Cigar Review: Fine and Rare by Alec Bradley

Vitola: Toro
Size: 6” x 52 ring gauge
Price $16.80
Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

It was one of “those” times of the year…my calendar for upcoming reviews was looking thin and I needed to add some items to it or risk having to scrounge for last-minute material to publish. To make matters worse, the shop hadn’t ordered heavily since the last quarter of 2013 because of impending re-model plans (it had been talked about for literally years, but by the time this publishes, ground-breaking should be rapidly approaching. So I turned my attention to cigars that I normally just pass over. I have to honestly say that Alec Bradley cigars haven’t done much in the last few years to impress my palate. Mostly, I think they rely on Honduran leaf for a big part of their flavor profile; and while I’ve learned recently not to discount all Honduran tobacco, I’m hesitant to spend almost $17 (and I didn’t…I work at the shop, so there is an employee discount).

Information on the Fine & Rare lines is hard to come by on the Alec Bradley website, so I turned to halfwheel for a little background. You can read their write-up on this cigar HERE. Basically, this is the “HJ10-i Toro” release, rolled (according to the band on my cigar) between February 20 and 26, 2011, and released on 10/11/2012. This stick was rolled by Juan and Antonia in the Raices Cubanas Factory, so I thank them for their hard work! (Lots of info on these bands…a whole lot!) Word is they used 10 different tobaccos in the production of these cigars, although they all come from just two countries: Nicaragua (some filler, one binder) and Honduras (the rest of the filler, second binder, and wrapper).

I’ve never smoked a Fine & Rare before this review stick and I did just buy the one.

Prelight

The band for this cigar is in the form of a giant stamp…maybe a tax stamp, maybe a postage stamp, although if it’s the latter, it would be a very big envelope that you’d be putting it on. Like I said before, there is a wealth of information printed on each and every band…I’d really like to see more manufacturers putting that much info on their boxes! The presentation and content are unique in the cigar world in my experience. The wrapper was a light-medium brown with a bit of darker mottling and striations on it. The veins were noticeable but not terribly large and the leaf was oily to the touch and to the eye. Giving it a good sniff, I picked up a rich hay and natural tobacco from the wrapper, along with slightly barnyard-y earthiness from the foot.

After clipping the head, I got mildly sweet dried berry flavors on the cold draw, along with a bit of hay and earth.

Flavor

After lighting, the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare started off with a nice mix of earth, creamy coffee, and mild pepper spice, along with a bit of cedar on the finish and a stronger pepper kick on the retrohale. As the first third went along, pepper spice went away fairly quickly except as just a slight finishing note, and the cedar melted away a bit as well. I continued to get earth and coffee notes, along with a vegetal note and the body was medium to full. Unfortunately, it seemed like the flavors were already starting to get a bit muddled and indistinct, which is my biggest criticism of Hondurans in general and Alec Bradleys in particular.

With that in mind, it’s important to note that in the second third, the Fine & Rare improved dramatically. I got more distinct earth and coffee flavors, along with sweet natural tobacco and a touch of citrus. Suddenly the cigar had plenty of flavor and balance, showing off touches of all 10 types of leaf used.

The last third continued much the same, along with some increase in pepper spice.

Construction

Build quality was great: strong ash, straight burn line, and fantastic draw.

Value

While this was a very good cigar, I didn’t feel it really rose to the level of something costing more than $15.

Conclusions

The Alec Bradley Fine & Rare was a solid smoking experience that rose above the level of other cigars I’ve had from the company, but really didn’t make an impression that left me wanting to spend the asking price for more. It was full-bodied and fairly complex, but just not enough for me. If you find that Alec Bradley’s other cigars are in your flavor wheelhouse, then you should try this one…you might just find a new favorite.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: .5/1
Total: 8/10