, which would have been hidden in the first pic. So I passed for now.

However, I did see these in their walk-in. Sad :( Meant to bring it to their attention but forgot. The small hygrometer I saw sitting on a table in the center read 72-73% I believe. These were stored right next to the door.

http://www.lolzilla.net/images/2976843.jpg

[ApexAZ]

I smoked one of those reserva's today (I think, are there other reserva's with a brown label?). It was a robusto.

I have one pet peeve with the tats so far. The foots of them are often chewed up and cracked. I assume people handle them and f them up. So I handled a bunch too, looking for one without a fissure going up the body of the cigar. I tried to be gentle though :)

Anyways, it was delectable. No mold.

[RobR1205]

Having smoked many Padrons, I too do not have a good feeling about these cigars. Contrast in natural/maduoro, serial numbers, appearance of band... Just looks off. If you're still interested, I may have pictures of mine!

[darkninja67]

That pic of those J21s makes ninja a sad man.

Padron '64s?? Love them. Always consistent in draw, burn and flavor. I prefer the smaller vitolas. Maduro over natural. Great cigars if you can get them at a decent price. Under $200 for the Pricipe is a good price.

[Dave128]

I was curious, so I checked my '64 that is stashed in my humi. It has that afformentioned serial number on the underband. I was relieved. I can now smoke it without being ashamed.