Padilla 88th Anniversario

Padilla cigars have been produced since 2003. The brand was founded, developed, and blended by its owner and master blender Ernesto Padilla, who still oversees everything himself. He’s an intriguing, delightfully eccentric, and entertaining character. Born in Cuba in 1972, he had to leave the island at the age of seven with his parents. His father, Heberto Padilla, initially supported the regime and the revolution led by Fidel Castro, but became increasingly disillusioned during the early years of “real existing socialism” and eventually turned against the regime. He was an internationally renowned intellectual and author who left Cuba in 1980 and emigrated to the United States.

Padilla Cigars: Cuban Heritage Meets Modern Craftsmanship

Padilla’s imprisonment in 1971 was widely criticized by many prominent writers, including Susan Sontag, Mario Vargas Llosa, Julio Cortázar, and Jean-Paul Sartre. The event became known internationally as the “Padilla Affair.” Although he was released after just 37 days, he was forced to remain in Cuba for nearly another ten years. Afterward, the family spent some time in New York, Washington, D.C., and Madrid before settling in Princeton, N.J. Later, he moved to Columbus, Georgia, where he taught at Columbus State University. He passed away on September 25, 2000. Ernesto initially worked in marketing and graphic design after graduating from university. As a passionate aficionado, his first industry job was fittingly at cigar maker Perdomo in Miami. There, he handled marketing before founding his own company in 2003 together with his brother Carlos.

Ernesto Padilla: From Graphic Designer to Renowned Cigar Maker

Padilla cigars were rolled during the 2010s at the Oliva family’s tabacalera in Estelí, Nicaragua, and were originally imported to Germany by Wolfertz in Solingen. After the Oliva partnership ended, Padilla Cigars gradually disappeared from the German market. We continued to meet Ernesto regularly at IPCPR in the U.S. and kept in touch. When he reappeared in the U.S. with his current cigar line, The Finest Hour, he contacted us to see if we were interested. Given his name and experience, we didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately agreed.

Padilla 88th Anniversario: Tribute to Heberto Padilla with AJ Fernandez Tobaccos

We have been offering his cigars again since 2020 and are in regular contact with him. The year 2020 would have marked the 88th birthday of Heberto Padilla. To honor him, his son Ernesto created a blend featuring an Ecuadorian H. wrapper, double binder from Nicaraguan Criollo and Corojo, and a filler made from Nicaraguan tobaccos grown by AJ Fernandez, including Corojo, Criollo, and Pelo de Oro. The Padilla 88th Anniversario is produced at the Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. The 88th Anniversario cigars start out with woody and peppery notes but become creamier and nuttier in the second half. These are medium-bodied cigars with a beautifully balanced profile that we are proud to offer exclusively in Germany. In an email, Ernesto told us that the cigars are “medium-bodied and complex” and are blended for consumers looking for an alternative to (now extremely scarce) Cuban cigars.

The Finest Hour & Barcelona: Two Padilla Lines From Nicaragua and Costa Rica

In addition to the Padilla Finest Hour cigars, which are made by AJ Fernandez, we also offer the Padilla Barcelona cigars, which are rolled at the tabacalera of Daniel Guerrero. You can find an overview of all Padilla cigars we have offered or currently have in our range.