The Alec BradleyMedalist was quietly released in 2018 before the IPCPR trade show. It was meant to remind people of the company’s past, meaning milder cigars. Alec Bradley has more recently been know for cigars like its Prensado, which earned it Cigar Aficionado’s #1 Cigar of the Year, and is a stronger cigar. It is also offered at a very reasonable price point ranging from $6-$7.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The blend starts with a Honduran shade grown wrapper, Honduran binder, and Honduran and Nicaragua fillers. Alec BradleyMedalist is rolled at Tabacos de Oriente in Honduras. It comes in four vitolas: Robusto (5 x 52) $6, Toro (6 x 54) $6.50, Churchill (7 x 50) $7, and Gordo (6 x 60) $7. All are sold in 10 count boxes.
“The, sun-dried golden raisin looking, wrapper on this cigar has a beautiful oily sheen. Invisible seams come up to a partially flat top double cap. The only thing keeping me from calling this a perfectly wrapped cigar is some water marks and an over stretch seam. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Aroma: 89
“Sweet notes of wild flowers with a slight woodiness.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
“Upon lighting this cigar, I’m met with a wonderful stone fruit sweetness mixed with baking spice and undertones of oak. As I smoke into this third I find myself thinking of a spritz cookies with apricot fruit topping. Every puff reminds me of these and makes me wish I had one. When you retrohale this cigar I feel like I am walking through a field of wild flowers in spring. This may be the most complex third, on any cigar, I have smoked for these reviews. I am hooked!” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“Starting off I tasted an essence of floral notes with retro the hale of a young forest that didn’t seem to evolve. However it has been quite nice that burned through the 2 cracks like a champ.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
“The second third I felt you received the most flavor and complexity. This was by far my favorite part of the cigar. The graham cracker sweetness stayed prominent. You also started to get more wood notes like oak and I even got a little pine which was interesting. ” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
“The oak becomes the driving force in this third. As you continue to smoke this cigar the floral note starts becoming soapy. The baking spice comes and goes throughout the third. The retrohale has stayed constant and unchanged. The switch up, in flavor profile, has me longing for the flavors found in the first third. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
Final Third
Flavor: 90 Strength: Mild-Medium Body/Complexity: Medium
“Mild, smooth, hint of salt and a creamy sweetness popped up” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“Rounding into the last 3rd, the spicy note is stepping for forward & the floral has totally left the building. English Breakfast Tea is coming through with the spice with a hint of oakiness. The cigar seems to be burning a lot hotter than the rest but it hasn’t bittered at all. ” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 90
“The draw has been easy & enjoyable, except for the heat on the last 3rd ” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
Burn: 88
“The first third had a cruise control burn but it seemed to fall off from there. There were multiple peninsula that formed in the second third and then the burn got really bad in the last third. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“There was a couple of spot that were very firm and uneven. One spot looked and felt like a piece of stem or something was left in and poked through the wrapper. The wrapper also cracked at the head as soon as I cut the cap.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
Overall Strength: Mild-Medium Overall Body/Complexity: Medium Experience Overall: 88
“The enigma of cigar number 1002….it was an interesting affair. Recovering from two hours or teaching the kids that it is more fun to run around kicking a soccer ball, and running their father ragged than to sit around staring at electronics, sipping on electrolytes, I decided to light this cigar up to hopefully cover up the scent of my sweaty clothes. Pretty groovy in my book, I enjoyed the flavors. Almost like an M Knight Shyamalan surprise movie twist. All in all, it was ok. Nothing spectacular to me anyway, I wasn’t too impressed by it until the final third. Chop off the first two thirds, then you got something. To each their own, we all have our own tastes and likes, and this one didn’t do much to get my motor fired up. I nubbed it anyway.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“If the flavors of the first third would’ve lasted for the whole cigar, then this would have been the perfect cigar for me. That being said, this was a very good cigar that I would smoke again. Find some and enjoy, if you are a fan of Cuban style flavors. ” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
“I love the floral notes in the being with the slight spice in the middle, but again the last 3rd being really hot was not the best.” –Allison T. (The Yoga Ash)
“This was not the best cigar I have had. The graham cracker sweetness and wood notes were fantastic but just wouldn’t last as long as I would have liked and once the char flavor started it was the end of that. Mix that with construction issues and yup not great. I would like to try this on again because I do feel this mild cigar has potential for some very nice flavors, unfortunately this one may have just been a miss.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
"If the flavors of the first third would've lasted for the whole cigar, then this would have been the perfect cigar for me. That being said, this was a very good cigar that I would smoke again. Find some and enjoy, if you are a fan of Cuban style flavors. " -Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)
