TNT Alt. to Padron Ann. Maduro Toro Review

[duckmanco]

I preface this one by stating the follow. I smoked this at a party, which turned into a herf, and to be honest I was a few beers deep and already 1 cigar in. I smoked 3 sticks total, and have only ever smoked 2 in a row, so 3 is a good number for me, but I usually like to sit down and really try to pick out flavors of a cigar I have never had before. Anyhow, here goes.

Initial/Prelight

I bought the 5 pack of these in maduro due to TNT offering free shipping on the rest of my order, how could I not, especially when they were 13 for the 5 pack anyway? The stick looks like a million bucks, sharply box pressed and utterly straight and felt tight with tobacco. Folks I am telling you, the appearance of this stick was that of something 5 or 6 times its price and was totally uniformed throughout. This appearance was also going to foreshadow the smoke in all its categories. I snipped the head with a cheapo cutter as my Palio was sent back to Palio in order to obtain a new one as per their warranty, whole 'nother story. The prelight draw was very flavorful and rich, with what was throughout the whole stick, an excellent draw with just the right amount of freedom/resistance.

1st3rd

I got cool, gobs of full bodied rich smoke with every single pull. The construction of this stick is very impressive with a perfect burn. The flavors at this point were some cocoa, cedar, and some woodsy spice almost.

2nd 3rd

The flavors remained the same and to me, continued to maintain a fuller bodied smoke and really pack rich flavors that although never got harsh, def. let you know that this stick has flavor.

Last3rd

The full body of the smoke really came out in the end, and I enjoyed it so much I nubbed it, which I typically do, but in this case with the smokes excellent burn and flavors, I wanted to do it more for the flavors then my own cheapness.

Final Thoughts

I have never smoked the real deal to see if it compares, however, Walt from the stogie review commented that they are almost dead on for thousand series. I have also not smoked one of those, but with the robust flavors, and top notch construction, I am pretty confident he is right on. So, my thoughts are, even if its not up to snuff with a Padron Anni., WHO CARES????? If you enjoy fuller bodied smokes that burn like as effortlessly as gasoline, than I highly rec. a BUNDLE purchase. I thoroughly enjoyed these and would buy a bundle without a doubt. I feel (in my very limited, and more than likely "talking out of my _ _ _" opinion) that these cigars could stand on their own as a new brand or line without using the "alt." aspect. I just have too many nestor reserve torps and el mejor espresso's on hand to justify it........... today

Pros
-great flavors
-amazing price
-near perfect construction.

Cons
-None - although it would be nice if they had a corona size offering, buts its a totally subjective thing because I am getting into the corona size as of late.

[Miami]

I do not think they come close to any Padron. I also feel it's in poor taste to use Padrons name when your cigar has nothing to do with them.

I also feel they should be a stand alone cigar. Just my 2cents.

[Even Steven]

Wow, awesome review! I was gifted a few of these by 2 great botls on here, I'll be wrighting my own review after they sit and chill in my humi for about a week.

[tzaddi]

Appreciate the review as I was wondering about that particular ceegar. Very articulate and inviting. Based on your evaluation I am ready to order some up. TNT has impressed me in the past as a retailer.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

[WyoBob]

You made those cigars sound so good I checked the web site. 5 pack of Toro naturals, $15.00. 5 pack of the Maduros, $30? Probably a misprint. TNT is a good outfit, though. Very good service and decent prices.

WyoBob

[duckmanco]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I also checked the price on the 5 pack and it has to be a misprint. However, the bundle price is good enough to warrant a purchase. And as for how good I think they are, I would hate to be responsible for purchases you guys don't like so check out my other reviews and you will see what level I am operating on, good or bad. I don't pretend to be able to pick out every flavor, and I typically look for coffee/dark chocolate/cocoa flavors in a maduro. This means that if I find that in a maduro, I usually end up really enjoying the smoke. With this TNT alternative I def. got those flavors, and I also got impeccable construction, so thats why I like it as much as I do. This was also the 1st stick of the 5'er so consistency wise, who knows yet, but they all appear to be as well constructed.

I also tend to agree that using the Padron name is a bit shady, but then again if Padron's stuff is up to snuff, then it really shouldn't matter. I dont plan on NOT buying anymore Londres in maduro, I don't care how good these were, they both have a place in my humi.

And as far as standing up to the thousand series, I really don't know, that was a guess on my part, and apparently one that doesn't stand up, fair enough.

[jkim05]

thanks for the review

[salimoneus]

some people are a little touchy with the whole "using the sacred Padron name" thing, so they may knock these cigars without even trying them although many other retailers have been doing the same thing for years and nobody has really complained. go figure.

i have personally tried a couple and think they are pretty close to the thousand series as has been suggested, but regardless of their similarities to Pardon they are a very good smoke, and for the price are damn hard to beat

[Islesfan]

Nice review. I have three sitting in the humi from my last TNT purchase, may have to give one a try this weekend.

[baglorious]

Not to just be the turd... but to have at least a few dissenting voices in this otherwise glowing review:

I tried one of these, and beyond the appearance was very unimpressed. (I agree, however, that the appearance was pretty darn impressive.)

The one I smoked had a very uneven burn, and I would characterize it as a fairly harsh smoke overall. I wouldn't recommend these, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that they are bad. They're definitely smoke-able, and if one were offered to me on a golf course or something (where I didn't have any other options), I'd be happy to smoke it, and I'm sure I'd enjoy it well enough. Further, I've only smoked ONE, and shipped another one of my three off to another botl (I received a free 3 pack with a TNT order). Certainly, the uneven burn could have been an "off" cigar, or a bad cut... you all know how that works, so my knocking them might be premature.

My is that the price is nice compared to an actual Padron Anni, but these can't reasonably be considered a "real" alternative to the Padron Anni... and compared to other 'generic' cigars, the price isn't so nice.

A decent stand alone cigar? Perhaps... but I don't think $3 is an acceptable price for a generic/house cigar. (I am aware that the name or lack-of-name on the cigar is irrelevant and the cigar should be judged by its quality... so labelling something house or generic shouldn't be a negative... but honestly? I'll admit I'd rather smoke a name brand for no justifiable reason.) There are a TON of great $3 cigars out there, and I can think of several cigars that are near $3 that I'd rather smoke: (All N.C.s) Almost all sizes "regular" Padrons are $3 or under (including Londres at $2, and Churchills at $3), and the Padron 2000 and 3000 are near or under $3; ERDM Choix Supreme and Robusto are under $3.10 per stick; Excalibur 1066s in Robusto and bigger sizes are around $3 a stick; and I'm sure others could make this list a mile long.

Further... if I'm looking for "cheaper" sticks... I'm still OK paying around $4 per stick (I know that's subjective, and maybe everyone isn't). But at up to $4, the playing field is open for even more great sticks... AF 858s are some of my favorites, and still under $4 per stick. (And let's not talk about the Gurkha's you can get at $2.50-4.00 per stick on cbid.)

SO, In my opinion, though these aren't bad cigars, I can't seriously recommend them. I'm not one to really "care" that they're using the Padron name to sell these cigars (though I would if my last name were Padron), but without question, I don't think these would sell any more than any other "house" brand without being called a "Padron Anni Alt," nor would we be talking about them right now if they didn't claim to be a Padron Anni Alt. Gotta give kudos to TNT... that's perfect marketing. People will try them just to see how close to the "real" cigar they come, if nothing else. And here we are, discussing TNT's "alt" cigars. When was the last time you were inclined to pick up or discuss a "house" brand from any other manufacturer? Where's the review on the Thompson Dominican Box Press Maduro? When was the last time you were willing to pay $3 for a Tinder Box, Thompson, or whatever "house" cigar?


All that said... I'm just being the dissenting voice for no particular reason. I actually like TNT and their prices and service is great! (But I'll be spending my $3 on something other than the Padron Anni Alt.) If someone seriously wants to tempt me with a house cigar, it needs to be $1 and still good. Then we'll talk.

And like everyone says... if you like it and are happy with it, it's a good cigar! So if you like the Padron Anni Alt, keep on smokin' em, and enjoy!

[duckmanco]

I'll agree that the 3.00 a stick price point for the 5 packs is a bit much, however, when purchased by the bundle, no matter what size you get, the per stick price stays under 2 a stick, the robusto comes in at 1.40 or so a stick, which for the cigar I smoked, is a killer deal. Now, I may have been a little quick to rec. these things as I only smoked one, but the construction was so good that I was confident the rest would smoke the same. Its interesting you found the smoke to be harsh, I didn't pick up on any, although I could def. see how that could happen given how full bodied these were, which once again makes me think given time in the humi, these would become even better, although what stick is that NOT true about?

One way or another, these are interesting smokes that seem to generate some discussion.

[xxwaldoxx]

I smoked one the day I got the bundle in the mail (actually smoked it as I put the others away) and it performed well.

Over the past couple of weeks I have smoked 6-8 of them and they have all performed well. Even burn, no harsh flavors, etc.

I think they are a good "bang for your buck" stick at bundle prices. I still say it tastes pretty close to a Padron Thousand Series Maduro (smoke the 3000 Maduro semi regularly).

I don't agree with TNT's business practice on this (and what should they care what I think) but IF it was a big enough deal, Padron would probably put a stop to it.

[baglorious]

Originally Posted by duckmanco

I'll agree that the 3.00 a stick price point for the 5 packs is a bit much, however, when purchased by the bundle, no matter what size you get, the per stick price stays under 2 a stick, the robusto comes in at 1.40 or so a stick, which for the cigar I smoked, is a killer deal. Now, I may have been a little quick to rec. these things as I only smoked one, but the construction was so good that I was confident the rest would smoke the same. Its interesting you found the smoke to be harsh, I didn't pick up on any, although I could def. see how that could happen given how full bodied these were, which once again makes me think given time in the humi, these would become even better, although what stick is that NOT true about?

One way or another, these are interesting smokes that seem to generate some discussion.

Nothing wrong with a "quick" recommendation, as you suggested. You smoked one, liked it (especially for the price), and said so! Sounds pretty fair to me.

And yes... $1.40 is more compelling than $3, and at that price, I wouldn't "not" recommend them. My problem is that (although I've spent far too much due to the slope we're all talking about) I don't smoke regularly enough to really need a "budget" smoke. If I smoked 2-3 cigars a day, perhaps I'd be interested in finding a sub-$2.00 smoke. I'm lucky to get 2 a week lately, so for me, I just don't find these compelling enough to recommend, despite the good price point. I guess I'd just rather stick with the cigars I really enjoy for $3-$6, as opposed to one of these for $1.40-$3. (And every once in a great while the $10-12 cigar! Woot!)

Lol... I agree the discussion is good (and entertaining), and I hope my post didn't come accross as a 'slam' or outright dispute... just felt like blabbing my opinions for no good reason.

[duckmanco]

no way man, it came across as an opinion and, a valid one. I feel the same way you do about the bargain smokes most of the time, I just didn't say it the same way. To be honest, which means I'm not telling the wife and only you guys, I am trying to find some 5-8 dollar a stick (priced by box) smokes to enjoy on special occasions. I thought the LGC Serie R would fit that bill, but hell, its cheap enough to enjoy regularly, not that its not a fantastic smoke, I just have 3 or 4 bargain smokes, and I don't think I need anymore for right now. I too only smoke 3 a week tops, and find my usual 2-4 dollar sticks to be cheap enough for that purpose, which is why I am not picking up a bundle of these................(yet ) that and the 70 qt. coleman Xtreme is now full...... I've fallen over the edge as far as I am concerned, but for those looking for something to compete with a bargain stick such as, the El Mejor Espresso, or the Nestor Reserve Torps, this is a sound choice. But then again, when it comes to buying smokes, I always make a choice, how sound that choice is credit card wise? Well....... yeah.......

[Miami]

I feel they should drop the Padron name and call it thier house brand. As they have nothing to do with the Padrons.