Cigar Review: Alec Bradley MAXX “The Culture” Toro

Initial Thoughts:

Some cigars we review because you (i.e. the cigar community) ask us to. Other cigars we review because we want to know whether or not to stock up on them whenever we see a particular cigar go on sale. And today's cigar, the Alec Bradley MAXX Toro, falls squarely into that second category.

The Alec Bradley MAXX Toro has a medium brown wrapper that's marbled with areas of dark brown. The wrapper is oily and visually appealing.

After punching through the cap, the cold draw flavors were varied and interesting. I tasted not only milk chocolate but also a little sour and tangy. However, once the MAXX was torched, I tasted classic Nicaraguan flavors, something creamy, and very roasted coffee.

Once the cigar was lit and I'd been smoking it for just a few minutes (less than 10), I started to have some burn issues due to a hollow spot. Also, because of the burn problem, I had to retorch the cigar pretty early on.

Through the first third of the Alec Bradley MAXX Toro, the flavors were pretty good, but the construction quality was questionable.

CigarScore:

cigarscore 2 cigar rating

Brand: Alec Bradley
Line: MAXX
Size: 6 x 54
Cut: Punch
Light: Torch
Price: $7.39

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Costa Rica
Filler: Nicaragua, Undisclosed
Smoke Time: 80 minutes


Through the middle of the Alec Bradley MAXX Toro, I continued to have burn and construction issues. I had to retorch the cigar a couple of times and the draw was tighter than it should have been. Regarding the flavors, they tasted a little like ash and weren't quite as rich and delicious as I first thought they might be.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the flavors of the Alec Bradley MAXX Toro were complex, but not in a good way. I tasted flavors that were good, but also flavors that were stale and ashy.

Finally, because the flavors were underwhelming and the construction problems made the experience troublesome and I didn't care to even finish this cigar, the Alec Bradley MAXX Toro earns a disappointing CigarScore 2.

The CigarScore Rating System Explained

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