Beer, Motorcycles and Cigars — Beer, Bikes and Butts

I was looking around my humidor for a cigar to review, and wondered how I came to be in possession of not one, not two, but five Alec Bradley Select Cabinet Reserve Robustos. Then I remembered that I won them in a raffle at the 8Eightyeight Cigar Lounge in Fullerton. Thanks 8Eightyeight. Dang, I hope it’s a good cigar.

Alec Bradley Select Cabinet Reserve

A good looking cigar, with a medium brown, slightly oily wrapper, but the label seems a little amateurish. If this was a Cuban, I’d suspect it was a counterfeit. Just sayin’ Alan. Construction was not the best. Burn was not even, the draw was a little looser than I like, and there was some tunneling, but it was not so bad as to mar the experience. Nice amount of aromatic smoke.

The first tastes that hit me were cocoa and pepper, which sounds kind of gross when you think about it, but it was good. Pepper and spice remained dominant throughout, with a growing presence of coffee.

I liked this cigar, and I’m glad I have four more waiting for me. It had a nice kick which I did not expect from such an unassuming stick. Because of the construction problems with this one, I probably would not buy any more, but I’ll smile if I win more in another raffle. I give it an 87 on The Morris Scale. They’re about $7 a stick.

From Thompson Cigar:

“Alec Bradley’s Select Cabinet Reserve delivers smooth bold flavors derived from the fertile soils of family run farms in Honduras and Nicaragua. The limited yield, dark caramel colored wrapper, adorns a skillful selection of premium leaves from the valleys of Central America, creating a perfect union of balance and flavor. This cigar is notably toasty and nutty with a white pepper finish. The burn and draw are even for the duration of the smoke. SCR is a smoke that is buttery smooth, and possesses an abundance of complex flavors and aromas that will hold your attention from start to finish.”

Oh, a “white pepper finish”. Aren’t we specific. Well I think it had Starbucks Sumatra Coffee finish, after the coffee has been in the pot for 45 minutes. It was smooth, but I don’t think it was buttery, and it did not have an “abundance of complex flavors.” It was just a good, honest smoke.

Here are a couple of detailed reviews of the SCR, although the first is with a larger ring size:

Tiki Bar Online

Robusto Review

Posted on July 8th, 2012 by Aaron Morris
Filed under: Cigar Facts, Cigar Lounge, Cigars, Reviews