Tag Archives: Alec Bradley

by | December 25, 2022 · 6:00 am

Merry Christmas and a Couple of Cigars

This is going to be a short one, I mean, I have family stuff to do today, and I assume many of you do also.  Not many people are going to have time to read a long post!  So Happy Holidays to everyone!  Go back to my last post and enter the contest! Maybe you’ll win some great stuff!

 

We’re enjoying a cold snap here, Friday started out a balmy 50 and dropped to the teens by evening. I got my cigar in early, my heaters can’t keep up with this bitter cold.  I chose from a selection sent to me by my secret Santa this year, an Alec Bradley 2014 Fine and Rare.  It was my first time smoking a Fine and Rare, I may smoke another Fine and Rare later if time and temps allow.  This was a special smoke, a 7″ x 54 perfecto-ish cigar. I’ve had the same shape in a tubed Tempest ,I think.  It didn’t seem like it was that big, but it smoked for a good two hours.  When I say “good”, I mean really good! I seem to recall the Raices Cubanas factory having some quality issues around this time, which were not apparent in this cigar, it was perfectly built.  I believe the blend is Honduran and Nicaraguan with a Honduran wrapper. I also seem to remember some ridiculous number of varietals in the blend on these. Seven? Anyway, this was a really delicious cigar, pretty nunced and refined, but full of flavor.  It was bready, with some spice, but not much. It certainly was a special cigar befitting the season.  TY MS for these! I look forward to future Fine and Rare’s.

 

Yesterday I stopped by Goose’s Montecristo Lounge in Limerick, PA for a smoke or two.  I intended to just pick one or two nice cigars out to smoke, but I started looking through the discount bin (buy 3, get one free) and found some gems, some CyB Corona Reals, Cornelius and Anthony Meridian Corona Gordas, Jaxx LTs (forerunner of the La Sirena LT) and even an Emilio AF2 (AJ Fernandez).  So after I smoked a gifted Montecristo Epic, I lit up one of the CyBs I bought and it was delicious.  These had a pretty short life, coming out sometime around 2013 when José Blanco (the B) worked at Joya de Nicaragua with Dr. Alejandro Cuenca (the C).  It was originally called Cuenca y Blanco until someone pulled a trademark dispute. The cigar was really good, and I think I found all that he had in the bins. The cigar has an Ecuador Habano wrapper, Dominican Piloto binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Peru.  It’s woody and sweet with some spice, the spice probably from that Peruvian leaf.  Good stuff!  Goose’s is a great spot with a large selection and comfortable lounge.  I’d like to get there more than I do! 

 

That’s all for today, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

Share

5 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | October 30, 2022 · 10:09 am

Tatuaje Tuxtla, Alec Bradley Double Broadleaf and CAO BX3 Cigars

I finally got around to trying the three cigars I’ve been looking forward to smoking this week.  I picked up a few of these locally, and will definitely be revisiting these soon. It’s not often I get three winners in a row like this.  I started with the one I was most interested in smoking, the Tatuaje Tuxtla Avion 13. They had all three sizes, and I had a choice between picking up a couple of each size, or trying three different cigars and I chose the later. I would have said that I made the wrong choice, but I have no regrets.  The Avion 13 size is a perfecto shape, 6 7/8″ x 52.  It has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers.  I’ve heard good things about this cigar, Pete talks about it in the video I did with him at the PCA show (which is my second most watched video on Youtube now). I’ve smoked, and enjoyed, an Avion before, but now I’m not sure which one it was, I think it might have been the 2012 version. Sometimes I expect the Mexican wrapper to overpower the blend of a cigar.  This cigar had incredible flavors, sure it had the espresso and cocoa I expected, but they were refined, slightly different.  It’s a beautiful cigar, and I see myself picking up the T110 and 7th sizes to see how they stack up. The Avion size was pretty amazing though.  

 

Another cigar I found that was on my wishlist was the Alec Bradley Double Broadleaf from their Experimental Series. I got the Gran Corona size, which is 7″ x 46, a neat size. This has a Connecticut seed Broadleaf wrapper and binder, which are grown in Honduras. I suppose this answers questions about how in a world of Broadleaf shortages, they managed to make a double Broadleaf.  I liked the size of this cigar, but I’m really curious how this smokes in a larger ring.  They had Robustos and Gordos, looks like there’s more cigars I have to get!  If you like Broadleaf, I think you’ll love this cigar.  It’s rich with sweet cocoa and coffee, dark fruit, and some spice. I can’t help but think what I perceived as spice may have been the sharpness that a narrower ring might have from burning hotter, I’ll let you know when I try different sizes, which I expect to be smoother.  Winner number two this week.  Good smoke. 

 

This last one had some controversy surrounding it. I understand having to protect one’s trademark, but it’s really hard for me to confuse the band on the CAO BX3 with the Opus X.  Of course, if Fuente let this one go, someone else might take it further until they actually did make a band that could be confused. Both Fuente and Pete Johnson are quite good at protecting their marques.  That being said, nobody is picking up a BX3 and saying “is this an Opus X?”. The BX3 has three Brazilian tobaccos in the blend, one of which is the dark, oily Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper.  It also has an Arapiraca binder and Brazilian, Honduran, Mexican and Nicaraguan fillers. When I lit this up I didn’t think I was going to like it. It had a bitterness that was off putting, but eventually became quite enjoyable. I got the 5″ x 52 Robusto, which I don’t generally buy anymore, but it must have been the only size they had.  This is loaded with flavor, and after the initial shock, it turned into a very satisfying cigar. It was like good, black coffee, with some earthiness. It certainly wasn’t my favorite of the three mentioned here, but it was quite enjoyable, and different from, say, the Brazilia or any of the Basin series.  

 

Friday I posted about a contest, so far everyone who’s entered will be a winner unless things pick up. These are pretty cool prizes, and a decent charity, so please have a look and get in on the action.  Go back one post, or click HERE to get details!  that’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

 

 

 

Share

Comments Off on Tatuaje Tuxtla, Alec Bradley Double Broadleaf and CAO BX3 Cigars

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

by | December 29, 2021 · 5:47 pm

A Trilogy of Alec Bradley Trilogies

Back around 2004 I was at a cigar event in Las Vegas and these weird, triangle pressed cigars from a fairly new cigar company were passed around. They were called Trilogy by Alec Bradley and they were really good. I smoked a bunch of them, bought boxes and passed them around, then they vanished. In 2008 I found myself at the IPCPR show and met George Sosa, then VP of sales at Alec Bradley and asked about them, no go. I got to know Jonathan Lipson, who moved from sales to marketing, and asked him from time to time about them, nothing. Finally, now that Alan Rubin’s sons, Alec and Bradley, are involved in the company, the Trilogy are back, I came across a box of each at Son’s and grabbed some for a stroll down memory lane, hopefully.  Having Monday off, I spent the afternoon with the Native Cameroon. These were initially offered in a robusto, torpedo and toro if I remember correctly, now they are just available in a 6″ x 52 Toro. They might be available in robusto, I’m really not clear, they definitely didn’t bring back the torpedo. The Authentic Cameroon has an African Cameroon wrapper, Honduran binder and Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. It’s a delicious cigar, quite tasty, with the nice nuttiness one gets from that wrapper. 

 

I followed the Native Cameroon with the Authentic Corojo. This had the lightest wrapper of the three, a Honduran Corojo, with a Honduran grown Connecticut seed binder,  and Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. This was a medium bodied cigar that was pleasing enough, with some spice and sweet earthy flavors.  I would have liked it if this example had been a little freer with the draw, as the other two were, but it was still OK. It was still close to what I remember of the original, I think I smoked more of these long ago than the others, just because of availability at the time. Oddly, it was my least favorite of the three. 

 

Finally, I smoked the Exotic Maduro, the cigar that I would have usually smoked first, I think we all know that. The reason I smoked in the order I did was because I smoked the Cameroon in the afternoon, and I wanted to save the Maduro for an evening cigar. I also had a recollection that I liked the Exotic Maduro the best of three, and I wanted to save the best for last. OK, I’m weird. The Exotic Maduro has a Nicaraguan Jalapa grown Maduro wrapper, fairly exotic, I guess, the Honduran Connecticut binder and Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers.  This was a wonderful tasting cigar. It had an interesting spice throughout that I suppose warrants the “exotic” moniker, over some dark chocolate and espresso. This ended up being my favorite of the three, with the Native Cameroon coming in a close second. We should probably not be surprised that these are more than double the price that they used to be, all cigars are really, aren’t they?  I am happy to finally smoke these again after all these years, it was a fun walk down memory lane.

 

That’s all for today, until the next time, 

 

CigarCraig

Share

3 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | November 26, 2021 · 9:12 pm

News: Alec Bradley Announces Limited Edition Collector’s Series Trilogy Cigars

I’ve actually been hoping Alec Bradley would bring these back for about 15 years! I remember smoking and enjoying a bunch of these back around 2004, buying a box of them from Atlantic Cigars when they were in New York when I couldn’t find them locally. I really liked them and was disappointed when they went away. I’m pretty sure it was my introduction to Alec Bradley Cigars, as it was most peoples. I’m quite sure they were well under $100 for a box of 20 though!  The triangle press torpedo was pretty cool. 

 

Alec Bradley Cigar Co. Shipping Limited Edition Trilogy Collector’s Series Next Week

2000 Ten-Count Keepsake Boxes of Each Toro Sized Authentic Corojo, Exotic Maduro and Native Cameroon to Hit Tobacconists’ Shelves for Holiday Season.

 

Alec Bradley Cigar Co. today announced that the Limited Edition, Collector’s Series, Trilogy keepsake boxes will begin shipping to tobacconists next week. Trilogy Authentic Corojo, Exotic Maduro and Native Cameroon are being released in their own unique “cigar-press” shaped boxes, paying homage to the triangular mold created by Alec Bradley brand owner, Alan Rubin in the early 2000s. Only two thousand collectable 10-count boxes of each of the tree cigar blends are being presented in the triangle pressed, 6″ x 52 ring gauge Toro format.

“Trilogy has been a passion project for me since I started with Alec Bradley in 2017,” said second generation cigar maker, Bradley Rubin. “I’m honored that my dad, Alan, finally allowed me to move forward with the project; and now we have the opportunity to share a part of Alec Bradley’s history with our brand advocates, old and new.”

 

Introduced in 2002, Alec Bradley Trilogy was the first triangular shaped cigar to hit the premium cigar market. A testament to Alec Bradley’s creativity and innovation, Trilogy set the stage for other unique brands and blends, including one of the earliest “large ring gauge” cigar lines, MAXX and Cigar Aficionado’s “96-Rated, Number 1 Cigar of the Year,” Prensado Churchill.

 

 

Although Alec Bradley Trilogy may still be found on some tobacconists’ shelves, sales for the line took a decade’s long hiatus. In August of this year, the company collaborated with a Florida tobacconists to resurrect the line in a sampler featuring 6 Robusto shaped cigars of each blend.

 

All three Trilogy cigars – Authentic Corojo, Exotic Maduro and Native Cameroon- have been blended to mirror their original flavor profiles. The iterations share the same Honduran Connecticut seed binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Honduras. Exotic Maduro features a Maduro wrapper from Jalapa, Nicaragua; Authentic Corojo features a Corojo wrapper from Jamastran, Honduras; and Native Cameroon features a true Cameroon wrapper from the central African nation of the same name. MSRP has been set to $15.00 per cigar/ $150.00 per box, before any applicable taxes. Trilogy will begin shipping next week to appointed tobacconists. Alec Bradley Trilogy cigars are being produced at Tobacos De Oriente, Danli, Honduras.

 

 

“The Trilogy packaging is just as unique as the cigars inside,” Bradley Rubin continued. “Just in time for the holiday season, any cigar enthusiast would truly be grateful to receive one, two or all three of the keepsake boxes of the historical Trilogy cigars!”

 

About Alec Bradley Cigars

Founded by Alan Rubin in 1996, Alec Bradley has been acknowledged as one of the world’s leading producers of fine, handmade premium cigars. Alec Bradley has received the cigar industry’s highest critical acclaim for its Prensado, Tempus, MAXX and Black Market premium cigars, to name a few. Their commitment to satisfying cigar enthusiasts worldwide is demonstrated by their passion for excellence, creativity and the highest quality standards.

Share

Comments Off on News: Alec Bradley Announces Limited Edition Collector’s Series Trilogy Cigars

Filed under News

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | November 21, 2021 · 11:07 am

Alec and Bradley Blind Faith, Perla Del Mar Corojo Toro and Platinum Nova Corona Cigars

While we were driving home from South Carolina a few weeks back we took a rest stop at the JRs in Selma, NC. It’s been a few years since we were there, it’s downsized a bit. We were expecting to shop for some bed linens, alas that part of the business is gone, and it’s just a tobacco store. Right inside the door of the cigar department was a large area of stuff marked down 50% off. I immediately rescued a partial box of Sobremesa, and a box of RomaCraft Intemperance. I was told that it was stock from another store that had closed. Upon catching wind of my purchase, Saka (who, by the way, for some reason hasn’t bothered to share any of my Stillwell Star posts, while sharing other content creators work, I thought we were friends…I’m not mad, just disappointed) put his people on JRs about this. My assumption is that he has an agreement with his accounts that he’d rather buy back inventory than have it discounted. I just wanted to spare him the indignity of having it on the discount rack (and get a killer deal on some Short Churchills!). This is all a lot of words leading into talking about the Alec and Bradley Blind Faith. My wife was actually suggesting I buy a box of these, and I didn’t want to without having smoked a few. I know it’s a ridiculous problem to have, and sounds like bragging, but I’m pretty strapped for storage space. I had to shoehorn the little box of Intemperance in, no way I’d fit a box of A&B. Anyway, I bought a couple singles, and I smoked one this week. It’s weird, you know, I went into it hoping I didn’t love the cigar and kick myself for not listening to my wife! When your wife tells you to buy a box of cigars you should do it, right? Anyway, this has a Honduran wrapper, Honduran/Nicaraguan double binder and NIcaraguan fillers, made at Raices Cubanas in Honduras. I would have tolerated having a box in the humidor, but I’m not kicking myself for walking away, let’s put it that way. It’s a good smoke, tasty. Nothing wrong with the burn and draw, nice presentation, and it’s a shame that these were on the discount rack. Honestly, there was a LOT of stuff that was in that area that shouldn’t have been. I could have gone broke, but I’d have had to go back to using coolers for storage. 

 

Last year J.C.Newman re-packaged the Perla Del Mar line, and introduced the Corojo to the mix. Late this year they added the Toro to the Corojo family. I’ve long been a fan of the Maduro, but the Corojo might be my new favorite.  This line is another great example of how the wrapper changes the flavor of the cigar. They use the same blend across all three lines, with only the wrapper changing, so smoke all three to get an idea of what the wrapper adds. In the case of the Corojo, which covers Nicaraguan binder and filler, by the way, it adds an almost candy sweetness, as opposed to a dark chocolate sweetness in the case of the maduro. It’s a terrific cigar, well made, nicely box pressed, I just wish they had been a little more creative with the band, the old one was prettier, the new one makes me think of another cigar company. It’s a great cigar and well priced, so screw the band, I’m a fan.

 

Last night my wife and I went to the movies, probably the first time in nearly two years. The dine-in feature was sub-par, had to order at the bar and food was served in takeout containers, whether that’s life in the pandemic world or life in the short-staffed world, I’m not sure. Call me old fashioned, but if I’m asked to put a gratuity on my check up front without knowing what kind of service I’m going to get, I’m going to tip conservatively. Maybe that works against me? I have no way of knowing. The food was pretty good though, and the movie was entertaining (discount tickets). We got home and I hung out on the porch to watch the last period of the Flyers game with a Platinum Nova Corona from the 2020 TPE. I’ve been passing by these because they are fairly small for me, but it was late, and I didn’t want to be up all night. This is a (ridiculously) expensive cigar, at $23, it’s a pigtail capped 5″ x 43 Ecuador H2000 wrapped cigar with Dominican Piloto Cubano binder and Dominican fillers. The cigar ended up being good for nearly an hour and a half, but I had to relight it a few time. It had a definite floral flavor, nearly perfumy. I rarely get this flavor, it’s not one I’m particularly fond of. I smoked an Undercrown 10 earlier in the day that was more to my liking, much less flowery. It’s not that I didn’t like it, it’s just that it’s not one I’d gravitate to on a regular basis. not offensive, not bad, just not me. 

 

That’s more than enough from me today. What do you all think about doing a CigarCraig.com Secret Santa again?  Weigh in in the comments. If we get more than one person I’ll make it happen! Until the next time,

 

CigarCraig 

Share

4 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,