Padron Black PB-97 review

[JDoughty]

Nabbed one of the last Padron Black from the shelf at Pipe & Pint in Durham on the recommendation of the folks there and it's been sitting in my humidor at 63RH for a couple of months. Decided it was time for a comfy pufferating session in my camo pajamas on the couch, one of the last I'll get for awhile since archery deer season is opening later this month. The cold draw had hints of baking spice, rich cocoa and a hint of woodsiness. First light yielded a nice creamy texture with aromas of hay and a touch of leather. Flavors were smooth and well structured throughout, with a bit of milk chocolate and baking spice, raisin sweetness and some liquorice. In the last third, some rich cappucino notes emerged, with natural sweetness and earthiness predominating. The ash was solid and lingering, though I had to knock it off a few times for a light re-toasting of the foot. Overall impression was one of elegance and subtlety. Definitely a well constructed cigar, rich and full bodied with generous volumes of creamy smoke, lasting about 90 minutes for a leisurely puffing session. The draw was slightly tight, but soon corrected with a draw tool. 

Would I buy it again? Probably not. It is undeniably a quality stick, and I appreciated the elegance and structure of its well balanced flavors, but for the price point there are many other cigars that I personally find more enjoyable. The one good thing about the top shelf Padrons is they are ready to smoke on release, and they save me from hungrily eyeing the boxes of Montecristos in my aging humidor that I shouldn't be digging into quite yet. 

[StogieLoki]

I had a rare black #600 that I felt the same way as you did. Great cigar, but even if I could find it again, it’s unlikely that I’d buy another. Glad I tried it. Might try the PB97 once, also. 

[Hoosh]

On 9/4/2025 at 12:52 PM, JDoughty said:

… I appreciated the elegance and structure of its well balanced flavors, but for the price point there are many other cigars that I personally find more enjoyable. 

Do you mind sharing which cigars at ~$40 you find more enjoyable? If I haven’t already, I’d certainly like to try them. Also, good luck with hunting season coming up! 🙂

[JDoughty]

7 hours ago, Hoosh said:

Do you mind sharing which cigars at ~$40 you find more enjoyable? If I haven’t already, I’d certainly like to try them. Also, good luck with hunting season coming up! 🙂

Thanks! I would say, spend less and get the Bond Roberts Linea D 01. That was a truly phenomenal smoke. I have enjoyed most of the top shelf Padrons and Davidoffs I've tried, though I haven't always kept track of which they are when I grab one to smoke at a cigar lounge. The PB was a bit of a letdown, and the Davidoff Yamasa was just wretched, but that's unusual. Both of these brands in their top shelf releases are normally well balanced, elegant and fairly complex. If I want something that reliably tastes like quality and I don't have anything with me from my own collection because it's that type of cigar lounge, I'll typically accept a higher end Padron or a Davidoff that specifies an aged blend, something in the $30-60 range. If I'm more in the mood for some power and backbone to go along with complexity, Liga Privada is what I hit. Those are usually in the $20-25 ish range where I smoke. What I was thinking of at the $40 price point was a nice Cuban with a few years on it, maybe a Monte #2. 

This said, the Bond Roberts completely blew all of the much more expensive NWs out of the water on every mark of sensory assessment with the exception of the visuals. Clarity and intensity of flavor notes, structure of flavor notes, evolution of flavors throughout the smoke, texture and volume of smoke, perfect draw. Minor flaws being flaky ash and a bit of splitting in the last third, the latter being my fault for not resting it adequately post transit. Perhaps the small nitpick of leaning a bit too far on the decadently sweet side for the first half, but that was well remedied in the second half. It is hard to complain when every mouthful of smoke is like having a bite of rich, juicy, buttery peach pie with mounds of sugared cream and toasted nuts. It reminded me of that scene in the Willy Wonka book where the bratty kid grabs some magical chewing gum and it gives her the sensory experience of eating a whole fancy dinner. Smoking the Bond Roberts Linea D 01 was exactly like that. Minus the part about turning into a giant blueberry and getting rolled away by Oompa Loompas, of course. Buy those instead, IMO they are a better smoke. 

[Hoosh]

Appreciate the info. I just purchased two for about the same price as one PB 97. We’ll see. I know I’ll want to smoke one ROTT, so I’ll save the other. I’m more of a full bodied (strength wise) smoker than not and my perception is that this isn’t a strong cigar. I was surprised by the Ninfa though at how I enjoyed it, so perhaps this will make me “2 for 2” with these hereto before unknown to me cigars. Thanks again for the recommendation!

[JDoughty]

16 minutes ago, Hoosh said:

Appreciate the info. I just purchased two for about the same price as one PB 97. We’ll see. I know I’ll want to smoke one ROTT, so I’ll save the other. I’m more of a full bodied (strength wise) smoker than not and my perception is that this isn’t a strong cigar. I was surprised by the Ninfa though at how I enjoyed it, so perhaps this will make me “2 for 2” with these hereto before unknown to me cigars. Thanks again for the recommendation!

It is not. It started out very light in terms of body, though full, rich and decadently dessert like in terms of flavor. It progressed to medium light towards the end. Definitely not full bodied in terms of strength, but the flavor delivery was phenomenal throughout. Towards the end it did a pretty good impression of an aged Monte #2 if that gives you an idea of where it was for strength and body.