Opening Comments – These are soon to be imported to the UK and we first saw these at the 2012 AITS Trade Show. With only one box of these in the country I was lucky enough to get me some of these to try, by pleading and having a good friend leaving the industry who some how managed to get me these. Big thanks to Michelle for allowing me the chance to try these before we got them in. I have heard/read a lot of these online and our American friends have only great things to say about them.

Brand – Alec Bradley
Range – Black Market
Vitola – Robusto
Length – 5 1/4″
Ring Gauge – 52
Rolled in – Honduras
Filler - Honduran Jamastran, Panamanian
Binder – Sumatran
Wrapper -Niacraguan

Pre Light

Appearance – A lovely made cigar with a dark brown almost Maduro wrapper, but with jet black teeth/veins. Very well made with what I can only suspect is a Cameroon wrapper due to the rough texture. Has Cuban style triple cap with a few thick teeth but on the whole mainly small and thin teeth.
Aroma – A little too fresh, strong Ammonia aroma but overlayed with rich herbs, young tobacco, leather and herbs/grasses. Lacks the refined aroma found in Padron/Oliva sticks. The foot was of young tobacco (ammonia) not a great start but hoping as with many “New World” cigars these aromas don’t come over in the taste too much.
Pre Light Draw – Sweet leather, woods & cinnamon style spices

 1/3

Draw – Very smooth and creamy draw with hints of sweet woods and light.  Very gentle start to this cigar.
Exhale – Subtle spice and leather but not much there really.
Finish – Hickory, woods and spice

 2/3

Draw – Bitter woody/coffees with lots of un-aged/unrefined fresh tobacco notes
Exhale – leather and subtle spices
Finish – Herbs, woods, cinnamon and coffee notes

 3/3

Draw – Dark chocolate with aromatic woods, leathter and finally a more balance sweetness.
Exhale – Very little on the exhale, just gentle hints of the inhale flavours
Finish – Spicy finish with woods and coffee

Overall – Not really what I was expecting, I think like many cigars I have heard a lot about i was expecting more. The cigar or the tobacco needs a little more age to them before you smoke them. The flavours are all over the place and need that extra element of refinement. Carried a tang of ammonia all the way through, but being an English man I am accustomed to more aged and refined flavours. Not a bad cigar but nothing special either, I have a few more of these so I am going to see if a little more time on them will produce a more balanced smoke. So check back in a year or so.

No complaints on the draw or the construction, it smoked cool and smooth all the way through and the burn was very even.

Ratings

1/3 – 6/10
2/3 – 7/10
3/3 – 8/10
Construction – 9/10
Burn – 9/10
Overall – 7.8/10