Country:Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Filler: Nicaraguan long filler
Size: 6.25″ x 60 ring
Among most American cigar smokers these days, the large ring gauge is king. I’ll be up front. I am not a fan of large ring gauges. Quite often I find cigars with a 52+ ring to have muted flavors and iffy complexity. Not to mention they just aren’t very comfortable to have in your mouth. I consider Coronas, Lonsdales, and Lanceros to be the ideal cigar vitolas, and consider them connoisseur sizes. That said I am a fan of the Padron thousand series cigars. Further more, it is the one line of cigars that I feel are better in their maduro version then they are in a natural wrapper. That is significant because those who have read my reviews know I’m not a maduro fan as a rule either. So this particular cigar is a bit intriguing to me because I’m curious what will win out with me, the fact that I like Padron maduros or the fact I dislike huge ring guages.
I am able to sample this monster smoke thanks to my friends at CigarsDirect.com. Padron’s maduro wrappers aren’t very dark in comparison to most maduro wrappers. In fact, the maduro cigars in this line aren’t much darker than the naturals and it can be hard to tell the difference without putting them side by side. The wrapper looks like rough leather with a slight tooth and oily sheen. The large cap put my Palio cutter to the test as it barely fit inside the blades, but it clipped nicely. It has a very light draw which I find typical with this line of cigars. I toasted the foot and it took the light nicely producing a nice even burn. The excessively large ring gauge makes it a little difficult to draw on and it feels very awkward in my mouth. I find this stogie kind of hard to smoke. Flavor wise it is very much like it’s brothers but the flavors are more muddled compared to the 3000 and even the 5000. It is very leathery with a nutty undertone. The construction is typical Padron. A sloppy cap but otherwise perfectly made with a good draw, even burn, and a well formed ash. It is a good cigar, kind of easy going with a cool burn. Those that love the big fat stogies are going to really enjoy this stick. As for me, I find the ring gauge too large and as a result the cigar is an awkward smoke.
You can get your Padrons at CigarsDirect.com: Padron 7000 Maduro
Matt's Cigar Journal 
I prefer the smaller ring gauges as well. I really like the Padron 6000 cigar. It’s a very spicy cigar that does well with humidor aging.
I went to my favorite cigar shop Saturday evening while battling the flu or atleast the symtoms. I needed my favorite cigar which is the Padron 7000 maduro, they (we) were out and at that moment I realized that I purchased the last 5, so I settled on the natural. Big mistake no flavor. I personally prefer 60 rings not that I am lacking or compensating for something else its just what I prefer.