If you visit the Alec Bradley website, you will see the following quote from Alan Rubin, owner of Alec Bradley Cigars:
“A star in born.
Alec Bradley Magic Toast got its name on a night forever etched in my memory. That’s the night, I saw for myself, by flashlight, a crop that was beyond belief. Tobaccos I knew we would find a special project for.
Under the stars, we cracked open a bottle of very special whisky and proposed a toast to our future. Magic Toast was born that evening. Along with a ritual. Toast the end of this cigar. Celebrate its beginning. And enjoy the magic!
Alan Rubin
Such a statement would entice any cigar enthusiast to want to indulge in the pleasure of smoking the Magic Toast. At this years Smoke Inn – Great Smoke, I got my hands on one and today I offer my take on it.
The Alec Bradley Magic Toast blend is a mix of Honduran and Nicaraguan leaf that is described as:
- Wrapper – Honduras
- Double Binder –Nicaragua/Honduras
- Filler – Nicaragua/Honduras
The Magic Toast is available in 3 popular vitolas, each packaged in 20-count boxes:
- Robusto (5 x 52) MSRP $8.95
- Toro (6 x 52) MSRP $9.50
- Gordo (6 x 60) MSRP $10.25
The Alec Bradley Magic Toast is hand crafted at Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas S. de R.L., in Danlí, Honduras.
For this review I sampled the Alec Bradley Magic Toast Robusto.
Pre-Light Examination
The Alec Bradley Magic Toast is a dark almost black wrapped cigar that is slightly rugged yet solid cigar with a bit of oily sheen to it.
A single artistic band adorns the cigar using a colorful motif featuring a night blue sky with stars and constellations in the background. The words “Alec Bradley” is printed across the top and the words “Magic Toast” are printed in white on a red background on the bottom. The Alec Bradley logo is prominently displayed in the center.
I did not pick up much aroma along the barrel but the foot had some interesting notes of toasted bread, pepper, and a caramelized sugar.
I sliced the cap with my double blade Xikar cutter and took in some scrumptious cold draw puffs that I would describe as cinnamon spice toast.
Preparing to burn it to ash, I toasted the foot with a double flame toarch lighter and took in the first flavorful puffs that offered less pepper than I thought but definitely bread and jam.
Cigar Review Notes
- Tasty start to the journey with bread and jam notes
- Light pepper notes fill in the background
- Full volume smoke fruit and sweetness
- Light grey ash rests on a medium char line
- Coffee notes (espresso) breaks through – this like a breakfast meal
- Light fruit aroma
- Burn gets wavy near end of first third
- Beginning of the second third things tone down a bit as butter and wood enter
- Burn corrects as the espresso flavors continue
- Once the ash fell it revealed a centered and well formed cone
- Aroma shifts to a syrupy note
- Earthy notes join the profile
- Smoke is quite smooth just shy of the band
- Pepper notes pick up deep in second third
- A slight off burn started
- Hint of sweetness and malt moving into the final third
- There is a gentle salty note on the lips
- Flaky ash
- Medium in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 10 minutes
Overall, the Alec Bradley Magic Toast was a quite the flavor full cigar with a enticing aromas. The final third actually brought an array of flavors to the palate that wanted me to smoke another or perhaps to pick up the toro vitola for a longer smoking experience. From a construction perspective there were a few spots where it waved off but eventually corrected itself without a touch-up and the ash was a bit flaky during the burn. I rate this a 93.
If you can’t find this at your local Brick and Mortar you can find them at Smoke Inn online.
Point Deductions: (-1) Multiple Waves; (-1) Flaky Ash; (-1) Off Burn
In the past I was not a fan of the Alec Bradley blends and haven’t smoked any in 5 + years. But I to found one of these in my Great Smoke stash and reluctantly smoked it.
To my surprise, I really enjoyed this cigar and definitely want to try a another.
I don’t know how the rest of the line is but I won’t be passing by the Bradley boxes without picking one up.