Reviews by Brandon S

You don’t make great cigars sitting behind a desk and Alan Rubin will be happy to tell you that. Alan Rubin started Alec Bradley Cigars (named after his sons, Alec and Bradley) in 1996. Since the company’s inception, they have garnered several 90+ ratings. To say that I’m excited to try this blend would be an understatement.

Alec Bradley’s American Classic intrigued me from the beginning. Being a red-blooded, gun-toting, beer drinking, flag flying, truck-driving....well, you get the picture. I consider myself a patriot. So what goes well with my patriotism? An American cigar, of course! Well, sort of American....the American Classic is made in Nicaragua utilizing a Connecticut-seed wrapper grown in Honduras. The fillers are a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan long-leaf tobaccos. So really, there’s nothing American about it except the band. What is American about the blend is that it’s a throwback to the cigars that were rolled in Tampa in the early part of the 20^th century. You know, back in the good ol’days of homogenized wrappers and machine made brands. Huh? Whatever. At least his intentions were good, I hope.  So let’s just take the cigar for what it’s worth – about $4-$5 in box....not bad.

I picked up the Robusto for the review. At first glance, it seems like this stick is going to be a light-weight. I generally prefer a fuller cigar, and American Blend’s pale, tan wrapper doesn’t raise my pulse in the slightest. Upon lighting, I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, it’s no powerhouse, but it actually has some pretty good flavor right out of the gate. For about the first inch it comes off as a medium-bodied cigar. Up front, there’s a creamy, cedary flavor that turns to spice as it finishes. You definitely feel the spice on the back of your palate. As the cigar progresses, the spice subsides and the creamy, cedary flavor is more pronounced. 

I won’t lie, this isn’t the most complex cigar you’ll ever smoke and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it’s nice to not have to think about all the changes in a blend and just smoke. The American Blend provides and all-around tasty cigar at pretty reasonable prices. I’ll give it a 90 (including a couple of bonus points for the name).

Just to prove that I actually do read the ol’ e-mails that people send, I’m going to do this review based on a request from Jack W. who hails from Marysville, MI. Jack e-mailed me saying that he enjoyed the La Flor Dominicana Air Bender and wanted to know my thoughts, specifically on the Maestro Size. So I moseyed on out to the humidor and picked up a 5’er of these 5.5”x52 sized cigars. The first thing I noticed is the oily Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that encompasses the all Dominican blend which is sure to packed full of usual ligeros that are the hallmark of blender Litto Gomez.

The cigar itself is heavy in the hand and has a pre-light aroma familiar to blends that utilize well fermented tobaccos. As I light up one of these puppies I’m reading about the history of La Flor Dominicana… Turns out founder Litto Gomez started up the company after his jewelry store was robbed of about $400,000 in merchandise! Go figure…

Right about….now, I’m about half an inch in and I am noticing a light spice on my palate as well an enjoyable flavor upon exhaling through the nose. I’m not that far into the cigar and already I can tell that it is going to be full bodied – something that the bulk of La Flor’s releases are known for.

I’m about half way through this here Bender of Air and I’ve noticed that the spice has dissipated, but there is a nice amaretto like finish that I am actually finding myself enjoying. The strength hasn’t let up at all. In fact, I am having trouble typing at this point.

One thing that I should point out about this cigar is that I’ve had to relight it a few times and the burn I found to be less than perfect. Aside from that, I am enjoying the blend which seems to pair well with my ‘Best of Johnny Cash’ collection that I have pumping through the headphones. As far as price goes, well, the MSRP may cause a few folks to take a second glance, ranging from $140 - $165 a box.

I’ll wrap up this review since I’ve gotten near the end of the cigar. I must say, the blend does seem to be heading south a bit. I’m starting to get some harsh flavors that are turning me off to the cigar. I found this same characteristic to be present in each of the Air Benders that I burned through. So, to sum it all up – I enjoyed the first half, but the second half – not so much. Was that first half worth $7+? To me…no. But as always, taste is subjective. So pick a few up and try them for yourself!