Black Market - Robusto - Alec Bradley

Alec Bradley – Black Market Robusto

🌍 Origin & Distinctive Craftsmanship

• Brand: Alec Bradley — an internationally recognized premium cigar name known for creating distinctive blends with unconventional tobacco combinations and bold personalities.
• Origin: Honduras 🇭🇳, one of Central America’s most established premium cigar-producing countries.
• Manufactured In: The original Black Market line is handcrafted in Honduras, bringing together tobaccos from several celebrated growing regions.
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan — dark and oily, contributing richness, spice and a striking appearance.
• Binder: Sumatran, adding an aromatic and subtly exotic element to the blend.
• Filler: An unusual combination of Honduran and Panamanian tobaccos.
• Rare Panamanian Component: Panamanian tobacco is relatively uncommon in premium cigar blends and is considered one of the defining elements that gives Black Market its distinctive character.
• Blend Development: Alec Bradley states that Black Market began with an intriguing shipment of Panamanian tobacco and required more than a year of experimentation and approximately 18 test blends before the final profile was achieved.
• Construction: Premium handmade long-filler cigar, created to balance richness and spice with a surprising underlying sweetness.
• Signature Presentation: Black Market’s industrial, crate-inspired packaging and bold black bands give the cigar one of the most recognizable presentations in the Alec Bradley portfolio.
  

👅 Taste & Flavor Profile

• Opening: Begins assertively with warm pepper, spice and dark roasted tobacco, immediately revealing the richer personality of the blend.
• Signature Spice: Black pepper and warming spice establish an energetic opening before settling into the cigar’s deeper flavors.
• Cocoa Character: One of Black Market’s most attractive traits is its underlying impression of dark cocoa and chocolate-like richness.
• Earthiness: Deep earth and roasted tobacco give the cigar a substantial foundation.
• Natural Sweetness: Subtle sweetness emerges underneath the heavier tobacco, helping balance the cigar’s pepper and earthy intensity.
• Herbal Nuance: Black Market is also known for a distinctive herbal sweetness that separates it from more conventional Nicaraguan-style blends.
• Roasted Character: Notes reminiscent of charred wood, toast and roasted tobacco add further depth.
• Additional Complexity: Depending on the individual cigar, enthusiasts may encounter hints of nuts, coffee, cedar and dark spice.
• Finish: Rich and lingering, carrying impressions of pepper, earth, cocoa and toasted tobacco.
• Overall Flavor Experience: A bold yet balanced combination of spice, pepper, cocoa, earth and subtle herbal sweetness with an unusual Panamanian influence.
  

💨 Smoke Characteristics

• Strength: Medium to Full, according to Alec Bradley’s official description of the Black Market blend.
• Body: Medium-Full, delivering plenty of flavor and presence without relying solely on nicotine intensity.
• Flavor Intensity: Rich and pronounced, particularly appealing to enthusiasts who enjoy darker, earthier cigars.
• Smoke Character: Dense and aromatic, carrying the cigar’s pepper, cocoa, earthy and roasted flavors across the palate.
• Progression: The cigar typically begins more pepper-forward before allowing its earth, cocoa and subtle sweetness to become increasingly noticeable.
• Smoking Time: Approximately 45–60 minutes, depending on pace and smoking conditions.
• Best Smoking Pace: Enjoyed slowly, the Robusto has more opportunity to reveal its balance between dark richness, spice and underlying sweetness.
• Ideal Occasion: Excellent after dinner, alongside coffee, or during an evening smoke when you want something darker and richer than a mild everyday cigar.
  

📏 Format & Dimensions

• Vitola: Robusto
• Length: 5¼ inches / approximately 133 mm
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Diameter: Approximately 20.6 mm
• Country of Manufacture: Honduras
• Wrapper: Nicaraguan
• Binder: Sumatran
• Filler: Honduran & Panamanian
• Packaging: Price per Cigar
  
• Ring Gauge Advantage: The slightly wider 52-ring gauge gives the cigar additional filler capacity and smoke volume while maintaining the concentrated character expected from a Robusto.
• Robusto Advantage: At 5¼ × 52, it offers enough tobacco for meaningful flavor development without requiring the extended smoking time of a Toro or Churchill.
• Ideal Format: A particularly versatile size for customers who want a substantial premium cigar in an approximately 45–60 minute smoking window.
  

🏆 Cigar Aficionado Ratings & Recognition

• Cigar Aficionado Rating – Exact Robusto: ⭐ 88 Points
• Exact Rated Size: Cigar Aficionado’s Robusto review applies specifically to the 5¼ × 52 Alec Bradley Black Market Robusto.
• Cigar Aficionado Tasting Character: The reviewed Robusto was particularly notable for its pepper-driven, substantial smoking character and dark Nicaraguan wrapper.
• Black Market Blend Recognition: ⭐ Other sizes of the original Black Market blend have performed exceptionally well in Cigar Aficionado tastings.
• 94-Point Blend Pedigree: ⭐ The Black Market Churchill earned an outstanding 94 points from Cigar Aficionado.
• Top 10 Cigar of the Year: 🏅 The Black Market Churchill was named No. 6 in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of 2022.
• Top 25 Flavor Recognition: Cigar Aficionado praised the Black Market blend for a rich, nutty character accented by dried herbs, smoked wood and well-placed spice.
• Panamanian Tobacco Recognition: Cigar Aficionado specifically highlighted the uncommon Panamanian filler tobacco as a defining component that contributes something distinctive to the Black Market blend.
• Important Rating Note: The 94-point / No. 6 Cigar of 2022 distinction belongs to the Churchill; the exact Robusto was rated 88 points.