Padron Black PB99 Natural
The Other Side of the Story — Power Through Clarity, Not Darkness
Every legendary cigar has two versions of itself. One that goes dark. One that stays in the light. With the Padrón Black PB99, most of the conversation has centered on the Maduro — its near-black wrapper, its molasses finish, its full-throttle Nicaraguan depth. And that reputation is deserved.
But the Natural tells a different story.
Where Maduro is about richness and weight, the PB99 Natural is about clarity and architecture. Same core tobacco. Same Nicaraguan puro DNA. Same commemorative purpose — released to honor what would have been the 99th birthday of José Orlando Padrón, the Cuban exile who founded his company in a Miami filling station in 1964 and built it into one of the most celebrated cigar operations in the hemisphere. But dressed in a sun-grown Nicaraguan natural wrapper, the Colorado Claro shade that sits lighter on the leaf and lets the tobacco underneath do the talking.
The wrapper alone separates this cigar from the Maduro in ways that go beyond color. A natural wrapper is less fermented, less transformed — it retains more of the leaf’s inherent character. Earthier. Woodier. More minerals. The sweetness it contributes is subtle and earned, appearing in quiet moments rather than dominating. What you get from the Natural is not a different intensity level, exactly, but a different kind of intensity. One that rewards patience and attention rather than simply announcing itself.
The Padrón Black line has been operating in the shadows of the premium cigar world since 2016 — not even listed on the company’s own website, surfacing in small batches through select retailers, TAA exclusives, and Cigar Rights of America samplers. The PB99 is the largest format the series has ever produced: a 6.75 × 60 gordo extra, round rather than box-pressed (a deliberate distinction from the rest of the Padrón catalog), containing enough aged Nicaraguan tobacco to sustain a full three hours of smoking time. The PB-97 that preceded it scored 93 points from Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar Insider. The Black series as a whole averaged 93 points across its 2025 releases — the highest brand average of any multi-cigar line Cigar Insider rated that year. And Padrón’s factory, Tabacos Cubanica S.A., was named halfwheel’s 2025 Factory of the Year. Every cigar coming out of that building right now is arriving with serious credentials behind it.
The PB99 Natural is for the aficionado who already knows the Maduro exists — and chooses the other one anyway.
What to Expect — A Narrative of the Smoke
Before you light the PB99 Natural, take a moment with the wrapper. It comes in lighter than you might expect from something carrying the Padrón Black name — a Colorado Claro shade with genuine character, rough and toothy against the fingers. Where the Maduro arrives as something sleek and dark and immediately commanding, the Natural looks like a working cigar. Slightly mottled in places. Honest leaf. The cold draw opens with a mixture of chocolate and dried fruit — halfwheel’s reviewer found blackberries in one cigar, raisins in two others — layered over woodiness, a touch of tartness, and the kind of earthy acidity that tells you the tobacco has age behind it.
Once lit, the PB99 Natural operates at medium-full body from the opening draw. It doesn’t punch you immediately the way the Maduro does. Instead, the first third is an exercise in depth at a lower volume — a deep wood-and-terroir combination that speaks unmistakably of Nicaraguan soil, riding over a foundation of plain oatmeal and leather. About ten seconds after each puff, pepper begins to build at the back of the palate. Slowly. Deliberately. This is a cigar that takes its time making its intentions known.
The foot aromas on fresh cigars are spicy with leather, salt, and milk chocolate sweetness — quite full for a natural wrapper — and that character carries through as the first third develops. Retrohales tend toward the drier side: terroir-forward with a mineral quality, more leather than sweetness, occasionally a faint lemon note that several reviewers flagged as a small but genuinely interesting moment. It’s a cigar that repays the attention you give it on the retrohale, where the Natural’s character separates most clearly from what you’d expect if you’d only ever smoked the Maduro.
Moving into the second third, the profile opens. Burnt caramel arrives alongside the woodiness and barnyard earthiness that is unmistakably Padrón. White pepper transitions into something sharper — a finish carrying burnt bread, more terroir, and a higher level of pepper that feels less like heat and more like structure. The buttercream sweetness that distinguishes Padrón naturals shows up here — mild and inconsistent, which is what makes it interesting rather than predictable. When it appears, it shifts the profile. When it recedes, the wood and earth come back to the foreground. The cigar keeps moving.
The final third is where the PB99 Natural earns its price point. The flavors that have been building for the past ninety minutes coalesce into something more unified — the date-like sweetness that has been threading through the smoke becomes more present, the pepper finds its ceiling and stays there, and the terroir that has grounded the entire experience achieves a satisfying completeness. Strength builds but remains measured relative to the Maduro, settling into the upper range of medium-full rather than crossing decisively into full territory. The burn on well-rested examples is generally even; a touch-up is not uncommon on a cigar this large, but construction otherwise holds.
Budget three hours. Find a setting worthy of it. The PB99 Natural is not a cigar to be smoked in passing.
Explore Padrón’s Natural Wrapper Legacy
The PB99 Natural sits at the frontier of what Padrón does with sun-grown Nicaraguan leaf. These three cigars are the essential context:
Padrón 1964 Anniversary Torpedo Natural — The 1964 Torpedo Natural is arguably the finest entry point into Padrón’s natural-wrapper legacy — full-bodied, box-pressed, and built on the same aged Nicaraguan puro foundation as the Black series. Multiple Cigar Aficionado Top 25 appearances. If the PB99 Natural has you paying attention to what Padrón’s sun-grown leaf can do, this is the cigar that proves it’s no accident.
Padrón 1964 Anniversary Exclusivo Natural — A 5.50 × 50 robusto that showcases the 1964 Anniversary blend in a format that many consider the sweet spot for natural wrapper expression. Chocolate, nuts, toast, and stone fruit — the same flavor vocabulary as the PB99 Natural, dialed in and concentrated. Ideal for an evening when you want the Padrón experience without a three-hour commitment.
Padrón 60th Anniversary Natural Perfecto — Rated 97 points and crowned Cigar Aficionado’s 2025 Cigar of the Year — the Padrón 60th Anniversary Natural Perfecto represents the absolute apex of the natural wrapper tradition from this factory. Medium-to-full, flawlessly constructed, and finished with private-reserve tobaccos aged beyond the standard lineup. If you’re building a Padrón natural wrapper flight, the PB99 and this cigar belong side by side.
At Osicigars, every Padron cigar is sourced directly from authorized distributors, stored in precision-controlled humidors, and inspected by experienced tobacconists before shipping. We guarantee the authenticity and condition of every cigar with our 100% Money-Back Promise — and provide free shipping on orders over $99 — ensuring your experience matches the excellence Padron intended.
Padrón Black PB99 Natural FAQs
How does the Padrón Black PB99 Natural differ from the PB99 Maduro?
Same tobacco core, fundamentally different experience. The Natural’s sun-grown Colorado Claro wrapper delivers clarity and structure — a drier, more mineral retrohale, woodier mid-palate, and sweetness that is subtle and intermittent rather than persistent. The Maduro’s deeply fermented wrapper pushes everything toward richness, molasses, and full-body weight. The Natural is the more cerebral smoke; the Maduro is the more indulgent one. Both are outstanding — the choice comes down to whether you prefer a cigar that rewards careful attention or one that rewards surrender.
Is the Padrón Black PB99 Natural appropriate for newer cigar smokers?
It’s best reserved for experienced palates. Jorge Padrón has positioned the Black series above the Serie 1926 in intensity, and the PB99’s 6.75 × 60 format demands two to three hours of commitment. The Natural is more approachable than the Maduro — medium-full rather than full — but it isn’t an entry-level smoke. If you’re building toward it, the Padrón 1964 Anniversary Torpedo Natural is the ideal warm-up.
What makes the Padrón Black series so rare and hard to find?
Padrón doesn’t list the Black series on its own website — it’s one of the most deliberately understated product lines from any major cigar company. The series began in 2016 as a commemorative release for select retailers and has since appeared through TAA exclusives, Cigar Rights of America samplers, and limited trade show releases. The PB99 is described as regular production, but Padrón’s small-batch approach means supply remains tight. When it shows up at a retailer, it rarely lasts.
What ratings and accolades back up the Padrón Black series?
The Padrón Black PB-97 scored 93 points from Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar Insider, and the Black line recorded the highest brand average of any multi-cigar brand in Cigar Insider’s full 2025 ratings year — a 93-point average across two sizes. Padrón’s factory, Tabacos Cubanica S.A., was also named halfwheel’s 2025 Factory of the Year. The PB99 Natural arrives from the most decorated chapter in the factory’s recent history.
What should I pair with the Padrón Black PB99 Natural?
The Natural’s drier, woodier profile pairs best with drinks that have some structure without overwhelming sweetness. A single malt Scotch with coastal or peaty character is exceptional — the mineral quality of the wrapper finds common ground with smoky whisky. Cold-brew coffee or a dry aged rum also work well. Avoid anything too sweet or too light; the Natural’s nuanced flavor profile needs a pairing that can hold its own.
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