NAME: Alec Bradley Nica Puro 1685
DATE: 10-31-2020
RATE: 91
PRICE: $7.50-$8.50
STRENGTH: 1 2 3 (4) 5
REVIEWER: Aaron M. Paoletta – www.lavegalounge.com
I have been smoking cigars since I was 19 years old. I am now 36, but writing reviews is a fairly new concept for me. As these are some of my first few official cigar reviews that I am posting, a lot of people don’t know that I am a huge fan of Alec Bradley and the majority of the cigars that are produced by this company. That being said, I go out of my way to track down any and all releases that Alec Bradley has. Alan Ruben has a pretty interesting start into The cigar industry. Having made cigars for the golf course that he was at and then turning The company into a king pin in the cigar world it’s a pretty outstanding story. And then naming the company after his two sons is just the cherry on top. These are the kind of stories that I like to read about. But what I enjoy more is the flavor and quality that comes from a company when making cigars and with that in mind, you can definitely tell that he loves what he does.
At first glance, The cigar is superbly made. From the flamboyant label to the sublime Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. It absolutely screams perfection. After taking it out of the plastic, it definitely has a slight bit of oil on the wrapper but overall it is mostly dry. It has a very nice dark chocolate colored wrapper and has a beautiful earthy yet nutty aroma to it. From what I can tell, it has a wonderful selection of Nicaraguan long fillers. And this particular cigar is Alec Bradley‘s first Nicaraguan Puro. For those of you who know me, know that I love and prefer to enjoy nicaraguan Cigars over anything else, but I do not discriminate. I will try any cigar because I am always searching for that hidden gem.
Now to the first light. The draw is incredibly smooth. There is definitely room to breath so I do enjoy how clear the draw is. There is nothing that ruins the cigar experience more than a tightly rolled or clogged draw. In the first third it has an earthy/nutty yet spicy quality to it which was very pleasant. I’ve had some cigars in the past that the spice was so overwhelming that I had to throw the cigar away due to the fact that I felt like I just inhaled a ghost pepper. The punch signature was one such cigar. these notes were the perfect segue into the second third. I was able to detect some cinnamon which became more pronounced over the earth and nut flavor. Although The spice started to dwindle away and became secondary during the second third but then I picked up a touch of nutmeg and raisins which was very satisfying. In the final third everything pretty much stayed the same just a little bit more intense and about halfway through some mild notes of leather and aged Cedarwood became pretty prominent. For Alec Bradley‘s‘s first Nicaraguan Puro, I would have to say they did a pretty damn good job. I look forward to seeing what more comes from this company on the Nicaraguan front.