Alec Bradley Prensado Robusto
How beautiful this box-pressed cigar is. Its dark Honduran wrapper gives it a serious and solemn appearance, while its golden royal band confirms its princely allure.
With this cigar, Alec Bradley pays tribute to the Cuban roots of the torcedores' work by using the traditional "entubado" rolling method, in which each leaf is rolled individually before being bundled with the other leaves of the filler. The rollers also paid particular attention to the finish of the head with a triple wrapper.
Beneath its golden band, which gives it a regal appearance, and its dark Honduran oil-coated wrapper lies a blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran tobacco that brings remarkable depth and complexity to this exceptional cigar. It is no surprise that it was named Cigar of the Year in 2011 (in its Churchill version).
Tasting menu
Notes
Let yourself be seduced by the raw, slightly vanilla-like aromas of cocoa before lighting the foot and allowing yourself to be transported by the oriental notes of cedar and dried fruit.
Enjoy a fairly rounded first half while you wait for the smoke to thicken and bring out spicier notes of roasted coffee.
Pairing
We tasted it with a 30-year-old Bas Armagnac, which perfectly balanced the spicy notes of the cigar while adding a sweet touch of raisin.
Momentum
An early evening spent contemplating the sun turning the Alps pink
The cigar anecdote
Prensado simply means pressed… add to that an entubado roll, where each leaf is rolled onto itself, and you get a cigar with impeccable draw!