CA Report: Top New Cigars (Jan 18 2021)
Here we are. The bowels of winter. It’s usually a depressing time for cigar smokers, but the previous year’s exploits have gotten us used to spending our time cooped up. Now it’s just the great indoors with a dash of inconvenient white stuff on the side. To help cheer me (and you) up, I just found two new cigars (Alec & Bradley Kintsugi and La Aurora 107 Nicaragua) tucked inside my mailbox. What they lack in quantity, they’ve made up for in quality. Check out my brief review on each below and be sure to leave a comment if you’ve tried them yourself!
Alec & Bradley Kintsugi
Wrapper: Honduras Trojes
Binder: Honduras and Nicaragua
Filler: Honduras and Nicaragua
Alec and Bradley Rubin have been on a flavorful hot streak. The future heirs – and current namesake – to the Alec Bradley throne already have three blends under their belt, and they haven’t even been handed the factory keys yet! First Blind Faith, then Gatekeeper, and now Kintsugi. To my palate, the new Kintsugi is their most refined effort, largely due to the tobaccos – and crafty blending skills – they’ve used: a Honduran Trojes wrapper, and a heart of tobacco leaves from Honduras and Nicaragua. The strength of the nicotine and flavor don’t go beyond a medium body, meaning that Kintsugi is nestled snugly between Blind Faith and Gatekeeper on the intensity scale. I found notes of exotic spices, cream, a little cedar, and a pronounced citrusy sweetness. It’s the kind of cigar that makes me forget that the mercury took a nosedive when I go out and smoke it, and that goes a long way this time of year.
La Aurora 107 Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
If you’re in the ‘Nicaraguan cigars are too strong’ camp, La Aurora 107 Nicaragua is a great way to experience Nicaragua’s beloved flavors without a case of the cigar sweats. In the wrapper position, they’ve included a Nicaragua Habano wrapper that burns with light spices, along with some earth, sweet caramel, and nutty flavors from its Nicaraguan core. As you can see, it’s a puro, but one that’s been tamed to perfection for the smoking everyman. The 107 Nicaragua blend is now part of their rebranded “Tobaccos of the World” series which is a tour of some of the most popular growing regions. But my favorite part is the price – quite reasonable. Great flavor at a great price is always a winning combo.