Padrón Cigars
The story of Padrón Cigars begins in the late 1800s, when Dámaso Padrón, the father of future cigar pioneer José Orlando Padrón, immigrated as a young boy from the Canary Islands, Spain, to Cuba. Like many islanders, Jose worked in the tobacco fields of Pinar del Río, Cuba’s famed growing region. With limited resources, the family purchased a small farm in the Las Obas area. Over time, they expanded their holdings, acquiring more land and a factory in the town of Piloto, which later inspired the name Piloto Cigars, tha parent company name of Padron Cigars.
José Orlando Padrón was born in 1926 in Cuba and grew up working in the family’s tobacco business. When Fidel Castro’s government nationalized private property in 1961, José fled Cuba, first to Spain, then to New York, and finally to Miami, Florida, in 1962.
In Miami, José received $60/month in government aid for Cuban refugees. He was eager to become self-sufficient, and when a friend gave him a small carpenter’s hammer, he used it to get carpentry work and saved up $600 to start his own cigar business. That humble tool became a symbol of the company’s values: tenacity, integrity, and perseverance.
On September 8, 1964, José founded Piloto Cigars Inc.—better known as Padrón Cigars—in Miami. With one roller, he produced 200 cigars a day using traditional Cuban methods. One of his early creations was the "Fuma," made entirely from Connecticut broadleaf tobacco, noted for its curly cap reminiscent of Cuban cigars.
However, Connecticut broadleaf had limitations, including a long curing time. In 1967, a visit from a Nicaraguan tobacco agent led José to the Jalapa Valley, Nicaragua, where he discovered tobacco that matched his vision. He began incorporating Nicaraguan tobacco into his blends and, by 1970, moved the operation to Estelí, Nicaragua to meet the growing demand.
Political unrest in Nicaragua brought challenges. After riots broke out and his factory was burned down, José considered relocating again. A second factory was temporarily established in Honduras. Eventually, peace was brokered with the Sandinista government, and the Estelí factory was rebuilt.
Further obstacles came in the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan imposed a U.S. embargo on Nicaraguan products. José scrambled to move tobacco and cigars to Tampa, Florida within a 5-day window, later receiving a 6-month extension. After the embargo lifted, operations fully returned to Nicaragua.
In 1994, to celebrate the company’s 30th anniversary, Padrón launched the 1964 Anniversary Series, a cigar line made from all-Nicaraguan tobacco and available in natural and maduro wrappers. Each cigar is serialized with a 6-digit number to deter counterfeiting. In 2002, the Padrón Serie 1926 debuted to mark José’s 75th birthday, with the name referencing his birth year. These cigars use Nicaraguan tobacco aged at least five years, available in both natural and maduro wrappers. In 2003, Padrón opened a new 12,000-square-foot rolling facility in Estelí, doubling their production space and bringing their total to 75,000 square feet across 17 buildings. At this time, they had an inventory to support 25 million cigars—six years’ worth of production.
The Padrón Family Reserve line launched in 2009, with each blend commemorating a significant family milestone. One of the most sought after is the 85th, created in honor of José's birthday. These cigars are aged for a minimum of ten years and use either sun-grown habano natural or maduro wrappers. Over the years, Padrón cigars have earned acclaim from critics and cigar lovers alike.
José Orlando Padrón passed away on December 5, 2017, but his legacy lives on. His son, Jorge Padrón, now leads the company, working alongside his brother Orlando. Under Jorge's direction, the family remains committed to the principles José held dear—from the story of the "little hammer" to the meticulously crafted cigars they continue to produce.
Padrón Cigars today stands as a symbol of family tradition, craftsmanship, and resilience—a legacy built over generations and rooted in the rich soil of tobacco fields from Cuba to Nicaragua.
