Alec Bradley New York

Nebraska is probably as far away from New York as you can get, at least culturally, demographically, and in any other sense of "Small Place" vs "Big Place". So, to have the Alec Bradley New York marca show up in my local humidor, it really took me aback. I grew up on the East Coast, and visited NYC occasionally. Whether it was to catch the Ramones at CBGBs or to browse the PC World show at the Javits Center, I have many fond memories of New York. The super-classy Art Deco styling of the band brings one even farther back, to the times of George Gershwin and 'The Great Gatsby'.

Alec Bradley New York

The New York cigar features a earthy Honduran Criollo wrapper, smooth with a few veins, and a mix of Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. A nice earthy spice emanates from the unlit cigar.

Once the fire is started, the first flavor is a clarinet glissando soaring high.. er.. I'm thinking Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue'.. This cigar is really a 'Rhapsody in Brown'; Super bright woody and floral chords to start and sultry spice on the palate. The midsection brings some coffee and cinnamon stanzas and finishing with wood and savory spice notes.

 This is a great-tasting, medium-bodied stick, and it burns for over an hour and a half (amazing for a robusto). I don't get any hints of taxi exhaust, dumpsters, hygienically-challenged subway commuters, or even the slightest hint of the aromas that used to waft off the East River.

For just under $10, this is a good cigar; burns long, good flavors, and a nostalgic reminder of days gone by. Time to crank up some Duke Ellington and mix up a nice, dry Manhattan.