Monday, December 13 2010
I recently received two samples of the new Alec Bradley New York "Six Two" cigars. Measuring at a thick, 5 1/4 x 52 Robusto, it's one of five shapes in this new edition made primarily for New York tobacconists. (For details on the entire line, please see the press release.) The cigars were officially released in New York on Friday, December 10, 2010, and a general release is slated for the first quarter of 2011.
Consistency seems to be the name of the game here. Like many of the releases from Alec Bradley, especially during the past several years, the AB New York is donned in a gorgeous Honduran Trojes Habana seed wrapper. (The core fillers and binder were not noted.) The leaf is toothy and has an attractive reddish-hued patina and looks great against the large, detailed, gold, black, and maroon band. I found the cigar to be very well packed and the cap clipped off perfectly (see photo).
The pre-light flavors were spicy and sweet. Once lit, the cigar revealed flavors of sweet tobacco with a malt-like earthiness. The smoke was also thick and creamy with an appealing sweet/spicy aroma. As the cigar continued through the first act, I found notes of cherry wood, vanilla cream and a toffee-like flavor in the mix. So far, I was impressed. The smoke, which was also exceptionally smooth, was right in my comfort zone.
"We have the makings of a real flavor bomb here," I thought.
As the cigar continued to smoke through the first third, the best way I could describe it was it had a spicy (but not peppery) base and aroma with a hint of nutmeg on the finish.
I did have some burn issues with the first sample in which the cigar began to "shark" on me going into the second act (see "before" photo). However, instead of trying to fix it, I put some faith in it and let it continue to burn. After all, it still tasted great, and lo and behold, it eventually righted itself and never looked back (see "after" photo at right). In fairness, the second sample burned right on point from start to finish. 
As it entered the final third, the flavors really ramped-up revealing notes of allspice, caramel, nutmeg and some fruity notes. At this point I was beginning to wish this cigar would be available sooner to those of us who live outside New York State.
IMO, this is one of Alec Bradley's best cigars to-date, and I won't be surprised if the New York edition gets high marks and kudos from the cigar zines and the blogosphere.
All-in-all, these cigars were a real joyride. If you enjoy full-flavored
cigars somewhere in the medium to full-bodied range, I can highly recommend the Alec Bradley New York edition - at least the "Six Two," for now.
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