Smoked: Alec Bradley Magic Toast

Smoked at: West Chester, Ohio

I must admit I have soured on Alec Bradley cigars over the past few years. I’ve enjoyed a Prensado and a Sun Grown Maduro recently but have found their other offerings quite bland. I was burned out with AB, if you’ll pardon the pun. I have to thanks by buddy Bill “The Professor” for urging me to try the Alec Bradley Magic Toast Robusto. This is why he has a PhD and I have only a lowly Bachelor’s degree. Now his degree is not in tobacco agriculture, but smart is smart. This cigar was a smart choice.

Magic Toast is made of Nicaraguan-Honduran filler and binder and covered in an oily, tight seamed Honduran wrapper with some visible veins. The cigar features a dark brown band with muted silver/off white trim and lettering almost matching the dark brown wrapper.

The flavors that jump out and frankly dominate most of the smoke are earth, wood and leather – who had several hits in the 1970s, as I recall. The accompanying flavors are spice, mild pepper, coffee - transitioning to dark roast by the second third, some slate, and a balance of sweetness in the Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate and vanilla cupcake/pastry icing range.

By the second third, there are background notes of black cherries, raisins and oak joining the cedar. Midway through the cigar, the coffee ramps up to become part of a wood, earth, leather and coffee-driven flavor profile. Wood and coffee take center stage. It’s a medium bodied and strength cigar that builds to medium-full by the finish.

Construction wise – the draw was fine and a nice volume of smoke output. What began as a crooked burn line self-corrected halfway into the first third. The dark grey ash was flaky, but held until tapped off.

Alec Bradley Magic Toast offers deep, robust, rich flavors. I sound like an old Winston cigarette commercial. The balance more than compensates for any lack of complexity. The flavors just work quite well together, thank you. Magic Toast is the best Alec Bradley I’ve smoked in some time. Kudos!