Alec Bradley New York
Friday, June 15th, 2012The Alec Bradley New York was released awhile back for distribution in New York shops only. How I came across it at a local cigar shop here in Florida, I don’t know. Naturally I jumped at the chance, and picked a few up. I’m not good at hyping things up, so let’s get right to the review.
Wrapper: Criollo 98
Binder: Criollo 98
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
Size: Declaration (Gran Toro) 58 x 6
Price: Around $7.75
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The oily wrapper was shiny, and the color variances looked good. There were a few small to medium sized veins, but no real flaws to speak of. The smell of the wrapper was a simple earthiness and wood. The foot had almost no smell at all. I could only pick up a mild natural tobacco scent. The cigar was a little squishy, except towards the head. The draw was good, with only slight resistance. On pre-light draw, the flavor was mild and earthy, with fruity notes to accompany it.
The ash held for around one inch. The burn got wavy at times, and required several minor corrections.
Flavor:
The first third was pretty easy on the palate. Up first was nuttiness and a touch of wood. Through the nose, it was hard to find any additional flavor. It was basically a combination of nuttiness and wood, with an ever so slight spicy note. What kind of spice? I can’t say, it was too mild. Towards the end of this third, I picked up a floral note.
The second third picked up the pace a bit. Most noticeable was a smooth nuttiness mixed with spice. It made retrohaling more enjoyable, and lingered in the aftertaste. Cedar was up next, with a slight floral notes behind it. Sometimes cedar would dominate the flavor profile, and at other times, it was more nutty.
While the last third kept the same core flavors from the second third, a sweet cocoa joined in. This may have been the missing component that the flavor profile needed all along. Not to say the cigar was bad before, but in this third, everything just came together.
Conclusion:
This was a decent lower medium to medium bodied cigar. The flavors were simple, subtle, and at times challenging. For the full bodied smoker, or even some medium smokers, the subtleness may not be for you. For me, I could smoke these in the morning with coffee and be completely satisfied. As I often say, you’ll have to judge for yourself on this one. I thought it was decent.