Alec Bradley Coyol Gordo

1. December 26th 2020: A blind tasting would suggest a mild Cuban cigar akin to the Partagas Series E. The sample that I took, two days after receiving the box, was not in the best condition. It developed cracks in the wrapper, suggesting that it was too dry, and fell apart at the nub, suggesting it was too damp. So I shall give the blend the benefit of the doubt and wait a few more weeks before passing judgment. 

Wrapper: Honduran Trojes, which seems to be a rather delicate leaf

Binder: double binder Honduran and Nicaraguan

Filler: Honduran and Nicaraguan

Vitola: Gordo 6 x 60

Construction: Beautiful, light brown, wrapper, slightly oily. Cracks developed. But I think that could be due to the dry ambient conditions during transit. The cigars felt a bit dry and rigid on pre-light. 

Draw: Very easy draw, except for the cracks.

Flavour: Mild to medium flavour, not spicy, a little white pepper every now and then, occasionally creamy. Phil Kohn writes, 

There is a definite twang to all the components. The elusive Cuban twang seems to have found a home in the Alec Bradley Coyol. I realize that is a pretty high standard to meet but there is no other explanation.

I concur. The cigar is reminiscent of a mild Cuban cigar, such as the Partagas Series E, but with a little more body and strength. 

Aroma: Excellent, rich aroma. The dry aroma is mild and somewhat leathery.

Consistency: Not very consistent. Flavour and strength came and went. A little creaminess appeared in the middle.

Burn: Burn was a little irregular, requiring two minor touch-ups.

Finish: medium finish.

Body: good body for a mild-medium cigar.

Strength: strength came and went, from medium to full, with a bit of kick at the end.

Time smoke: 85 minutes

Overall: Very good, almost satisfying, despite the defective wrapper and dry condition. It will probably be better after a little curation. Let's see how it performs after a few weeks rest and humidification.

2. January 27th, 2021 After a month of sitting in stable humidity, I ventured a second sample from the box. This time there was no problem with wrapper cracking or disintegration at the nub. Humidity seemed to have penetrated consistently. The wrapper was a beautiful light brown habano, with a little mottling, suggesting a bit of ageing. 

The cigar was mild in flavour, with medium body, a little bit of strength every now and then and a good finish until around the last third or quarter, when flavour and body dissipated. 

Flavour was much like that of the first cigar: similar to the Partagas Series E but with more body. Aroma was delicious. Draw was a little tight but opened up. Burn was almost perfect. Smoke time just less than 90 minutes. Overall, quite tasty, much like the first sample, quite satisfying but a bit thin during the last inch. 

A little ageing apparent in the mottled wrapper.

3. March 17th, 2021 Probably too dry. I don't know how. It had been sitting in my humidor with other cigars, none of which I had smoked recently suffered dryness - an Alec Bradley Nica Puro, from the same humidor, smoked a few days before, was near perfect. (The humidor might need a little rotation to ensure even humidification.)

The cigar felt a bit firm upon palpating and it cracked about an inch from the head upon lighting. Flavour and body were quite muted; not enough of either. A couple of touch ups were required. The cigar ended quite squishy with good smoke output but didn't really deliver flavour. It was better than the Partagas E, but not much. This cigar didn't have the mottled wrapper. So perhaps more ageing in better humidity would help. 90 minutes.

4. May 26th, 2021: This time humidity was just right; a nice bit of resistance to the palpation but not too dry and not too moist. So no cracking in the wrapper. Flavour for the first inch was thin and there was a mildly bitter aftertaste. This mellowed out by the middle. Strength picked up. But flavour was still thin and finish was short. I gobbled it down in 65 minutes. My comment from March stands for this cigar: 'better than the Partagas E, but not much'. Too mild for my taste. I'm sure others would enjoy it. Not satisfying.