I have had a few Miamis in other vitolas..... and they have been hit and miss...

This cigar started off awesome!....for the entire first inch I was almost dancing a little jig:

"I got a good Padilla, I got a good Padilla"

This first inch phenomena, plus the fact that I've recently smoked a pretty good Series 68 and a really nice 1932, made me actually reconsider (briefly) putting Padilla back on my "buy if you can get them cheap" list...

ahhh......but then........reality set in with a vengeance, and that cigar turned into a horrendous foul dog rocket, which I tossed well before the halfway point...

Padillas are firmly back on the "no buy" list.

CI Has the NEW Padilla Connecticut selling for around $165 a 20 box. Should show up here soon as I doubt many will drop $8+ for a Padilla smoke any longer. Gone are the days of the Miami, Serie '68, Cazadores, Dominus, and Signature 1932, all very good smokes.

Sorry to hear bad experience. Don't give up yet.

I really didn't care for the Artemis when I first got them, but as you said, they do get better with a good amount a rest. The Dominus is another one that really improves with some time. The last couple Miamis I had where not good at all. I'm pretty much done with the entire Padilla line.

He's like a "hip" Rocky Patel.

I still like well aged Serie 68 and 1932, and most of them have been good, with a few really good ones here and there..

Even have some 1948 Lanceros that have been quite good...

but all those are discontinued now I believe....

the Miami simply makes me crazy.....every now and then I'll get a great one..........followed up by a turd for the next one.........and then a few mediocre/forgettable ones for good measure......wtf!!

DP - I have 6 Dominus Toros that have a year plus on them......guess I'll try one here soon to see if they are close to ready.

I'm done with Padilla as well......too many cigars out there that I know I like, and more that I'd like to try............no room or time for Ernesto's new stuff.

I still have 47 various Padilla cigars though................enough for a life time!

Yup on the Dominus and age for me as well. Down to I think four or five from a box that took a couple of years to really come around. I actually have quite a few of other blends of Padillas that have fallen into the "golf course smoke" box - those stogies that aren't objectionable, but aren't memorable and you haven't lost anything if they get bent, folded spindled or mutilated. Won't be replacing any of them with Padilla's. Somewhere about the time that the Dominus and Cazadores came out things seemed to go off the rails... two new blends every month or new bands or something that just wasn't worth keeping up with since the smokes just weren't up to par.

I plan to try the Crianza soon. Also have 10 of the 6"x50 Padilla Connecticut Toro's offered here locked up, along with 7 Cazadores Torpedos won Saturday. The new Padilla Habano and Maduro Reserves are good smokes as is the new Padilla Miami Maduro. I wouldn't pay $8per for them, but Cigar Bid prices at $3per is a good deal.

Pepin rolled 32's and 8 & 11's are just friggin' great.

The other padilla lines . . . not so much.

I still have a chitload of the newer stuff. Not bad, but not pepin's.

I'll get to them, eventually.

jes

Oh, and Howard . . . there IS NO "s" on my name.

It's just SPEAR, not spears ! [sarcasm]

As with anything Nicaraguan, you need to smoke them slowly enough that they don't get too hot and thus become bitter and nasty. If you find a cigar becoming "foul," just purge it well and then slow down, you should find the good flavors returning. If not, yea, pitch it.