In 2020, Alec and Bradley Rubin, sons of Alec Bradley President Alan Rubin, would launch their third national blend into the market known as Kintsugi. Kintsugi is a form of Japanese art that is used on broken pottery where it is reconstructed back together with gold or silver lacquer. The reconstructed item is considered an art form. The name was inspired by what is going on in the premium cigar industry – namely the current divided state and the need to bring the industry back together. For this project, the Rubin brothers returned to the Raices Cubanas factory to produce the Kintsugi. Today we take a closer look at the Alec & Bradley Kintsugi in the Robusto size.

The Kintsugi is under the Alec & Bradley pillar of Alec Bradley Cigar Company. It was back in 2018 when Alec and Bradley Rubin launched their own brand inside of Alec Bradley. When the Rubin brothers informed Alan they wanted to take the next step in developing a brand, Alan agreed to do it. There was one caveat – the Rubin brothers were going to have to do this as a business venture. This meant they would have to do everything on their own – from the blend to the packaging, to funding the project as a subsidiary under Alec Bradley. It was in 2018 when the Alec & Bradley Blind Faith was released. This was followed by Gatekeeper in 2019 and Kintsugi in 2020.

Without further ado, let’s break down the Alec & Bradley Kintsugi and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Alec & Bradley Kintsugi sports a Habano wrapper grown in the Trojes region of Honduras. Both the binder and the filler utilize Nicaraguan and Honduran components. As mentioned above, the Kintsugi is produced at the Raices Cubanas factory in Danlí, Honduras.

Wrapper: Habano (Trojes, Honduras)
Binder: Nicaraguan, Honduran
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: Fabrica de Tabacos Raíces Cubanas S. de R.L.

Vitolas Offered

The Alec & Bradley Kintsugi is available in four sizes. Each size is presented in 24-count boxes.

Robusto: 5 x 50
Corona Gorda 5 5/8 x 46
Toro: 6 x 52
Gordo: 6 x 60

 

Appearance

The Habano wrapper of the Alec & Bradley Kintsugi Robusto had a medium brown color with a slight rosado tint. There wasn’t much in the way of oil on the surface of the wrapper. The wrapper also had a combination of thin visible veins and thin wrapper seams.

There are two bands on the Alec & Bradley Kintsugi arranged in a unique way. Both bands have a blue, gold, and white color scheme. The primary band has a vertically long blue rectangular field with gold trim on the center of the band. On the band is the text “KINTSUGI” in white text with gold trim arranged in landscape mode. Below the field is a small blue triangular field with gold trim. On that band is a “&” in gold font. The left and right sides of the primary band have white finds with gold fracture lines. On the right field is the text “ALEC & BRADLEY” in blue, “A&B” in gold font, and both gold and blue Japanese letters.

The secondary band is blue with gold trim and gold fracture lines. On the band is the text “ALEC BRADLEY” in gold font. The triangular field from the upper band rests in between the “ALEC BRADLEY” text, thus placing the “&” in the middle.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to commence the cigar experience of the Alec & Bradley Kintsugi. Once the cap was removed, it was time for the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered notes of natural tobacco, an apple-like fruit note, and some earth notes. This was a straightforward, but satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to light up the Alec & Bradley Kintsugi and see what the smoking experience would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Alec & Bradley Kintsugi Robusto started out with notes of natural tobacco, baker’s spice, raisin, and earth. The natural tobacco and raisin notes went primary. Many times I consider raisin a sign of young tobacco, but not in this case – the raisin imparted a nice sweetness that complemented the natural tobacco flavors. The baker’s spice and earth notes remained in the background. On the retro-hale was a layer of red pepper.

Late in the first third of the Alec & Bradley Kintsugi Robusto, the raisin notes decreased in intensity while the earth notes increased. By the second third, the earth notes joined the natural tobacco in the forefront. Both the earth and natural tobacco alternated in intensity throughout the second half. The raisin notes joined the baker’s spice in the background. Just before the midway point, some red pepper notes emerged on the tongue in the background.

The final third of the cigar didn’t see much in the way of change. The natural tobacco and earth notes remained primary. There still were notes of raisin, baker’s spice, and red pepper rounding out the profile from the background. As the Alec & Bradley Kintsugi came to a close, the cigar finished with a slightly soft, but cool nub.

Burn

The burn Alec & Bradley Kintsugi Robusto needed some touch-ups to maintain a straight burn path. The touch-ups did the trick and the burn maintained a straight burn path. Along the way,  the burn line had some slight jaggedness along the line. The resulting ash had a silvery-gray color with some darker spots. This was an ash that was on the firm side. Both the burn rate and burn temperature had ideal levels.

Draw

The draw to the Alec & Bradley Kintsugi Robusto had a slight resistance to it. This made for an ideal draw in this author’s book. At the same time, this was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

Both the strength and body of the Alec & Bradley Kintsugi Robusto started out as a medium strength, medium-bodied cigar. Along the way, there was not a lot in the way of variance of the intensity levels of the strength and body. As a result, the Kintsugi Robusto remained medium in strength and body throughout the entire smoking experience.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Alec & Bradley Kintsugi Robusto is a nice entry into the Alec Bradley portfolio. It comes in at a very attractive price point of $7.50, and it scored a solid 88 points on Cigar Coop. There is one disappointment I have with this cigar that has nothing to do with the quality or score of this cigar.  One thing that I really liked about the previous two releases is how Alec & Bradley Rubin created “Alec & Bradley” cigars. Both the Blind Faith and Gatekeeper brought something very different to the table. Outside the packaging, when it came to the Kintsugi Robusto itself, this seemed to be something that had a more legacy, traditional “Alec Bradley” feel to it. There is nothing wrong with this profile as there are some excellent traditional “Alec Bradley” cigars. But with “Alec & Bradley,” I still would very much like to see the Rubins push the innovative boundaries much as they did with Blind Faith and Gatekeeper.

Still, the Alec & Bradley Kintsugi Robusto has enough going on where I would recommend this cigar to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would buy and smoke again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Raisin, Earth, Baker’s Spice, Red Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Buy One
Score: 88

References

News  Alec & Bradley Kintsugi Now Slated for Fall 2020 Release
Price: $7.50
Source: Alec Bradley and Purchased
Brand Reference: Alec Bradley

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted.