Alec Bradley

Barber poles for me have always been cigars that are more about visual oddities than a quality smoke. The contrast of a light and dark striped wrapper is drawing to the eye, but most of the time the blend and tobacco lends itself to a basic if not off putting smoking experience. One exception that comes to mind is the Fuente Hemingway Between The Lines perfectos that are consistently of excellent quality. Other than that, barber pole cigars have been favored as more fun than premium smokes.  

A few years back Alec Bradley created their Black Market Filthy Hooligan cigars to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. The cigars received praise as a choice hybrid cigar. Still, I dismissed them as more of a gimmick and never ventured to try one. When I saw a cigar that was striped for this blind review, my expectations were low. Despite this I always leave a chance to be surprised when I’m about to try something new so here it goes…

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan 2020
• Wrapper: Honduran candela and Nicaraguan
• Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
• Filler: Honduran and Panamanian
• Size: 6”x50 (Barber Pole, Toro)

Appearance and Construction

This barber pole stick looks well-constructed sporting a pretty even match of candela and dark wrapper leaf. The cap has a piece of candela sitting on top and is put together quite nicely. There are minimal veins although as I’m squeezing the cigar there are soft spots towards the middle. The foot is spongy and as I give it a whiff there’s lots of hay coming from it although not much else.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Having my trusty Xikar Wooly Mammoth cutter with me I clip the candela piece off the top of the cigar. The cold draw brings hay, pencil lead, must and burnt wood. Using a long match I catch flame to the stick and the first puff has some loose tobacco that I’m catching on my teeth. As I remove the tobacco pieces the flavors start off with perfume and grassy notes. The start is rather mild and with a retrohale there’s hay coming through the nostrils with a café au lait creaminess. As I get to the darker wrapper a bit of spice hits the tongue with some citrus. At this point I’m getting the contrast from green wrapper to dark which is a combo of earth, spice then hay and grass.

The cigar is burning fast as I’m getting midway into it and I’m tasting mint with a butterscotch sweetness.  The body is medium and the ash is white with a wavy burn line. With another puff there’s earth and citrus on the forefront with a coffee finish. I take another retrohale where fruits and nuts rush through as well as a grassiness coming out of my mouth. The ash is firm as I attempt to gently remove it for fear of having it falling off into my lap.  The burn also appears to be adjusting and is looking pretty even.

As I’m rounding the last third of the smoke, earth and those grassy notes really seem to be picking up. These flavors are starting to become overwhelming and creating a fuller profile than previously.  I’m tasting the contrasts from the green to dark wrapper throughout and now hay mixed with cedar coats my palate along with a creamy finish. With another puff I get red pepper flakes that quickly transition back to grass and the perfume from the beginning of the stick. The cigar ends in the medium bodied range as I put it down. Although not too complex of a smoke the flavors were pronounced.

Conclusion

While I’ve always seen barber pole cigars as a novelty (and I’ve tasted more awful ones than good), I was happily surprised with the Alec Bradley Filthy Hooligan 2020. The construction was solid and the combo from candela to dark wrapper was well crafted. The filler tobaccos were a bit soft as I gave it a squeeze, but this did not affect the burn or flavor of the cigar at all. Though the blend was not sophisticated, the hay, earth, grass and creaminess balanced the smoke out rather nicely.

When I found out this was an Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan the quality of the cigar certainly showed as I’ve enjoyed many lines in the Alec Bradley brand. So if you think this is a “novelty” smoke, it isn’t and I can easily recommend picking at least one up and giving it a try.

Final Rating: 88

Alec Bradley cigars are almost always associated with a fuller bodied cigar in terms of strength. Alan Rubin, the founder of Alec Bradley wanted to create a different kind of product that could be enjoyed by the everyday smoker. The Medalist successfully carried out that profile by using a shade grown Honduran wrapper, Honduran binder and a mixture of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobacco fillers.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Alec Bradley: The Medalist
• Wrapper: Honduran
• Binder: Honduran
• Filler: Honduran & Nicaraguan
• Size: Robusto 5×52

Appearance & Construction

The band on the cigar is very thought out when designed. It incorporates a traditional AB logo in maroon and gold with a complex tan background. The cigar I’ve received had a small crack on the head of the wrapper that I hope won’t affect my experience, and two minor veins on the front and back side of the cigar. As I cut into the cigar, a small part of the wrapper undone itself which was expected due to the crack previously mentioned. However, it didn’t affect the structure of the cigar in any way.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

At the foot of the cigar, there was a light scent of tangerine, bread, hay and milk coffee. The flavors solidified as I took a dry pull with a nice addition of spicy pepper notes at the tip of the tongue.

As the cigar was being lit, the white silky smoke danced around my hand and I was overwhelmed with an image of a cool fall afternoon and the scent of warm pie as the ember grew at the foot of the cigar.

The first puff of the Medalist solidifies all the presumptions I had. The smoke was ample, cool, and silky with a nice creamy texture. At the forefront of The Medalist, a pleasant taste of nuttiness, hay, vanilla and Hawaiian roll with a hint of white pepper spice at the exhale. This left a tingly sensation at the tip of my tongue. The retro-hale was light just like the cigar, with a nutty and citrusy taste.

Half an inch in, a new taste of a French vanilla latte was introduced due to the vanilla and nutty flavor combination. I’ve also realized the burning has become uneven. I promptly set the cigar down, hoping it would fix itself. A few minutes passed and the burning became even again which was a win in my book.

During the second third, a crack appeared along one of the veins, but it wasn’t significant enough to affect the smoking experience. Hay and toasted bread dominated the flavor profile with a lite flavor of leather and vanilla at the finish. Usually I don’t purge the cigar this early on into the smoke, however, I purged it in attempt to prevent any other cracks or mishaps that happen for the duration of the smoke. As I took a longer pull from the freshly purged cigar, the creaminess and sweetness of the Hawaiian roll reappeared alongside some bitterness from the hay and leather profile.

As I reach the final third, the sweetness of bread is completely gone. All that’s left is hay, leather and charcoal in the profile. In my final attempt extract any flavor the Medalist has left to offer, I decided to purge the cigar again. Luckily the charcoal flavor subsided, and the hay, cream and nutty flavor was revived to provide a proper ending for the smoke.

Conclusion

Alan Rubin achieved his intent for the Medalist. The smoke was mellow throughout the whole experience, even though there were few hiccups along the experience (might only be this specific cigar since there aren’t any other construction complaints from other people) and not as complex as I hoped for. Overall, it was a great stick for your everyday smoke.

Final Rating: 88

Few cigars are as widely recognized as the Alec Bradley Prensado. The original Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill won Cigar Aficionado’s coveted Cigar of the Year distinction in 2011, catapulting the brand into the national and international spotlight. Since then, the company has released a number of lines, including the Alec Bradley Mundial which is one of my all time favorite cigars (though I’ve noticed that opinion isn’t shared by many). The Alec Bradley Prensado Lost Art has big shoes to fill.

So let’s get on to the review, shall we?

Blend Specifics

• Size: Churchill (7 x 50)
• Wrapper: Honduran Corojo
• Binder: Nicaraguan and Honduran
• Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran

Appearance and Construction

The Prensado Lost Art Churchill is semi box pressed, making it very comfortable to hold. There is a light springiness when I squeeze the cigar and I can tell it is packed very consistently. As for branding, it is special simply because it’s great to see an addition to the Prensado line. It may look like there are two bands on this cigar, but there really is just one.

The pre light draw is moderately restrictive, and brings forth aromas of granola and coffee, very typical for Alec Bradley in my experience.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Fans of the Prensado will have no difficulty in recognizing his blend when they first light up. I’m greeted by thick, robust flavors of earth, cedar, and espresso, all augmented with a saltiness that reminds me of salted popcorn. At the same there are hints of vanilla and cinnamon on the nose, making for enjoyable and complex start to this smoke.

By an inch in the balance of the flavors has changed a few times, keeping me on my toes, which I love. The smoke is medium bodied and very smooth.

Moving in to the second third, the earthiness and spice has drawn back, leaving the vanilla,  cinnamon, espresso and popcorn saltiness in focus. Very, very good. There is also a new note, a kind of oatiness that complements the other flavors well.

The burn up to this point has been fairly wavy, requiring some purging to correct. I’ve also noticed that the cigar can’t be set down for long before it goes out. This is significant because smoking a cigar too quickly can distort the flavors of any cigar, so it doesn’t weigh in this cigar’s favor.

Entering the final third, the flavor increases significantly, adding strong, sweet natural tobacco note. To me, this is where Prensado Lost Art really catches its stride, with all flavors kicking in simultaneously in the final 20 minutes of the smoke.

Conclusion

The Alec Bradley Prensado Lost Art is full of charisma and is, dare I say it, a bit of a show off. The flavors come and go, playing off of each other wonderfully, making this a worthy follow up to the original Prensado line. It bears many of the hallmarks of the original Prensado (earthiness and granola) while adding some additional complexity (vanilla, popcorn salt). I think it clocks in at a solid medium, and because it is so smooth, it will appeal to the new cigar smoker and the veteran alike. The only criticism I have is that the burn was never really straight, which could be a fluke or a direct result of the double binder. All of these considerations lead me to a rating of 93/100.

Final Rating: 93