Country of origin: Nicaragua
Color: Natural (Colorado)
Length: 5"
Ring gauge: 50
Wrapper: Honduran Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (Condega & Esteli)
Well, while rotating my cigar stock and recharging my humidification devices, I found three of these American Classic Blend Robustos resting nicely in a humidor that is infrequently visited. And I felt like I hit the jackpot with this find - after all, these ARE Alec Bradleys, and this brand has a portfolio that has never disappointed me. So, I packed the three into my travel humidor with the intention of adding them to my "commute cigar" batch.
This robusto is great looking stick - it has a weathered honey brown colored wrapper with a multitude of small veins. There were no visible seams noted. The wrapper was smooth and dry to the touch with no oiliness. The wrapper was not very aromatic; however, the foot provided a light cedar aroma. The cold draw was very easy after applying a guillotine cut, but did not pick up any exciting flavor - just mild tobacco flavor (giving me no indication of what I was in for). The cigar lit very easily and had a damn near perfectly even burn throughout the smoke. As mentioned in my review of other Alec Bradley sticks, the construction is outstanding, as it produces long, tight ashes.
Connecticut shade wrappers are typically milder cigars; however, I would classify this cigar as medium-bodied with mild-to-moderate strength. The smoke commences with hearty earthy tobacco flavor, with some notes that reminds me of charred wood. There are heavy blasts of pepper throughout the smoke, especially on retrohale, which leaves the tongue tingling. Midway through the smoke, the flavors become rather pungent with some bitterness, but not at all repugnant. The flavor actually smooths out quite nicely through the finish and becomes slightly creamy with some elements of roasted hazlenuts. Although the pepper flavor decreased, the tongue remained tingling from the initial blasts. Interestingly, there was no sweetness picked up in the flavor profile; however, the smoke aroma had a pleasant sweetness throughout. Total burn time averages about 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes.
The Alec Bradley American Classic Blend Robusto is an enjoyable smoke. I will admit that with the first cigar I smoked, the pungency and bitterness experienced around the midpoint initially had me thrown for a minute. If you encounter the same experience, I will encourage you to keep smoking - trust me, it definitely gets better. Another great "commute cigar" that pairs nicely with my morning coffee (especially the bold, bittersweet chocolate flavor of the African blend coffee).