Initial Thoughts:
I don't put a lot of stock in the cigar reviews of companies that get too much of their revenue from the same companies whose products they're reviewing. That said, when I saw the Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli Toro at my local lounge, I thought to myself, “Hey, why not!?”
After taking off the labels for this cigar, one of the first things I noticed was how good the Black Market Esteli smelled. Even before lighting it, the Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli Toro had an amazing, rich, delicious aroma. From the first puff, I could taste the wonderful Nicaraguan tobacco, and I can already tell I'm going to enjoy this cigar a lot.
CigarScore:
Brand: Alec Bradley
Line: Black Market, Esteli
Size: 6 x 52
Cut: Guillotine
Light: Torch
Price: $10
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaragua, Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua
Learn About This Cigar
Final Thoughts:
Even though the temperature dropped about twenty degrees and some serious rain threatened to drown me out, I didn't want to stop smoking the Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli. I really enjoyed this cigar. The burn was good, the flavors were good, and I could tell the cigar was really well made.
However, in the second half, some of the nice, sweet flavors gave way to some bitterness that I did not enjoy. Had the flavors remained 100% delicious through the entire cigar, the Black Market would have gotten a CigarScore of 5, but they didn't. Since I was ultimately let down by the deterioration of the amazing flavor-bombs, the Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli earns a (high) CigarScore of 4, and I would absolutely smoke it again.
