Tag Archives: Trilogy

by Craig Vanderslice | 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

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Tagged as Alec Bradley, Authentic Corojo, cigar, cigars, Exotic Maduro, Natural Cameroon, Trilogy

by Craig Vanderslice | 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.

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Tagged as Alec Bradley, Authentic Corojo, cigar, cigars, Exotic Maduro, Native Cameroon, Trilogy

by CigarCraig | March 11, 2012 · 8:39 pm

Saturday Cigar Adventure: Cigars International Alec Bradley Event

Saturday’s cigar adventure took us north to Bethlehem, PA to the Cigars International Super Store. They were holding an event featuring Alec Bradley Cigars, Alan Ruben, George Sosa and Jonathan Lipson were in attendance. My wife came along for the ride, so it made for a nice date (for me more than her, I suppose). I had missed meeting Alan at the IPCPR show last year, their booth was so stinkin’ busy it wasn’t funny. Every time I stopped by there were tons of folks there doing business. Alan greeted me at the door and introductions were made. I made my way through the store and grabbed a handful of Alec Bradley American Classic Blend Gordos, received a Black Market with my purchase, and set fire to one of the Gordos. I really enjoy the flavor of this cigar. It’s not too heavy with some fairly “bright” flavors, and the price point is very friendly at about $5.50 for the 6″x60 size. I’ve always liked coronas and robustos, as well as the rest of the traditional sizes, but I have to admit the larger ring cigars are a little bit of a guilty pleasure lately, not sure why that is. I find the band to be visually appealing as well, although I usually don’t concern myself with such things. While I was enjoying my cigar, I spent a little time talking with Jonathan, who is new to Alec Bradley, but not to the industry, George Sosa, who my wife and I had met at the 2008 IPCPR show, and Alan. We also roamed around the expansive store, checking out the other merchandise and lounge areas. If you are within a few hours drive of Bethlehem, PA, you should check this place out. It’s like a supermarket of cigars, and the staff is friendly and attentive.

A question I had for Alan was in reference to one of my favorite cigars from days gone by, their Trilogy line. These were a triangular pressed cigar, which was unique, that came in three sizes (Churchill, Robusto and Torpedo) as well as three wrappers (Authentic Corojo, Exotic Maduro, and Native Cameroon). This was the company’s first really big hit, and was an outstanding cigar, whatever you may think of the odd shape. I enjoyed the line so much that I bought a box once to hand out at a cigar event, because I wanted everyone to try it. Anyway, I asked what happened to that line, and Alan answered that they had a hard time getting retailers to carry all nine facings, and the sales were sporadic, one month the Maduro would sell like crazy, the next Corojo, and so on. They eventually discontinued it as they were bringing items like Tempus and other marques that were easier to market. He also alluded to the fact that he gets this question a lot and they still have the special molds, so there’s a possibility something like the Trilogy may make a reappearance. I know I’ll be keeping an eye open for that! A quick search shows me that there are a couple online retailers that may have stocks of what I can only assume are the round versions of the Trilogy. Might be worth exploring for old time’s sake.

As we were leaving, we were talking to Alan about kids, since our boys like cigars, and his company is named after his boys, one of which is now over 18, and going to cigar events and apparently amassing a pretty good collection of cigars. Alan related a story about his son keeping three humidors, one that he puts cigars that his dad can take, one that if his dad takes cigars from, he’d rather he didn’t, but he’d me OK with, and a third that he keeps hidden! I thought this was pretty funny. My eldest son has his own humidors and I don’t worry about him, and I told my youngest son, who has recently taken to cigars, to make sure to ask me before he goes into my humidors. I know he’s done a pretty good job of going through my coolers based on some of the cigars he’s inquired about, but as long as he asks, I’m happy to share. It was a nice day out. Maybe I’m a little nuts to drive an hour and a half to go to a cigar shop and hang out for a smoke, but I am a little bit of a cigar geek I suppose (ya think?) It’s never disappointing to meet and talk to people in the cigar industry and smoke a great cigar!