Our staff would like to extend a great big congratulations and pat on the back to Alec Bradley Cigars for earning the most prestigious title in the cigar industry - The Alec Bradley Prensado Churchill cigar was awarded "The 2011 Cigar of The Year" by Cigar Aficionado!! Congratulations to Alan Rubin, founder of the Alec Bradley Cigar Company, and his staff! Their company is distinguished as a world-class boutique cigar producer and purveyor in the premium cigar industry. The company is named after his 2 sons, Alec and Bradley. Alan started his cigar company in 1996 and has come a long way in 16 years. His company was the first to create a triangular shaped cigar. Alan hit it on the head in 2007 when he introduced the Alec Bradley Tempus and only 2 years later he created the Alec Bradley Prensado blend.
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The Alec Bradley Prensado is blended using Central American tobacco exclusively, including a very dark wrapper leaf grown in a southern area of Honduras called Trojes. The Alec Bradley Prensado is handmade at the Raices Cubanas factory in Danli, Honduras. It embodies the epitome of cigar perfection with its picture-perfect head, its stunning oily, practically veinless wrapper, the skillfully placed triple-cap, and its elegant and colorful band. But more than its stunning presentation it is the incredible flavors and excellent draw that make the Alec Bradley Prensado a true classic! The Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos are blended in a harmonious way presenting hints of chocolate, leather, spice notes and a lush, long finish. A perfect description of this beauty, "A richly colored cigar with superb construction. The first puffs are sweet and leathery, then turn toasty and nutty with a chocolate note. Sophisticated."
The Alec Bradley Prensado line is available in 6 sizes: Churchill, Corona Gorda, Double T, Gran Toro, Robusto and Torpedo are the first all box-pressed selection from Alec Bradley Cigars ("prensado" means pressed in Spanish) and by far their fullest-bodied blend. This blend will definitely give you something to sink your teeth into with its smooth buttery notes of rich and deep roasted coffee flavors and a dash of sweet pepper. The Alec Bradley Prensado will undoubtedly leave you thoroughly impressed proving why it got some of Cigar Aficionado's highest ratings!
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RATED 91-96 BY CIGAR AFICIONADO and TOP 25 CIGARS OF 2011, #1 FOR THE ALEC BRADLEY PRENSADO CHURCHILL!
Country of Origin: Honduras
Flavor: Full
Wrapper: Trojes, Honduras
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Trojes, Honduras and Nicaragua
The Alec Bradley Prensado cigars are available here at MyDiscountCigar.com.
To read more about the Alec Bradley Prensado blends please visit AlecBradley.com.
~ Peace, Love, Cigars ~
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CIGAR REVIEW OF THE ALEC BRADLEY PRENSADO ROBUSTO BY CIGARFAN
The Trojes revolution that started with the Tempus blend in 2008 is still going strong. Not long after the Tempus was released, Alec Bradley unleashed the Trojes-wrapped SCR (Select Cabinet Reserve) and about a year later the Alec Bradley Prensado Robusto appeared on the shelves. Since then, leaf from this small Honduran village has almost become synonymous with Alec Bradley.
Las Trojes is a tiny border town about 40 miles east of Danli, the heart of cigar making operations in Honduras. The Jalapa valley is just across the border in Nicaragua, and Esteli is a few more miles down the road, or what passes for a road in this part of the country. This is solid tobacco country, and Alec Bradley seems pretty happy with it. They’ve gone so far as to trademark the name Trojes, so it seems certain that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of this fine leaf.
For the Alec Bradley Prensado the blenders have chosen an aged 2006 Corojo wrapper from Trojes, a binder from Jalapa, and a Nicaraguan-Honduran filler combination. The cigar is pressed, which is nothing new for the company (remember the Trilogy?) but this fact is emphasized by the name — prensado means pressed in Spanish.
The cigar is made in the Raices Cubanas factory in Danli, where the Tempus is also made (along with many other cigars for various manufacturers.) Six sizes are in production:
Churchill – 7 x 48
Torpedo – 8 1/8 x 52
Gran Toro – 6 x 54
Corona Gorda – 5 5/8 x 46
Robusto – 5 x 50
Double T - 6 x 62
Construction Notes
The Alec Bradley Prensado Robusto is clearly pressed, but it’s not a severe press — a little more than box-pressed, but not a lot more. The wrapper is a dark colorado maduro with some inconspicuous veins. The head of the cigar is somewhat flat with classic Raices Cubanas finishing, including a smoothly executed triple cap. The draw is excellent and the burn is slow and mostly even. The ash is dirty gray, striated with black, and holds well.
Overall construction: Excellent.
Tasting Notes
The pungency of the pre-light tobacco comes through almost immediately as leather, and the smoke has a lengthy finish from the start. There is a peppery edge to it, which is supplemented by a sweet, nearly fruity accent. It is full-bodied, but smooth. The combination of flavors here is impressively complex, which is unusual for the first inch of a cigar.
Flavors of cocoa or chocolate emerge after an inch or so into the cigar. The leather remains in the background while the pepper fades a bit. The fruity accent seems to evolve into a minty, cameroon-like flavor. Taken as a whole, the combination of flavors here is really interesting.
The Alec Bradley Prensado sails into band territory balanced and smooth, but it still hasn’t completed its voyage. The cocoa takes on a caramel-like tone, over which is laced a touch of vanilla. The cigar gets a bit sharp at the very end, but this is after an hour long journey with some gorgeous vistas.
Conclusion
The Alec Bradley Prensado is a fantastic cigar with a rare combination of complexity, smoothness, and body. What is even rarer is that it wastes no time in getting to work — from first puff to last there is something to savor here. We’ve all had the “sweet spot” experience, but the Prensado seem to be all sweet spot. The combination of leather, cocoa, sweetness and spice is extremely well balanced, and the construction is just about perfect.
The Alec Bradley Prensado Robustos are in the 7 to 8 USD range, and I’d say they’re worth the expense. It isn’t often that I enjoy a cigar from beginning to end, so I feel like I definitely got my dollar’s worth out of this one. The only thing I didn’t like about the Prensado is how long it took me to discover it.
Final Score: 93
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Superb review CigarFan! Thanks!
