Alec Bradley Family Blend Robusto
Jan 18, 2010 Cigar
Tonight’s review is the Alec Bradley Family Blend Robusto.
From their website, Alec Bradley Family Blend cigars were created expressly for the fathers of the company’s three principal executives, Alan Rubin (President), Ralph Montero (Vice President), and George Sosa (National Sales Director).
Available in only one size, the cigars are rolled into a 50 x 5 ½ Robusto shape capped with a classic Cuban pigtail at the head. The cigars are presented in handsome chests of 50 cigars bearing the signatures of David Rubin, Miguel Montero and Reinaldo Sosa, respectively.
The smoke is medium-bodied, creamy-smooth, and full-flavored with a marvelous aroma.
Alec Bradley Family Blend named #16 on Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of the Year: 2009 List.
Now, on to the review.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Size: 5.5×50 (Robusto)
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua
APPEARANCE and CONSTRUCTION – (17 of 20 pts.)
The wrapper is a medium brown color with no noticeable veins or blemishes. There is what appears to be a small glue mark towards the middle of the stick. I can only assume its wrapper glue as I didn’t notice this on any of the other samples I had. Feels firm all the way across the length of the cigar. The head is nicely applied with a small pigtail. Not sure why, but I love the addition of pigtails to cigars. It gives me a sense of the roller and even though it sounds silly, it makes me think of the rolling process and the skilled hands that created this cigar.
SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS – (21 of 25 pts.)
The foot and wrapper both have a mild aroma of fresh cut wood and some earthy sweetness. None of the aromas on the wrapper and foot are very strong however. Cut with my Palio cutter and lit with my Blazer torch. Cigar burned evenly until the final third where it got a bit out of control. each of the three samples I tried of this stick all had some sort of burn issue towards the end of the smoke. Not sure the reasoning there, but it was consistent. Draw was very good and smoke was light and airy.
FLAVOR – (25 of 30 pts.)
The initial flavors were a basic light wood, light leather and dry nuttiness. Flavors were good, but not overwhelming. Second third, each of the flavors intensified and the smoke became more enjoyable. There was also a slight saltiness I noted in the second third. The combination of wood, leather and nuts remained into the final third of the cigar.
OVERALL IMPRESSION – (20 of 25 pts.)
Considering how much I enjoyed the SCR blend by Alec Bradley, I was somewhat disappointed in this stick. It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t have anything that would compel me to pick one up again. It was a little too basic for me and didn’t have that “wow” factor that would separate it from any other cigar in its category. Flavors were good, not great. Build was good, not great. Impression was good, not great.
TOTAL SCORE – 83
Tags: Alec Bradley, Family Blend
Alec Bradley Tempus Creo Lancero
Apr 20, 2009 Cigar
Our first Lancero review for Lancero week is the Alec Bradley Tempus Creo.
Back in 2001 , while visiting a small farm tucked away in a valley on the Honduran, Nicaraguan border; Alan Rubin was shown a wrapper leaf being harvested in very limited quantities. Grown on just a few acres and not intended for commercial production, he knew this wrapper was something special. Over the next several years, he worked very closely with the farmer and purchased only the best wrapper from each harvest. Alan decided to keep a watchful eye and invest in this wrapper leaf for a special project. The time has come and that is why it’s called Tempus. The tobacco used in this work of love are all from the finest fields in Central America. These harvests have been small and not massed produced by the “commercial” growers usually tapped for such a project. The results are clear. Aged tobacco with a full bodied yet smooth, satisfying smoke sure to appeal to the most discerning smoker.
Hailing from Honduras, Alec Bradley Tempus is a concoction of tobaccos cultivated since 2001, carefully selected strictly for their incredible quality and blended to create the ideal full-bodied cigar that is as smooth as it is flavorful.
Produced at Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas in Honduras, Tempus is Latin for “time” which is more than an appropriate title for this blend. When creating Tempus, Alan Rubin spent years in an area along the border of Honduras and Nicaragua where a particular tobacco was growing in extremely small quantities on only a few acres of land. Alan began purchasing the best wrapper from this farm, in small amounts, over a period of several years and finally obtained enough to produce a phenomenal cigar; one that balances strength with flavor, creating a very smooth character.
Alec Bradley Tempus contains a mix of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos, held tightly together by an Indonesian binder. These leaves are then concealed with a Honduran grown Habano wrapper, which adds a bit more strength to the blend along with some spicy undertones.
And now, on to the review.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Size: 7.5 x 41 (Lancero)
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Honduran Habano
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
APPEARANCE and CONSTRUCTION -
The Creo is a very nice looking lancero. It has a dark chocolaty brown wrapper. The wrapper is well applied with the traditional pigtail at the end. The wrapper is even and smooth with a slight toothiness to it. The Cero is slightly spongy to the touch but not overly soft. I expect this from a lancero as there is less filler than other vitolas. The Creo has has a band at the head as well as the foot as do most of the vitolas in the Tempus line.
SMOKING CHARACTERISTICS –
The Creo wrapper didn’t give off much aroma. The foot had slight scent of tobacco and some barnyard, but also very faint. Being the masochist I am, I decided to use my trusty punch cutter on the Creo. Trust me, punching a lancero isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do, and it takes lots of practice to get it right. If the cigar is properly humidified though, I can ususally get it right. The Creo punched perfectly. The draw seemed perfect with a slight resistance. Not always a sure thing with Lanceros. It lit easlily and maintained a very nice even burn throughout the smoke. I had to perform one minor touch up when I let it sit to long and it flamed out. Other than that, no issues. The Creo gave off a very good amount of smoke. The smoke was light and airy and ascended to the ceiling quickly.
FLAVOR –
I have to admit, this was a very puzzling cigar. The flavors started out decently with a hearty earthiness and light wood flavor. There was a noticeable spice in the back of the throat that remained for the entire smoke. I guess what was so puzzling was that the flavor profile remained exactly the same throughout the entire cigar. I suppose I was expecting a little more complexity in the flavor profile. The cigar was full-bodied but with simplistic flavors that stayed the same the entire smoke. It was admittedly a little disappointing. I had the Tempus Centuria and Imperator before and I recall enjoying those cigars very much which is why the Creo was such a surprise. I was so surprised in fact that I smoked a second one from a different shop later in the day just to make sure I didn’t get a dud. Same opinion.
OVERALL IMPRESSION –
The impression that the Creo left me with was that this is a full-bodied cigar with a simple flavor profile. With an MSRP of around $7-$8, I guess I expected a little more, particularly with the 94 rating Cigar Aficionado gave the Tempus earlier in 2008. I would pass on this.
TOTAL SCORE – 84
Tags: Alec Bradley, Tempus
