Alec Bradley Nica Puro Toro

This is 6 x 52 Nicaraguan puro. 'Puro' refers to the fact that all components, wrapper, binder, filler, are from Nicaragua. This is a capricious cigar. It ranges from the sublime to the disgusting; from the mellow to the overwhelming. 

1. October 13th 2020: This is a delicious, mellow, medium bodied cigar with a good deal of complexity and a nice even burn.

Cigar selection by weight: I selected one which was a little heavy, but not too heavy, passing over one of the box which seemed much heavier than the others. A perceptibly heavy cigar is often the sign of over-packing and difficult draw. The one I selected had a little more resistance on the draw than I would have preferred. But the resistance of draw was compensated by a solid smoke, which lasted a good 90 minutes of greedy puffing.

Flavour and body were pretty consistent throughout with two qualifications. The cigar started a little 'green' but by the second third it mellowed into a more complex, mature flavour. Body was full throughout, strength medium, with a little kick towards the end, but which settled back to a pleasant medium at the end.

Burn: The burn was remarkable. It did not need a touch up or relight, despite the fact that the cigar was a little on squishy side - probably a little over-humid and an ambient humidity in the 80% region. 

Overall a very enjoyable and satisfying 90 minutes. I look forward to trying again in a couple of weeks.

2. Two weeks and a few days later I smoked a second stick from the box, which had been resting in a stable condition in one of my humidors. By now there was no squishiness. The cigar was rather solid to the touch.

Draw: perfect - just the right amount of resistance. 

Construction: beautiful, elegant construction

Flavour: a wonderfully rich, chocolatey, creamy, zesty flavour throughout. No bitterness although quite strong to the palate. Wife didn't like it. It was too harsh for her. She said she preferred the smoothness of the Rocky Patel Edge Maduro. This is probably the difference of ageing. I quite liked the spiciness. I didn't find it raw, vegetal or unpleasant.

Aroma: rich and complex.

Consistency: consistent flavour throughout. No weak sections.

Burn: perfect - almost a razor burn. No touch ups needed. Just the relight at the nub, which allowed a few last puffs before bidding the cigar farewell.

Finish: long enough to take the cigar at a leisurely pace.

Body: full body

Strength: medium throughout. No overwhelming strength.

Time smoke: 95 minutes

Overall: Very satisfying. Delicious and easy to smoke from start to finish.

3. 11th November: This was the third stick from the box and kaboom! What a strength bomb. From the outset, peppery, strong flavour, strong body and strong everything. Unlike the first two, this one was a bit overwhelming, probably due to the storage. The cigar was shiny and squishy. Burn was nonetheless razor sharp, which I would not expect from a wet cigar. The effect was similar to the old Partagas 898. My head is spinning a little. After 95 minutes I let it go, foregoing the nub. 

4. 2nd December 2020: Time to revisit this cigar after a three week interval. The dry aroma was sweet and fragrant, almost perfumed. Unlike the strength bomb of 11th November today's sample was splendid: medium in strength and delicious, smooth, creamy, full bodied flavour with long finish, intense aroma, perfect draw and perfect burn; no need for a retouch. A little spice built towards the end. 100 leisurely minutes. Verdict: very satisfying.

Deep, oily, brown wrapper and a perfect 100 minute smoke.

5. January 25th, 2021: Another fragrant, perfumed dry aroma with a beautiful mottled appearance. The cigar started with a perfect 10/10: full body and strength with a little pepper. This started with the deep, rich complexity of a great cigar. Burn was a little wonky but self-corrected. Towards the end, flavour became bitter and did not invite pursuing to the nub. Strength was also a little on the heavy side, with a mild case of the sweats. Perhaps a little more age might remedy the ammonia. Perhaps it was a little too moist. Overall: delicious and satisfying. 90 minutes. 

6. March 15th, 2021: For rich, balanced, full-bodied complexity, this one takes the cake. One couldn't ask for more. The construction is solid but with easy draw and burn although a bit wavy, corrected without need for touch up. Strength built nicely from medium strength to strong, without going overboard. Aroma was rich and satisfying. I would stress balance: no bitterness and excellent, creamy, chocolatey flavour.  Almost 90 minutes. Very satisfying. 

7. April 26th, 2021: Another fine cigar, much like the description above, except with a bit too much strength and slight bitterness at the end. Everything otherwise was fine: draw, burn, body, balance in the first two thirds, aroma and strength building as in the previous cigar. Satisfying. 90 minutes.

8. May 15th, 2021: This one was a disappointment: bitter and tarry with only occasional relief to the mellow experience and rich aroma of the March sample. It was more like the cigar of November 11th, above, but without the overwhelming strength.  

It could be that the cigar was too moist: occasionally, beads of sweat appeared on the wrapper as I smoked it. Although the cigar was firm but supple, and did not seem too squishy, the appearance of intermittent moisture droplets on the wrapper might be a sign of too much moisture. 

I have read that excessive moisture can lead to bitterness. If that is so, it would only be in some cigar varieties; quite likely the Nicaraguans, but not all Nicaraguans. Many of the maduros are soft with moisture but don't suffer from bitterness. Cubans can be overly moist but this will not affect flavour; only burn. 

I decided to dial back humidity in my humidors a notch. We're in the wet season here. Humidity can reach 90% although the place where I store my cigars gets down to 40% for eight or nine hours per day. 

90 minutes: smokeable but not satisfying.

9. May 31st, 2021: Two weeks later, I was keen to see how this cigar fared with less humidity. The cigar I chose was much drier than that of May 15th and much lighter in the hand. There were no beads of sweat while smoking, as had occurred in the previous cigar. It was quite smooth during the first half. The cigar began medium bodied and medium strength and progressed to full body and full strength, lots of pepper and a deep aroma. 

Draw was easy throughout. Burn was wavy during the first third but self-corrected. After that, burn was perfectly sharp.

The second third was rich and complex both in flavour and aroma. Flavour was delicious: chocolatey, creamy with a good dose of pepper. This section was by far the best part with excellent balance. If the whole cigar had been like this it would have been very satisfying. But the final third lapsed into more strength than flavour, with slight bitterness but not pronounced - still enjoyable, but lacking balance. Flavour was a bit weak in the final third and aroma dissipated. Only 70 minutes. Quite satisfying despite the lack of balance.

10. June 19th, 2021: 

The first half: sublime, mellow, balanced, choco-coco flavour with a medium body and moderate strength. A major canoeing righted itself by leaving the cigar for a couple of minutes. Excellent, rich aroma. 

The second half: strong, and stronger and stronger. I could feel my heart beating in my ears. I left the cigar at longer and longer intervals, each time waiting for my head to stop revolving like Linda Blair's. But by 100 minutes, I was somewhat enervated. 

This is a capricious cigar. It ranges from the sublime to the disgusting; from the mellow to the overwhelming. I was thinking of getting the torpedo. But scaling down to robusto might be wiser. 

11. August 28th, 2021: I selected a cigar from the bottom of my humidor. It had been sitting there for ten months. It was on the dry side and felt light in the hand. There was no discernible pre-light aroma; usually not a good sign. Frequently I've noticed a delicious, floral aroma pre-light. 

The first puffs were acrid and unpleasant. But flavour soon mellowed to a smooth, rich, choco-coffee Nicaraguan puro flavour and remained that way to the nub. Flavour was pretty consistent, with occasional drifts to bitterness but always recovering. Overall flavour was deep,rich and complex. Body was full throughout and, unlike the previous specimen in June, strength did not overwhelm at all.

Aroma was sensational. It was one of the most rich and refined aromas I can recall, similar to the Oliva Melanio.

Draw was easy throughout and burn was almost razor sharp. 

Overall, 82 minutes. Balanced, adequately consistent. Very satisfying. 

Burn was almost razor sharp throughout.

12. December 6th, 2021: This cigar started out much like the one on August 28th, above. It was rather dry, having been stored at the bottom of the humidor. There was no pre-light aroma. It was disgustingly bitter for the first few minutes after which it mellowed out much as did the cigar of August 28th. However, this cigar didn't attain the complexity of the predecessor. Flavour was somewhat muted. Body hovered above and below medium. Strength was discernible. Finish was quite long, allowing for generous intervals between puffs, except towards the end, by which time there was not much flavour to savour. 

Aroma wasn't there beyond an occasional whiff. This was a major defect. 

A crack developed in the wrapper, but this caused no inconvenience. It burned through without issue. Burn was razor sharp and draw was impeccable. 

This cigar tasted like an aged cigar that had lost part of its mojo, which is surprising, given that it's only been in the humidor for 13 months. The crack in the wrapper does suggest that it was too dry. I have moved the remaining bundle to the top of the humidor. 

Overall, the cigar was smooth and at times pleasant, but not satisfying. Body was lacking and the absence of discernible aroma was a major detraction. 75 minutes.

At the one hour mark

13.March 12th, 2022: This one of the best of the bunch. It was smooth, medium bodied, complex, mellow, easy drawing, perfect burning. I smoked it to the nub, perhaps beyond. It was good from start to finish. 

In fact, I shared one with a friend and his was so good he took the nub home. 

Overall, this was a balanced, smooth, delicious morsel. It was consistently good. 80 minutes. Very satisfying.

14. July 16th: This one lacked flavour. No pre-light aroma, whereas other samples have a wonderful floral scent. It was a pleasant puff at best: easy to draw, razor sharp burn, occasional flavour but mostly thin, medium bodied with little aroma. Pleasant puff at best but not satisfying: 80 minutes.

15. June 30th, 2023: After a further year of sitting in my stable humidor the cigar was in good condition. Draw and burn were good. There was no sweet pre-light aroma. Flavour started a bit bitter and not particularly complex. The bitterness mellowed out by the second third, but flavour was still not complex. Aroma was barely discernible. Just before the one hour point I became bored with thin flavour profile and dominating bitterness and abandoned it. Not satisfying.