The Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli is a full-bodied and full-flavored cigar that is a sheer delight to smoke. Even Cigar Aficionado rated it highly, giving it a 93 out of 100, calling it a wonderfully honed variation of the popular Black Market cigar of this brand. This has a flavor profile that includes mocha, chocolate, leather, earth, pepper, and spice.
| Wrapper Origin: Nicaraguan | Shape: Robusto |
| Length: 5 | Ring: 52 |
| Wrapper: Not Available | List Price: $211.20 (Box of 24) |
| Origin: Nicaragua | Strength: Full |
Appearance of Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli
The Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli cigar features a very large band that needs to be taken off straight away. The cigar has a very nice wrapper with no visible seams, a few small and large veins, and is pretty oily. It is also firmly packed.
The band is in color off-white with accents of black and yellow. The word “Alec Bradley” is written in all caps in color white font and placed at the very top of the band, circling throughout.
The brand’s typical “AB” logo is in the upper middle with a crown on top. Below it, the word “Black Market” is written in all caps and in black font and placed as a slant. The word “Esteli” is placed inside a mustard yellow placard, written in all caps as well and in black font.
Smoking Experience
The Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli cigar features a peppery, dark chocolate aroma in the head and a spicy, earthy aroma in the foot. When I initially lit the Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli cigar, the pepper flavor and a lot of body, although not quite a full body, came through. Additionally, there are subtle but noticeable spice overtones, and it already packs a punch. There is a moderate amount of earthy flavor with a touch of spice on the retro-hale.
Upon finishing the first third, I found the flavors to be incredibly satisfying. It had full-bodied notes of mocha, chocolate, coffee, leather, earthy, pepper, and the spice was still present. Pepper has taken the place of the spice that was once in the retro-hale. There was also a faint citrusy note. In comparison to the typical Alec Bradley Black Market cigar, it will undoubtedly be different.
The flavor increased dramatically from the first third of my smoking to the second. All of the flavors are present, but they are much stronger. Chocolate is present at the palate’s front, and earth is present at its back. I also detected a faint sweetness on the wrapper, and the citrus flavor has vanished. However, it needed to be touched up because of the burn. Its draw has been moderately tight the entire time. The cigar is doing nicely thus far.
The flavors of mocha, chocolate, coffee, and leather have gotten much richer and deeper during my final third. I also noticed that the burn, structure, and ash holding have all improved significantly ever since I touched it up. Furthermore, the draw started to loosen up, which is completely different from the draw I encountered throughout the first two thirds. On this part, the cigar also got creamier, and the pepper intensity increased on the throat and retro-hale.
Overall
The Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli cigar is fantastic all over. The entire smoke includes a variety of flavor changes and complexity. Its burn and draw are the only negative aspects. Again, I have to touch it up during the second third, and it wasn’t until the third that the draw started to loosen.
For the flavor profile, it consists of mocha, chocolate, earth, leather, with pepper and spice present on the retro-hale as well. In terms of strength, this cigar has a full body and is not for people who prefer mild cigars to smoke. This is a strong cigar, therefore I could only suggest it to people who enjoy smoking medium to full-bodied cigars.
