A Review of the Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli
By Zach Riley
This will be the final Alec Bradley I review for a while. This is the last of their new cigars that came out this year, and I’ve heard wonderful things about it from friends at my local brick and mortar, Cigar Room Shoals, and also from my wonderful Alec Bradley rep, Chris Carey. I’m very excited to do this review, because it should be a change and pace for Alec Bradley, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the review.
The Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli is available in 5 vitolas::
- Robusto: 5 x 52
- Toro: 6 x 52
- Churchill: 7 x 50
- Torpedo: 6 1/2 x 52
- Gordo: 6 x 60
I usually put the price for the different sizes, but I couldn’t find each particular size and size online, so I apologize for that.
The blend is described as:
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan
- Binder: Nicaraguan and Honduran
- Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoking Experience:
Cold Draw: The cold draw brings me to a full earth flavor with a hint or dark mocha. Very tasty cold draw.
First Third: The first third has started and it is very complex, there’s white pepper spice, leather, some earthy undertones, and some cocoa all on the inhale. Lots of flavors wrapper into this first third. Through the nose I am getting no spice, almost like a citrus note with a dash of cream. This has been a really exciting first third. I’ll be back soon with the second third.
Second third: We are getting into the second third, and it has really morphed. It still quite flavorful, but it has went from several flavors to one or two flavors. What I am picking up now is still the cocoa, but it is a little more prominent now. The other flavor is hard to distinguish. It’s a mix between earth, cedar, and oak. Very unique flavor, and very tasty. Through the nose I am getting a very light spice, the note that was hard to pick up feels like more so like a cedar now through the nostrils, with a light hint of the cocoa on the back-end.
Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli
Final Third: We are into the final third now, and the overall flavors from the second third have not changed much at all, but with maybe a little added red pepper on the inhale. Through the nose I am getting that same light cedar and cocoa note. I have some left, so I will be back to see if there is any change. Other than the cigar getting stronger at the end of it the taste profile didn’t change much, but it still had a wonderful taste throughout.
Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli
Overview: This was another wonderful addition to the Alec Bradley family. Wonderful complexity throughout, changed a couple of times through the smoke, and stupendous construction. Look at the ash on this cigar. At one point half the cigar was ash. Really enjoyed doing this review. Looking forward to coming out with more here soon, and I hope you enjoyed reading. Thanks again, and tune in for more here in the future.