Vitola: Corona

Wrapper: Honduran Trojes

Origin: Honduras

Age:  fresh

Fresh off the success of the Tempus, Alec Bradley is releasing three new lines this year including the SCR or “Select Cabinet Reserve”.  This cigar features a Honduran Trojes wrapper, whatever that is. Here’s the blurb from the Alec Bradley website:

The careful selection of mid and upper priming tobaccos, were hand-picked to create the rich and balanced SCR line. Alec Bradley’s Select Cabinet Reserve delivers smooth bold flavors derived from the fertile soils of family run farms in Honduras and Nicaragua. The limited yield, dark caramel colored wrapper, adorns a skillful selection of premium leaves from the valleys of Central America, creating a perfect union of balance and flavor. SCR is presented in elegant lacquered boxes of 20 cigars, without cellophane, in five sizes. The smoke is buttery smooth, and possesses an abundance of complex flavors and aromas that will hold your attention from start to finish. [source: www.alecbradley.com]

Honestly, I didn’t expect much.  Not really sure why, but I figured this would be a disappointment.  The wrapper is dark brown and not veiny.  The pre-light draw was nice and easy.

After lit the aroma was quite strong, earthy and robust.  This begun stronger than I thought it would, it was rich and earthy with some tobacco, pepper and leather notes.

The burn got out of control several times, but I did not need to touch it up.

About halfway down it mellowed out substantially and delivered a subtle dose of coffee and nuts.

Overall, I was very surprised as to how much I enjoyed this cigar.  I need to go in with low expectations more often! 

Rating: 87 (B)

Size:  6″ x 50

Vitola: Torpedo

Wrapper: Cameroon

Origin: Honduras

From the Vault:  This cigar has been resting for a while, so I thought I’d pull it out and see what almost two years has done to the cigar.

It ‘s a nice enough looking cigar, dark brown with a little bit of tooth. 

From the start I picked up a funky flavor to the cigar, I can best describe it as burnt wood but not in a good way.

Other than that there was not much flavor to speak of.

The draw was so tight i had to cut it twice to get a decent amount of smoke and it began to turn very sour halfway down.  I did not like this cigar one bit.  Nope.

Rating: 67 (D)

Size:  7 1/2″ x 41

Vitola: Long Panetela

Wrapper:Honduran Habano

Origin: Honduras

Made at the same factory as the ultra hot Illusione brand, the Tempus is also becoming a very popular hard to get cigar.  You can find the Tempus at Empire Cigars.  I really enjoyed the corona I tried earlier, so  I couldn’t wait to try the lancero…

To start off for a lencero it has great draw and an even burn.

Now a lancero is really a size that really showcases wrapper not the filler, but for some reason all I taste is filler.  I’m picking up a strong ligero taste and not much else.  It is harsh and one-dimensional. The finish is very short with a chariness and spicy pepper notes.

I did seem to level out in the second half, but by far this was disappointing.  I will need to try another size before my final judgment on the Tempus.

Rating: 75 (C)

Size:  5″ x 50

Vitola: Robusto

Wrapper:  Cameroon

Origin: Honduras

From the Vault: Another from the vault, this little cigar was made famous by its gimmicky shape.  Instead of a normal box-press, the Trilogy had a tri-press or three sided shape.  Alec Bradley stopped incorporating the tri-press into the Trilogy.

The cigar has a nice silky feel to it; it’s solid and fits well in your mouth.  I punched it and it drew great.  Flavors of leather, cedar and smoke abound, but stayed constant through the length of the smoke, so no real complexity here.

Even after smoking it down to an inch left, it still held its tri-pressed shape, which was kinda neat.  Aging suited this cigar nicely.

Rating: 87 (B)

Size: 5.5″ x 42

Vitola: Corona 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan

Origin: Nicaragua?

Got my hands on the new Alec Bradley cigar (from Capital City Cigars of course) and figured I’d fire it up ASAP.  Alec Bradley Cigars is famous for the Maxx line as well as one of the more interesting cigar shapes I have ever seen in the triangle-pressed Trilogy line.    

The cool thing about Tempus line is that it is available in a corona and giant corona size.  Got to love the coronas!

This is a dark brown cigar, even coloration on the wrapper and not too veiny.  I punched it and the draw was nice and easy, which is often complicated for non-Cuban cigar manufacturers (sorry, but it is).

After I lit it and started writing this review, it went out.  That’s not a good sign.

Flavor wise, its not a terribly spicy cigar.  It doesn’t give you much on the palate, but it actually delivers a ton of flavors in the sinuses.  There is an undercurrent of sweetness in the cigar with a richness and depth that shows proper aging.  I pick up notes, in my sinuses, of cherry coffee and chocolate.  The cigar has a nice medium finish.

The ash is very short, in fact I have to tap it every quarter inch or so, so that I don’t were it all over my expensive designer cut-off t-shirt.

I like the artwork/design on the band but do not like the second band on the foot.  Each band seems to be scaled for the size of the cigar which is cool.  As an aside, what’s up with all of the second bands?  Can’t fit it all on one?

I would like to retract my spicy comment, it does begin to pick up some spiciness around the halfway point, not too much, just the right amount of pepper that tickles your tongue and sinus.

So with flavor and appearance I was very pleased, but I was disappointed on construction.  So I can’t give this too high of a score but the cigar does show good potential.

Rating: 85 (B)