With so many great cigars in the Alec Bradly line it’s always a difficult choice deciding which one to write about next, in this case it was the Tempus. The Alec Bradley Tempus is a great Nica puro and it’s made in the Raices Cubanas (Cuban Roots) factory in Honduras. This factory is one of the go to factories for Alec Bradley.

The wrapper has a lovely color of tanned leather. It has a bit of toothiness and a slight oily sheen. Some light veining is present but not excessive and the cigar feels firm and dense. The smell is mild and reminds me of dried fruit and pepper while the cold draw is sweet and crisp and, while I generally stay away from ridiculous comparisons and my next statement is what one, it almost reminds me of flavors from a fresh apple.

In the first half there are decidedly spicy notes along with the flavor of toasted bread and cream. The draw has the correct resistance that you would want and, not too loose but not a struggle to smoke. The burn is accurate and sharp with plenty of well weighted smoke.

The second half increases in intensity. The spice picks up quite a bit but the smooth cream never leaves making it a wonderfully relaxing and easy cigar to smoke. The burn remains sharp and the smoke never fails to produce ample amounts.

In all, this was a great well rounded cigar, a real tribute to the blending style and to the torcedors at Raices Cubanas. While I consider this to be a slightly strong cigar, the flavor profile is such that either a novice or experienced smoker will enjoy it. Check your local shops for these cigars and when you see them its defiantly worth grabbing a fiver or if you’ve had them before you know you should just grab a box.

*Footnote. Honduras shut down all non-essential business due to coronavirus, Raices Cubanas being one of them. People were only allowed to leave they’re homes in segments based off of identification numbers making it increasingly difficult to get basic supplies needed to live, especially considering that Honduras is a developing country. In order to support the people that support them, Alec Bradley for an entire month, provided both food and hygienic supplies to the factory workers and their families and older retired factory works and their families from Raices Cubanas. (A number around 2,800 people.) Since the restrictions were so stringent, if the employees were not able to get the supplies themselves they made arrangements to have them delivered. For storage of the food they converted the tobacco freezers into food coolers. It is gestures like these that make me proud to be a part of the tobacco industry and happy to continue to support companies like Alec Bradley.