Cigar Review

Alec Bradley’s Tempus

Alec Bradley TempusWith 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.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan (Jalapa)
Binder: Nicaraguan Double Binder
Filler: Nicaraguan (Condega, Estelí & Jalapa)
Price: Around $7.00 – $9.50 a stick.
Rating: 4.6 out of 5 pints

 

Joya de Nicaragua introduces Cinco Décadas El Doctor

Cinco Decades El Doctor

Estelí, Nicaragua – Two years ago, when Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua reached its 50th anniversary, it released its most emblematic blend to date: Cinco Décadas, a commemorative cigar conceived as a tribute to all of those that have shaped the company and thus the Nicaraguan cigar industry.

Every Cinco Décadas vitola has been named after historic icons, Diadema as it was the first shape ever made at the factory, El Fundador is a tribute to founders of the company, and El General, reminds us of one of the pioneers of tobacco in Nicaragua. Today, Joya de Nicaragua introduces “El Doctor”, a 6×52 Torpedo honoring , Dr. Alejandro Martínez Cuenca, JDN’s visionary Chairman and Owner since the early 90s, and an impactful leader of our organization and industry

“Giving identities to these special products is one of the most exciting things we do when we are about to release one of these gems that we have created at the factory. With Cinco Décadas it hasn’t been easy, as we want to recognize all the important icons or milestones that have shaped our history in the last five decades. For me it was very touching when our agency and marketing team proposed to me to name this vitola after my father, because it was a realization of how much he has been an influence to all of us,” said Juan Ignacio Martínez, Executive President.

This very special limited batch of just 600 boxes will be sold exclusively in the UnitedStates, and only by retailers that belong to the Drew Diplomat Retailer Program. Joya de Nicaragua Cinco Décadas El Doctor will be shipping in August 2020, and will be available along with the 2020 annual batch of 600 boxes of each of the rest of the sizes in the Cinco Décadas series.“ Cinco Décadas is the cigar we are most proud of in Joya de Nicaragua. We are truly limited in the amount of cigars we can roll in this blend, because we use our most talented torcedores and because we use the best tobacco in our factory. Our plan is to release one new size every year until the next big anniversary, but this year we may have another surprise, so stay tuned,” said Daniel Barrios, Global Commercial Director of Joya de Nicaragua. This limited edition cigar will be introduced to the public by Juan Ignacio Martínez and the Drew Estate sales team in digital events across the country next month. Priced in line with the rest of the vitolas in the brand, Cinco Décadas El Doctor will be sold at MSRP/$20.00 per stick or $200/box.

Protocol Announces Release of John Doe 2.0

Protocol John Doe

Protocol Cigars announces their second release in the Protocol John Doe Series with the John Doe 2.0. John Doe is the name given to unidentified males until identification can be made at a later time. The cigars will be available in 10 count bundles with a $92.50 MSRP. The wrapper, binder, and filler are unidentified at this time. The only information available is place of birth. At this time it has been confirmed that the place of birth is the La Zona Cigar Factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. This installment in the series is a true limited release with only 225 bundles in a 5X52 vitola, with an unidentifiable plain white cigar band. John Doe 2.0 will be available for purchase one time only, never to be released again. Once they are gone, they will be gone forever. 

Pedigree information: 

Wrapper: Unidentified

Blinder: Unidentified

Filler: Unidentified 

POB: La Zona, Esteli, Nicaragua 

Protocol Cigars is proud to offer this installment through Omerta Cigar Co. of 7700 S. Western Ave, Suite B, Oklahoma City,  OK 73139, and their online site: http://www.purocigarhouse.com. The release date will be Saturday, July 11th, 2020. There will be an in store event and online sales, more details to follow on both companies social media platforms. Bundles and single stick sales will be available to the public on a first come first served basis. 

“We are excited and honored to have been selected by our great partners in the industry for this phenomenal release. We look forward to a great rollout event and being a part of Protocol’s rise in the industry especially here in the MidWest! Thank you Kevin and Juan for this opportunity. ” Jarrett Jackson Managing Partner Omerta Cigar Co.