Alec Bradley

Prensado

Smooth in the beginning but the last 1/3 became earthy.

Smooth and flavorful. Creamy.

Alec Bradley Prensado 7 x 48 Churchill Wrapper - Corojo Honduran Binder - Nicaraguan Filler - Honduran/Nicaraguan Construction - Beautiful wrapper.. silky and oily… strong construction and masterfully wrapped. Draw - Excellant draw with lots of smoke. Effortless pull from the draw. Burn line - Good burn line, ash went a little crooked at times but that could have been me. Had to touch up the burn line 2-3 times, but again, that could have been me. Nice white ash, but delicate, made an inch easy but collapsed early, mostly because of the semi-crooked burn lines. 1st 1/3 - Leather forward, especially in the mouth. It’s not a negative by any stretch, but the leather sets the tone throughout the cigar. This was maybe the smoothest cigar I’ve ever tasted thus far in my life. The retrohale had a literal non-existent burn. No heavy spices on the pepper scale early, but the retrohale brought in some subtly sweet and faint baking spices (think nutmeg/cinnamon/ ginger). Slight remnants of cocoa powder found their way into the last portion of this 1/3. 2nd 1/3 - The leather stretches out a little in this 1/3, and becomes more of a combo undertone with some other flavors. The retrohale is still so smooth… easy like Sunday morning. Baking spice is still the subtle marker in the retrohale. But now we were separating into four flavor profiles as a combined undertone. Leather, baking spices, malted chocolate, and some subtle Earl Grey tea were building a complex profile. The foundation of its construction held strong, and the oily wrapper added nice cedar notes into the pot. Final 1/3 - The retrohale was still so smooth, which was a pleasant surprise. I know this cigar is considered a medium-to-full-bodied cigar, but I just didn’t get any of that. This cigar was so elegant in its approach, with a light airiness that could only be described as fluffy. Leather comes back to the surface again, and adds some tones of earthiness and vegetation. The baking spices are still noticeable in the retrohale, but they take more of a backseat in the final 1/3. Cedar starts to mix into the leather for a bourbon barrel like finish. The Verdict - This offering from Alec Bradley was so buttery and velvety smooth. Even when I took in a bit too much smoke and back-ended a hard retrohale, I still had no peppery burn. I know people may get more red pepper spice and chocolate from this cigar than I have, but maybe the difference is in the size. A toro, gordo, or robusto may offer more strength, chocolate, and spice. However, this Churchill was more leather-bound with other sweet and earthy ensemble undertones. If this is a medium-to-full-bodied cigar, then it certainly fooled me. It smoked like a light-medium to mild cigar, with a consistent leathery profile throughout. It wasn’t as vibrant or strong in sweet and spicy flavors as some other cigar offerings, but it certainly wasn’t flat either. It’s a multi-faceted cigar with consistent tones and wonderful construction throughout. This cigar excels with a smooth and excellent draw.

Multiple reviews and very consistent. This is a good cigar. No transitions if that's your thing, but great construction burn and draw every time. Cocoa and coffee flavors. Price point is attractive on certain sites to make it an everyday cigar on a budget.

Very dependable budget smoke.

First and last thirds were ok but the middle of the smoke was not for me. Burn was inconsistent.