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This is the second Alec Bradley I've tried.
Superb construction and beautiful to look at.
Again, used the light & cut method.
HUGE punch for such a small stick!
Same "stealth" factor as with the Prensado, but I was prepared this time.
It didn't want to stay lit, but that could have been due to inattention on my part, as I was caught up in multiple conversations.
Slightly more distinctive flavours in this one than the Prensado... some woody accents and definitely more pepper, but not too much.
Great little smoke and seems like a perfect "go to" stick for when I've little time to devote to a smoke. Probably won't make it to my top 10 list, but that certainly doesn't speak ill of it!
It has to pretty much be 11+/10 to make my top list.
This one gets 8/10
Tried the "light, then cut", method, introduced to me by my new smoking friend, Harlan. He was right about it! Great method. I think I'm a convert!
It made for a very mellow start... Even more than usual for this stick.
These are very mild to me, with just a hint of "bite" some of the time.
Fair amount of smoke.
Probably won't buy more of these, but will smoke if on hand.. Or maybe give them away to someone who prefers a milder smoke.
They aren't bad at all, just fairly unremarkable.
This one was only good about halfway down.
6/10
I was introduced to this gem at the first Tulalip Cigar Meetup I attended, and it is a great smoke!
Beautifully constructed, firm and springy, smooth leaves, smelled great!
Nice light, despite some "lighter issues" that caused an uneven light. It quickly evened itself out without extra help until about 2/3 through, at which point it had some trouble staying lit. I had to relight it twice.
Cap didn't try to fall apart when chomped on, like many seem to, which is nice.
Bold and smooth from the first puff!
Not at all as spicy as I expected, but that was not a detractor.
Interestingly, there seemed to be no distinctive flavours.. or anything that really stood out, which would normally turn me off of a cigar, but it didn't. Truly an expert blend!
This cigar was deceptively strong! It seemed to taste milder as it progressed, but it packed a MAJOR punch! It hit me hard and damn near knocked me on my arse! I was pretty buzzed; That's for sure!
Definitely should have a good meal with plenty of red meat prior to smoking one of these.
Nice, firm, long ash. Medium to dark grey.
I smoked it down just a tad too far and the taste suffered for it. Should have stopped at right about 2", but went a bit past that.
Not my "perfect" cigar, but excellent, nonetheless.
8/10
Obviously, the planned photo shoot for January didn't happen. There were no donations whatsoever, so I will have to assume for now that there just isn't as much interest in new shoots as people keep telling me.
Then, there was not even one scheduled for March, cause I broke my back on March 7th and have been recuperating. The healing is coming along, and I have been able to get out a bit, as long as I am very careful, and have also been FINALLY able to start enjoying some good sticks more often as well!
So.. I'm probably going to make a tentative date for an April shoot. Again, dependent on donations.
I have discovered a couple of (kinda) local cigar meetups just recently, and am happy to be able to have a gathering place to smoke and chat and such with people of like mind again. Such has been very difficult to find around Seattle since I-901 passed several years ago. (Washington's "clean indoor air act"). Luckily, Tribal land is exempt from the law, so we still have at least SOME options!
I went to the first meetup at the Tulalip Casino on Monday, April 5th. It was great! Met several really cool people. It's a nice, laid back and friendly crowd. Amazingly, I WASN'T the only woman there!! And at least one of the other couple of women there was obviously a serious cigar smoker, like myself.. not just some groupie, so that was really cool.
Was introduced to a couple new (to me) cigars there from Alec Bradly. VERY impressed!! (Reviews forthcoming in later posts), in addition to coming away with a new Blue Rhino lighter and really nice cutter from Cuban Crafters. Cuban Crafters has a lifetime guarantee too, so if anything ever goes wrong with it, all I have to do is send it back to them and they'll replace it for free! ...Which is awesome. :D
The group meets at the Tulalip Casino on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, and I definitely plan on being there for as many of them as I can!
There is also a cigar night ever Tuesday night at the Snoqualmie Casino's Lit Cigar Lounge, which I have not yet been to, but am looking forward to checking out! It sounds very nice, from everything I have been told by people who have been there.
I might go tomorrow (well, technically, that would be today). We'll see.
I have created a new online forum for cigar enthusiasts in and around Seattle.
Here is the link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PNWcigars
This smoke is supposedly the "second most sought after non-Cuban cigar in the world", and "a full bodied cigar" so, naturally, I had high hopes.
It was difficult to get a good light, but, once lit, burned nicely and evenly.
It started out extremely mild... FAR more than the description let on. It did get better by almost midway through, but then quickly became arid and harsh to my tastes.
Thick, abundant smoke.
Firm, light grey ash.
"Good" (as in, maintained its taste without getting nasty - quotes cause I didn't like the taste to begin with) down to just under 2".
These are probably fine for those who like a milder cigar with a bit of a "punch", but not for me.
All in all, a big disappointment, especially after all the hype.
5/10
This is the second Alec Bradley I've tried. 
