Padron 1964 Anniversary Principe Review

The short, quick way into the 1964 line

The Padron 1964 Anniversary Principe is a medium-full corona - 4.5 by 46 - in a sun-grown natural Nicaraguan wrapper over aged Nicaraguan filler, the smallest box-pressed size in Padron's celebrated 1964 Anniversary line. It smokes cocoa, coffee, espresso, leather, dry wood and black pepper, delivering the full 1964 signature in the quickest format the line offers. This is the way into the celebrated blend when you only have half an hour.

What makes it work is how little it loses in the shrinking. The short corona gets to the 1964's rich cocoa-coffee-pepper core fast, and the aged Nicaraguan tobacco delivers a concentration and density that belie the small size - real refinement for a corona. The box press sits well in the hand, and construction is the usual 1964 standard: clean draw, straight burn, tight ash. It's the celebrated profile compressed rather than diluted.

My reservations are about the format, not the blend. Being short, it develops quickly rather than layering slowly like the bigger 1964s - you get the payoff without the long, evolving arc that makes the Exclusivo and Imperial contemplation smokes. And at roughly forty minutes it's over fast, so it's a different kind of experience: a quick hit of quality, not a leisurely one. If you want the full slow development, step up to the Exclusivo robusto or Imperial toro. For a real 1964 in a short window, though, the Principe is the pick.

Where it fits is the short break, the quick coffee companion, or the smoker who wants genuine 1964 quality without committing an hour-plus. It suits an experienced palate that appreciates the blend but is pressed for time. It's not a slow contemplation smoke and not the size for maximum development. As the short entry to the 1964 line, it punches well above its dimensions.