Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

In my mind, the Padrón Black Series has always been one of the company’s more interesting lines. The band is similar to the amazing short filler cigars the company made about 20 years ago but Padrón does not even have it listed on its website.

The Black Series debuted in 2016 with the release of the José O. Padrón 89 Birthday Blend Natural and Maduro, a pair of 6 x 46 corona gorda vitolas that were created to commemorate the birthday of the company’s patriarch, José O. Padrón. Although those cigars were initially exclusive to the Florida-based retailer Smoke Inn, both versions were reintroduced in 2018 as a limited-edition release to retail members of the Tobacconists Association of America (TAA), albeit under the new name Padrón Black No. 89.

Since then, the Padrón Black line has been used in two ways: on the one hand, the company donates specific versions of the line to Cigar Rights of America (CRA), an industry trade group, for use in sampler packs that raise money for the group. Those cigars have included:

• Padrón Black No. 200 (5 1/2 x 56) — Fall 2019
• Padrón Black No. 200 Natural (5 1/2 x 56) — Fall 2020
• Padrón Black No. 100 (5 1/2 x 52) — Spring 2021
• Padrón Black No. 52 (5 1/2 x 50) — Spring 2022
• Padrón Black No. 600 (5 3/4 x 54) — Fall 2024/Winter 2025

However, there have been other releases in the Padrón Black line that have been released to commemorate specific anniversaries or important dates in the company’s history. In addition to the aforementioned José O. Padrón 89 Birthday Blend, the company has released the Black PB-97—in both natural and maduro wrappers—that was sold exclusively to retailers who attended the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show and ordered the cigars during the event. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

During the 2025 PCA Convention & Trade Show, when Padrón unveiled the largest cigar so far for the Black Series, the Padrón Black PB-99. Considering the name, it is not surprising that this release was specifically created to commemorate what would have been José O. Padrón’s 99th birthday.

Each Black PB-99 measures 6 3/4 x 60, which happens to be one of the largest cigars in the company’s entire portfolio. It is a Nicaraguan puro offered in both natural and maduro wrapper options, with pricing set at $44 per cigar and $440 for a box of 10 cigars. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

Boxes of both the Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro and Natural started shipping to stores in August 2025.

• Cigar Reviewed: Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacos Cubanica S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 3/4 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 60
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $44 (Box of 10, $440)
• Release Date: August 2025
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The cigars feel massive and heavy in my hand, and it is more than a bit odd to see a Padrón band on a cigar that is so large. The wrappers are a deep, dark brown color with plenty of mottling, along with a substantial amount of oil. Each of the cigars is extremely rough to the touch—very much reminding me of coarse sandpaper—and there are numerous long and protruding veins present on all three cigars. A physical inspection reveals a very odd cap on my second cigar—more on that below in the Final Notes—and a small soft spot located halfway between the secondary band and the foot on my first cigar. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

A dank earthiness dominates the aromas from the wrappers of all three cigars, but there are also notes of sweet barnyard, wet hay, gunpowder, leather and a light generic vegetal note. Strong notes of earth and cocoa nibs are obvious when I bring the feet to my nose, but there is also plenty of black pepper, generic nuttiness, sweet bread, creamy hay and very light ammonia on the first cigar. After straight cuts, the cold draws bring flavors of creamy cashews, black pepper, cinnamon, dank earth, dried pasta, leather tack, chalk and a touch of light citrus peel. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

After the amount of black pepper I found in the cold draw, I am a bit surprised there is not more of that note in the first few puffs. Having said that, those puffs do bring plenty of spice, earth and espresso notes, which remain in place for the first 15 puffs or so. Flavors of rich espresso and powdery cocoa nibs slowly take over the profile, followed by secondary notes of gritty earth, leather, anise, sourdough bread, charred meat and roasted peanuts. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

My first cigar features a light, but interesting jalapeño note—sans heat—on the finish, while the second and third cigars have an earthy note. There is plenty of black pepper on the retrohale of all three cigars, and while there is also a milk chocolate sweetness present, that note is easily strongest on the first cigar compared to the other two. Flavor is at full, the body ends the first third at a solid medium, and the strength hits a point just over the medium mark. Other than some wavy burn lines, there are no construction issues to be had. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

During the second third, the amount of spice decreases significantly while the main flavors shift to a combination of charred meat and anise. At different points, additional flavors of dark chocolate, leather, toasted bread, baker’s spices, peanuts and coffee beans show up, and while the amount of black pepper is about the same as the first third, the sweetness on the retrohale has changed to a distinct molasses flavor for the first cigar, while the second and third cigars still feature the same milk chocolate sweetness. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

The flavor on the finish has also changed to a light citrus peel note that is consistent for all three cigars, though strongest in the second cigar. Flavor remains at full, while the body and strength increase to medium-full. The third burn on the second cigar becomes problematic enough to require correction twice, but the other two cigars have no issues in that regard, and the draws and smoke production remain excellent. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

Soon after the final third begins, both the body and strength easily hit the full mark for all three cigars, which causes issues with the overall balance. The main flavors also go in different directions: the first cigar continues to feature the same combination of anise and charred meat that was present in the first third, the second cigar has a combination of coffee beans and cocoa nibs, and the third cigar is dominated by notes of gritty earth and creamy leather. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

Secondary flavors include sourdough bread, tree bark, oak, generic nuttiness, cinnamon and light cloves, while the finish of all three cigars features a generic earthy note. There is a bit more molasses sweetness on the retrohale of the first cigar to go along with slightly less black pepper, while the second and third cigars feature about the same level of milk chocolate sweetness and pepper as the second and third. Flavor ends the cigars at full, while both the body and strength easily cross into full territory. This time, two cigars need some minor burn corrections, but those are the only problems when it comes to construction. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

Final Notes

• Padrón took the first and third spots on bestcigar Top 25 for 2025—for the A Hammer & A Dream Natural and A Hammer & A Dream Maduro, respectively—and was also named the 2025 Factory of the Year.
• As noted above, there was a light ammonia aroma coming from the foot of my first cigar, but thankfully, there was no trace of that note in the actual profile.
• This is a cigar that punishes you quickly and decisively if you puff on it too hard or too fast, so my advice is to keep the puff rate slow and steady. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

• Some of the cigars that I took out of the box were very obviously under 60 ring gauge, while the feet of some of those same cigars featured a very noticeable box-press, as you can see above.
• Last time I smoked a Padrón even close to as large as this one was the Padrón 1964 SI-15, 6 x 60 gordo that was made exclusively for the Florida-based retailer Smoke Inn. Those were very, very good cigars. Padrón Black PB-99 Maduro

• During a physical inspection, I noticed that the cap on my second cigar looked a bit off.
• The burn was rarely razor sharp on these cigars, and in fact, there were numerous times when it became problematic, but the issues usually corrected themselves in a short time.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by bestcigar.

• These cigars are listed as being 6 3/4 x 60 vitolas. Above are the measurements we took when we measured them.
• The final smoking time averaged out to two hours and 43 minutes for all three cigars.