Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli Toro

[xrundog]

I am not a regular fan of the Alec Bradley lines. But I am always willing to try something new. So today I pulled an Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli Toro out of my ready humidor.
The cigar has a large band declaring the brand and establishing it as an Esteli, Nicaragua product. That's a good sign for me! I do favor Nicaraguan cigars.
Taking the band off reveals a medium brown wrapper that is smooth and glossy. The cigar is a tight and evenly rolled cylinder measuring 6" long by about a 52 ring gauge. The foot has an earthy aroma to it.



I clipped the cap with my Xikar. I thought the draw might be a little restricted based on the tight roll. But it was perfectly okay.
I lit the foot with a match and puffed away. My initial impression was that this is a medium body cigar with a decent flavor. The burn was even yielding a fine white ash. The cone was present sometimes centered and sometimes to the side. There were some hard spots that necessitated a touch up. I expect that in a Nicaraguan cigar and it wasn't off putting or a big deal in any way.
By the halfway point the flavor was dusky and a bit creamy. Not terribly complex, but really pleasant. The wrapper held up well. The tight roll gave me a very slow burn. The cigar lasted for about an hour and a half.
I smoked this one to the point that my fingers were getting hot.
JR's has these priced at around $8. I'm not sure I'd want to pay that (I'm kinda cheap). But if they were on sale I might be interested in a box of 22. The write up describes the Black Market Esteli as having a Nicaraguan wrapper with Nicaraguan long filler. It's a quality product. I like this cigar.
I give it a solid 4 of 5 rating.