Alec Bradley MAXX The Freak

I walked into Little Havana Tobacco, the local tobacco shop, and saw Steve, the owner. I have come in a few times. I like the place and it is close.

I love my dark wrap cigars. Maduro is the wrap for me. I saw a cigar by Alec Bradley MAXX. It was called "The Freak" and it was in a black box. I decided to try it out.

This cigar is made with a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, a binder from Costa Rica, and filler from Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico, and Columbia

This cigar is huge. A double toro as it could be called. This is a thick stick. I thought I may be in for a strong smoke, but then I lit this monster...

The tobacco tasted decent on my lips and mouth, but as I was puffing I wasn't getting much. Four puffs in the flavor came rolling past my tastebuds. It was surprisingly mild. A nice even smoke too, but you had to give it a few good puffs to get a good smoke out of this. Mind you, this is a large cigar and it takes a lot to stay lit. My girlfriend was there watching me build up a smoke with a big smile on her face. She decided to have a cigar of her own in the meantime.

It had a nice earthy and nutty flavor with a nutty finish. In the middle of the whole thing was a rich coffee like flavor. The aroma was almost coffee like as well. These flavors are well maintained. Personally, I thought the aroma was better than the taste, but it is still good.

When I put the cigar down, I noticed the aftertaste. Now this cigar had a decent aftertaste. A light nutty flavor with a hint of coffee. Not so strong that you could not taste anything else, and not so weak that it was gone when the smoke left. It is closer to strong than weak, but it is pretty in the middle, which is nice for this kind of wrap and size.

The construction was good. Easy draw and even burn, all the while producing a good smoke.

This cigar gave me a nice, smooth, mild taste. The only thing some people may have issues with is sitting for 45 minutes to an hour to smoke the thing, but at that shop, that is what the leather chair is for. Also, it takes a little while to get going, but not too long.

The pricing was great for what you got at only $11. Some of these go for closer to $20.

Final grade: A-