Nice Ash – Cigar Reviews by Brian Massey
First off, let me start by introducing myself. My name is Brian Massey and I work at J•R Cigars as a graphic designer. Before this job, I developed my love of the leaf and cigar knowledge as a salesman in one of J•R’s retail locations. I’ve smoked most of the cigars we carry and I’d say I have an advanced palate and strong opinions. The reviews that I post will come from me and many fellow cigar lovers. (I work with a lot of cigar connoisseurs and, when we find something good, we like to pass it on and share our opinions).
Let’s kick off with a review of the Alec Bradley American Classic Blend.
With so many cigars to choose from, where do you begin when trying new brands? Well, for me, I like to take recommendations from advanced cigar smokers. Alec Bradley was not a brand I’d smoked and, despite all the great reviews online, it took a recommendation from a coworker before I took the leap and tried it.
This cigar has a Connecticut-seed Honduran wrapper that is intermingled with a flavorful binder and a hearty blend of long fillers from the town of Condega, located in the province of Estelí, Nicaragua. At first glance, you’ll see that this cigar is well balanced and rolled with care. The wrapper leaf is beautiful and, because most of the flavor comes from this part of the cigar, it’s a great indication that you’re in for a wonderful smoke.
I usually cut my cigar with a bullet cutter, but I’m smoking the torpedo so I used my guillotine cutter. The cap came off perfectly with no fray, and the dry draw beforehand was ideal. Upon lighting, I was hit with a bit of youth and cedar, followed by a tremendous amount of creamy smoke. About 10% into the cigar, the youth fades (and this is a very good thing because, a lot of times, this ruins the start of the cigar for me).
The burn is even and the flavor is a very solid traditional taste with hints of cedar and nuts. This cigar manages to have a solid medium body despite the origin of the tobacco. This is surprising and says to me that there was a lot of time spent making sure the blend was just right. The middle of the cigar is toasty and stays consistent with the opening flavors. The finish is wonderful—it really opens up about halfway through and delivers the whole time.
The Alec Bradley American Classic Blend is a great cigar and costs around five dollars a stick, making it very affordable and well worth the price. All in all, this is a great smoke for the price and I’m very happy that my colleagues turned me on to this beauty. I now have several in my humidor and I recommend that you guys give it a shot.
Alec Bradley is a newer line for us here at J•R, and I know that a lot of our customers (as well as the cigar smokers here) are very happy that this famous brand has been added to our lineup. You should also check out the Alec Bradley Black Market and Alec Bradley Tempus lines.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the employee alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the company.
