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.

Just a solid stick. I think this would have to be my everyday cigar on a reasonable budget.

Very dependable. Smooth creamy chocolate and leather. Burn draw and construction have been consistent over many cigars. Definitely a reasonably priced daily smoke

Repeat review. Great cigar.

TL;DR - recommended, though not unique enough to be my cup of tea. 👎 5 mos aged ⏳️ Prelight is an agreeable apricot. 😋 Construction great. Draw a little tight; opens up over the course of the smoke. Light-up is easy. First third Cedar. There is a chemical-like undertone that carries through almost the entirety of the smoke. It's not terrible but it is the core flavor of the smoke. Not my preference. Second third hazelnut mixes in. This is a medium strength cigar with dark flavor impressions. I think this would pair well with a root-beer, Coke or a whiskey... or a whiskey-Coke! I don't think wine, beer or coffee would pair well.

Bra, passar med kaffe

First time smoking an AB Prensado since the acquisition by Scandanavian Tobacco Group. Still a unique smoke in a world where tastes are converging. Construction was a bit off. Wrapper was veiny, seams apparent. A step down from Alan Rubin's standards.

1/2 soft. Light smoke output

One of the worst cigars I have ever had. No flavors at all except a little ashy and some nuts after the first half

Tasty cigar with plenty of chocolate and creamy notes. Smooth and easy smoke. Tough to draw at times with mild smoke.

Had a sort of sour flavor

Good smoke. Smooth, sweey, creamy with hints of chocolate. Only complaint the draw sucked

Reoccurring wavy burn. Has gone out multiple times and had to touch up again and again. Unfortunate…

1st third - Pepper, leather and coffee from the 1st puff. Good smoke production when puffing and almost none when sitting. 2nd third - Flavors from the 1st softened and nut, citrus and cedar became more prominent. 3rd third - Leather coffee and spice moved up and the pepper came back up. Well balanced flavors but the complexity of transitions wasn't really there.

Appearance is flawless, visible but subtle veins, firm box press. Bold yet tasteful band. Cold draw, lots of oak, slightly sweet. First third, tight draw; but adequate. Oak, leather and slightly nutty. Very, very smooth. Burn is excellent, just short of razor sharp. Second half introduces black pepper and coffee beans, nice compliments to the existing flavours. Final third, more smoke production, coffee notes and oak build and finishes strong. Burn became really lopsided and wonky at nub, but most would have let it extinguish itself by then.

Good cigar but I am a fan of sweet notes and this one had none.

Very smooth rich creamy. Tons of smoke. Not spicy at all. Consistent. Draw was a little loose and the burn was a tad uneven. Great smoke. Got some hay and earth tones in the first third falling off to a nice rich coffee smooth....

Tunneling, tunneling, tunneling… So I could not really enjoy it. Hopefully not everyone is like that.

Love it!

Tried and True

This is the review for the Churchill Prensado. Any other vitola doesn’t compare in my opinion. So to start off, Couple minor wrapper defects, slight wavy burn a few times with one touch up. This is a classic at this point with renowned flavor. I will have this as a staple in my rotation to me it is iconic at this point.

Initial light is very pleasant with a full flavor palate from the get go! Notes of earthiness, barnyard and spice come through in a very smooth nature! The draw is very smooth but not to eas to where you feel like you’re just breathing. 1st third: a definite cashew-like nuttiness comes through as I’m going through the first third. Coffee is coming through as the first third gets about half way, not a dark roast, but a natural coffee bean flavor! Awesome first third with solid strength! 2nd third: the barnyard flavor is coming out in a more dominant way, and I’m all for it! The spiciness is diverting from a black pepper spice to more of a cayenne spice. Some notes of leather and raisins are coming through on the middle third. The ceaminess of the smoke is increasing and it’s making a good combo with the coffee bean flavors! The strength is increasing at a nice rate as well. Excellent middle third! 3rd third: the black pepper came through more along with some flavors of toffee and dark chocolate. The compexity of this cigar’s flavor profile keeps growing more and more. I’m tasting kicks f nutmeg on the retro as well, this stick is very impressive with how it’s flavor grows! It strength is nice and full in the final third, but I’m not getting any of that bitterness that normally comes with that heightened strength and warmer burn. Final thoughts: excellent cigar! Very good strength crescendo through the whole burn and the flavor profiles that come through are extremely enjoyable!

Nice cigar. Gift from a friend. Pleasant consistent medium flavor throughout. Good draw, but died right at the beginning of the last third, had to relight twice.

Still not as good as these used to be

The flavor was excellent however it burned very unevenly from the get go with an almost too easy of a draw for my taste