Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 50 ring gauge
- ~$9.00
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
Did Alan Rubin really expect his sons, Alec and Bradley, to follow in his footsteps as cigar makers when he named his company after them? It’s quite possible…and he probably would say “Naturally!” if he were asked today. Either way, it was a delight to the cigar world…and surely their dad…when Alec and Bradley Rubin decided to work on their own blends together, beginning with 2018’s Blind Faith.
Kintsugi was originally supposed to debut in early 2020, but that was the year the whole world went a little sideways, so the release was delayed until close to the end of the year. The purpose of the cigar was to pay homage to an ancient Japanese art form that involves “joining together ceramics with gold lacquer—making them even more beautiful.” As noted on the Alec Bradley website, cigars are a “bonding agent,” bringing all sorts of people together. I have to say that I wholeheartedly agree with that. In my time smoking, reviewing, and working with cigars, I’ve become friends with builders and electricians, a former gang member and a U.S. Senator…old people, young people, varying income levels…as a friend of mine once stated: “Cigars are fellowship enhancement.”
Kintsugi is made in the Raices Cubanas factory in Danlí, Honduras. It uses Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers, dual Honduran and Nicaraguan binders, and a Honduran Trojes wrapper leaf. It is available in four sizes, including the Robusto that I’m reviewing today. I’ve smoked this blend 3 or 4 times previously and I bought my review sample at Burns Tobacconist. I got some background information from Cigar-Coop’s story about the release.
Prelight
The packaging for the Kintsugi is very elegant, with the box mimicking broken shard of white and blue ceramic with gold mortar in between them. Asian lettering (Japanese, I would presume) appears on both box and band, although I’ve seen nothing to indicate what the lettering says…it could simply be the name of the brand and the name of the blend. The band is more blue with the broken shards and gold foil mortar repeated. It looks great, although it’s a little large and I could tell that it would necessitate removal within moments of lighting the cigar…if not just taking it off beforehand.
The wrapper leaf was a dusky gold color that could easily be mistaken for a Connecticut Shade leaf. It’s not listed as such but is definitely on the lighter side so it could be a Honduran-grown Shade leaf. It felt mostly dry and a little papery under my fingertips, with just a little bit of oiliness. It had a clean, grassy sweet hay aroma with a touch of barnyard to it. The foot was more grassiness, with a slightly riper earth note and a hint of citrus.
Once I clipped the head, the prelight draw had just about the right amount of resistance. It featured notes of sweet hay, citrus, and white pepper.
Flavor
Firing up the Kintsugi took a little more time and effort than I would have imagined, but I did get it fully and evenly burning after about a minute and a half. It immediately presented with strong cedar notes, overlaying lesser notes of hay and earth, with a bit of a sweet and sour citrus finish. The retrohale had black pepper and more woodiness. The first third continued on in with that basic profile riding on a mild-to-medium-bodied smoke.
As I got into the second third, there was a slight increase in earth, while citrus notes came much more forward and woody flavors faded a bit. There was a good deal more orange citrus sweetness while the sour notes didn’t rise nearly as much. Pepper came through on the palate more prevalently, as well.
In the last third, I got more earth and citrus with the body rising to a “barely in medium” range. The citrus was increasingly juicy while the cedar notes took a definite back seat. Pepper faded a bit but was a steady heat on the back end.
Construction
I had an excellent draw, very even burn line, and solid ash for half an inch or so.
Value
Good cigar and decent price make for good value.
Conclusions
The Alec and Bradley Kintsugi was a good milder Honduran cigar, although it didn’t exactly blow me away with great flavor and complexity. It was good enough to smoke again, but it didn’t resonate well enough with my palate to make it a regular occurrence. Still, it was one of the best milder cigars I can remember having from the Alec Bradley catalog. If their Honduran-heavy profile is something that works well for you, I would recommend trying it.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
