Alec Bradley Maxx Brazil

The Alec Bradley Maxx Brazil is a retail exclusive cigar sold by Cigar International.  As the name indicates it is a blend variation of the original Alec Bradley Maxx cigar featuring a Brazilian wrapper and binder.  The Alec Bradley Maxx was launched a few years ago as a large, robust cigar blend in the Alec Bradley portfolio.  Since then there have been two additional line extensions to the Maxx line:  the Alec Bradley Maxx Traditional and the Alec Bradley Maxx Connecticut.  Overall, the Maxx line has proven to be a popular cigar.  However, when I was made aware of the Maxx Brazil cigar, I was really surprised what the Brazilian tobacco did to this blend.  This cigar was a nice surprise and a retail-exclusive blend worth checking out.

The Cigar International web-site describes the story around the Alec Bradley Maxx Brazil.   The cigar was originally offered as an exclusive blend to a sampler provided by Cigar International. The feedback was so positive that Cigar International decided to bring back the Maxx Brazil as a regular production, retail-exclusive line.

Let’s break down the Alec Bradley Maxx Brazil and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Blend Profile

The Alec Bradley Maxx Brazil uses the same filler tobaccos that make up the Alec Bradley Maxx. The cigar uses a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper and a Brazilian Habano binder.  The interesting thing about this blend is that it might be one of the few to feature tobaccos from two different South American countries.

Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina
Binder: Brazilian Habano
Filler: Colombian, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Mexican

Vitolas Available

The Maxx Brazil is offered in six sizes.  These sizes differ from the core Alec Bradley Maxx line.

Corona: 5 1/2 x 42
Churchill: 7 x 48
Robusto: 5 x 50
Torpedo 6.1 x 52
Toro: 6 x 54
Double Toro: 6 x 60

Appearance

For this cigar experience, I smoked the Robusto size of the Alec Bradley Maxx Brazil.  The Mata Fina wrapper of Alec Bradley Maxx features a medium-brown color with a touch of colorado red to it.  It also has some dark marbled spots.  The wrapper does have a slightly oily complexion to it. There are a few visible veins and the wrapper seams are visible upon close examination.

The band to the Maxx Brazil is a green and blue version of the standard Maxx band.  These two colors are prominent in the Brazilian flag.  The band itself has a green background with blue lettering.  There are blue pinstripes across the top and bottom of the band.  The name “MAXX” is in big letters.  The text “Brazil” is beneath that text in cursive font – and below that text is “ALEC BRADLEY” in a thin blue font.  On the far right of the band (near the back) is the Alec Bradley slogan “Live True”.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my cigar experience of the Alec Bradley Maxx Brazil I went with a straight cut into the cap of the cigar.  Once the cap was removed, I proceeded to start the pre-light draw.  The cold draw provided me with a very interesting combination of flavor notes.  These notes consisted of leather, cedar, and some sugar cane.  Overall, I considered this a satisfactory pre-light draw.  At this time, I was ready to light up my Maxx Brazil and see what the smoking experience would deliver.

Flavor Profile

The Alex Bradley Maxx Brazil starts out with what I considered a unique favor combination of pepper, earth, cedar, and sugar cane.  There was no real dominant flavor early on and all of the flavors seemed to work nicely together.  In the early stages, there was also what I consider a slight mint flavor on after-draw.

As the Maxx Brazil moved through the first third, the flavor profile underwent a significant change. The cigar saw some coffee and citrus notes emerge quickly and move into the forefront. The background notes consisted of earth and cedar.

The flavor profile would hold throughout most of the cigar experience.  In the last third, the coffee notes moved into the background and the citrus notes became primary.  There was also a slight pepper spice in the forefront as well.  The earth notes were pretty much tertiary at this point.

The Maxx Brazil had some spice toward the end, but this was not overwhelming or harsh.  The resulting nub was cool in temperature and soft to the touch.

Burn and Draw

The Alex Bradley Maxx Brazil performed very well with the construction attributes of burn and draw.  The burn line remained relatively straight from start to finish requiring minimal touch-ups along the way.  The resulting ash was slightly loose with some occasional flaking.   The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal.

The draw was excellent on the Maxx Brazil.  This made the cigar a very low maintenance smoke to enjoy.

Strength and Body

From a strength perspective, I did not find the Maxx Brazil to be an overpowering smoke.  I found it to be a cigar that is a classic medium-strength cigar.  As for the depth of the flavors, I found them to also be medium-bodied.  The strength and body balance each other perfectly with neither attribute overshadowing the other.  This makes for what I term a “medium-medium” smoke.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really liked what the Brazilian tobaccos did to this blend.  The Alec Bradley Maxx Brazil provided some nice flavors.  It is a tamer blend in terms of strength, but I think that works for the flavor profile of this cigar.  This blend also does a nice job at showcasing the sweetness and earthiness that can be derived from the Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper.  Overall, is a nice retail exclusive blend worth checking out.  It’s the perfect cigar for a novice or experienced cigar enthusiast looking for a nice medium strength, medium-bodied smoke.  As for myself, this is definitely a cigar I will be checking out again.

Summary

Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Good
Assessment: Nice to Have
Score: 91

Source: The cigars for this assessment were provided by Cigars International. The request was initiated by Cigars International to myself (Cigar Coop) to provide feedback.  Cigar Coop is appreciative to samples provided but this plays no role in a final assessment rating and write-up.