After three fairly uneventful and/or unimpressive smoking experiences with the Alec Bradley Prensado, I finally got a good one. This prompted me to immediately schedule a review of the cigar, and line up a beverage to pair with it. 

It also gave me cause to do a little bit more research on the blend itself. This smoke was the Cigar of the Year back in 2011, and had nothing but good reviews online, at least so it seemed. A blurb in Cigar Aficionado from 2023, explains that upon its success, the company struggled to keep up with demand, and quality control suffered as a result.

However, when the entire Alec Bradley line was bought out by Scandinavian Tobacco Group in 2023, the cigar skyrocketed back onto the charts, landing at #8 over at CA, thus prompting the writeup that I just so happened to be reading. While the takeover likely took quite a while to be finalized, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if STG lent some help prior to the takeover and straightened out whatever quality issues were being experienced in the Prensado blend.

This would explain why this coffee bean-colored corojo had tasted so ho-hum when I had it back in 2022 and performed poorly in early 2023, but then hit me just right in late 2024. Naturally, if you are reading this you likely know that I liked the cigar enough that I would recommend it. But just how much? And what were the issues that I encountered in this post-2023 production run? 

[Buy 5-Pack]

Unlit Impressions 

Relatively rounded in its pressing, the boxed sides of the robusto I reviewed were a slick affair. If there were any imperfections to be seen it was little more than spec of mottling. No sharp seams, soft spots, stray tobacco flaps, or rough spots anywhere. Surprisingly, not a lot of tooth either, but we'll get to that point later. 

Color-wise, the proprietary corojo strain that has covered the Prensado since day one is more milk cocoa mild maduro than red leaf wrapper. It also doesn't smell super corojo leaf-like either and tends to shift the senses toward animal hide, cedar, and soil sooner than citrus, spice, tea, and that signature corojo tobacco leaf brightness fans of the strain admire.  

Pull a snort from the foot, and you will get a trace of brown sugar, stewed prunes, and cereal grains, all of which are overpowered by a milky mocha scent and topsoil, along with a little bit of dark fruitiness. More cedar sawdust and clay than dark rainforest, and a little bit of funk forms toward the finish.

Cold pulls start with candied dates and vanilla bean, then serve you more cedary sawdust and mixed peppercorn spice. Not the most impressive cold pull I've ever experienced, but the draw feels top-notch, so that's good. 

Initial Smoke

All it takes is a touch of the torch and suddenly that Honduran corojo party trick jumps out at you. Lighter than expected, the spice of black and perhaps a tiny touch of red pepper tingle the tongue, while stronger sun-grown tobacco tastes tip the scales toward medium-full cigar flavor profile territory almost immediately. Retrohales are somewhat sharp, but also opt-in on the citrus and tea offerings corojo is known for, so consider this first ten minutes or so a double-sided sword of sorts.

1st Half   

Spicier but also sweeter, much of the first third of this cigar left me thinking of those multi-colored spiced gumdrops grandma always had in crystal jar on the coffee table when you were a kid. This taste is far less sweet and artificial though, and is more of a mixed baking spice note than something sugary. Lemon and cinnamon load on the flavor before too long, and with tea being delivered by the ton, returns one hell of a rewarding retrohale. 

Eventually, somewhere near the center of the second third, a transition occurs, where you are left with a chewy piece of cinnamon raisin toast, complete with a dab of butter and brown sugar sprinkled on top. Roasted almonds are present too, not just in flavor, but in the aroma as well, and help make for a damn good aftertaste, while adding an additional layer of flavor on top of that wholegrain cinnamon breakfast toast I just mentioned.

2nd Half 

Even though things get a little bit meaty and earthy on you at the start of the second half, it isn't as much of a mineral salinity as it is just a savory umami swirl. Vanilla and a milky creaminess start to help balance out the blend, and just in time too. 

As a hefty shot in the arm of cigar strength shows itself, things go nutty and a dash dry on me in the final third. Aftertastes and retrohales remain for the most part corojo corojo-focused but are more intense black tea and pepper spice than citrusy and sweet. Medium-full in body and strength, and somehow holding back a bit from the full mark in flavor, a sense of restraint can be felt here, and I'm still not sure as to exactly why.

Parting Puffs

Earthy, round, and bulging at the seams with bittersweet cocoa powder and baking spices, all thought of corojo leaf is erased from the equation in exchange for a classic Honduran soil sandwich. With a peppery retrohale hitting hard upstairs, I lean more toward the light roast coffee tastes on the tongue instead, where I discover some hidden baking spice notes hanging around, but more cinnamon than anything. The cigar finishes on a medium-full blanket that is quite good and does not develop any char or tar. 

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Tunneling continues to be this blend's biggest issue. I've smoked it in warm weather and cold weather, as well as both dry climates and damp, and not once have I not had it want to tunnel on me at least once. I know that the "entubar" style of bunching and filling the innards of this cigar is supposed to aid in flavor and burn, but now I wonder if it works just a little too well in this blend. 

However, I've never experienced an uneven burn line, ugly ash, tight draw, or a hot burn, so from a points perspective that kind of counters the need for the occasional "wrapper rim job" with my Klaro torch lighter. 

Final Thoughts 

Although it may continue to annoy me with its burn blunders, I am grateful that this blend tastes and smells better than what I first encountered prior to joining Klaro, as well as what was first experienced in 2022 and early 2023. It's a refined, rich little box-pressed corojo with lots of character and a dark side that doesn't go all the way opaque on you either. 

Exotic cooking spice and citrus are there in subdued amounts, along with touches of white, green, and black tea, and some mixed pepper tongue-tingling action. Little bits of leather scrap and sandalwood, along with the tannins that come with them add depth and complexity, and I would be remiss if I did not praise the controlled helpings of Honduran soil that are sprinkled down the length of the barrel. 

The result is a mighty fine-looking box-pressed cigar that is far more grounded and gradual in its presentation than bright and bold. Something not fully sun-grown corojo, but not all the way maduro either. A cigar that is uniquely its own, but also a bit odd in its own regard.

Flavor, Aroma & Transitions

Depth & Complexity

Construction, Burn & Physical Appeal

Backstory & Branding

Overall Balance & Repeatability

Stogie Specs