The Padilla brand is one that is in transition. At the end of 2011, brand owner Ernesto Padilla made the drastic move of cutting several lines that he felt were losing their way and being devalued by cigar discounters. "I wanted to be a true boutique brand," he said at the time, "and this wasn't the direction for Padilla to go in." In 2012, he came out with a new line called Padilla Reserva, made by Oliva Cigar Co. and blended with Ecuadoran Havana wrapper and a mix of tobaccos from each of the three major growing regions of Nicaragua: Estelí, Condega and Jalapa. The result is an extraordinary cigar. The toro is a rich and balanced cigar, with lots of wood (including cedar) and a sweet note of honeyed orange peel.

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