Alfonso Gran Selección Exclusivos by Selected Tobacco

Today, we review the second installment of Selected Tobacco’s Alfonso Gran Selección line in the Exclusives (Torpedo) size. The Alfonso Gran Selección is the second blend under the Alfonso brand. The Alfonso brand is the newest brand in the Selected Tobacco portfolio. Alfonso made its debut in 2022 with the Alfonso Extra Añejo. The Extra Añejo would land on the Cigar Coop Countdown as our #2 Cigar of the Year. Selected Tobacco says the Gran Selección will have a “darker profile” compared to the Extra Añejo. Like the Extra Añejo, the Gran Selección uses an aging process uses rooms lined with cedar and French Oak.

The aging process differs from some of the other brands in the Selected Tobacco portfolio. Typically, Alfonso has aged his cigars in cedar-lined rooms for two to five years. During that process, the humidity is raised and lowered throughout the aging period. With the Alfonso Extra Añejo, the process also included aging the cigars in French oak for a total aging process of five years. In addition to the current Alfonso-branded cigars, the Byron 1850 line also uses the cedar/French Oak process.

Selected Tobacco cigars are distributed in the United States by United Cigars. Let’s break down the Alfonso Gran Selección Exclusivos without further ado and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Alfonso Gran Selección Exclusivos by Selected Tobacco – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The Alfonso Gran Selección features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Peruvian binder and a combination of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers. Like all Selected Tobacco cigars, the Alfonso Gran Selección is produced in Costa Rica at Tabacos de Costa Rica.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Peruvian
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Costa Rica
Factory: Tabacos de Costa Rica

Vitolas Offered

The Alfonso Gran Selección comes in five sizes. These cigars are 25-count dress boxes. Due to the aging process, this is a limited-production cigar.

Estelares: 5 1/2 x 54
Exclusivos: 6 x 54 (Torpedo)
Enormes: 6 1/2 x 60
Preciosos: 7 1/2 x 40
Grandiosos: 8 x 50

Appearance (*)

The Gran Selección Exclusivos had one of the darker wrappers I’ve seen on a Nelson Alfonso cigar. The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper was the color of a chocolate bar. There was some oil on the surface of this cigar, but the wrapper was smooth and pristine. There were some visible veins, and any visible wrapper seams were on the thin side. The cigar is also moderately tapered, leading to the tip.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove a little more than half of the tip of the Gran Selección Exclusivos. This would still allow for the tapering to be preserved during the smoking experience. Once the tip was removed, I moved to the pre-light draw phase. The cold draw delivered a mix of chocolate and leather with a slight mixed fruit sweetness. This was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. From this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Gran Selección Exclusivos and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The start of the Gran Selección Exclusivos featured chocolate, wood, and white pepper notes. In the early stages, natural tobacco and floral notes emerged. The natural tobacco notes moved into the forefront in the early stages. The chocolate, wood, floral, and white pepper notes settled into the background. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered an extra layer of wood notes.

As the Gran Selección Exclusivos moved into the second third, the natural tobacco notes continued in the same pattern as in the first third. This included the natural tobacco notes in the forefront and the chocolate, wood, floral, and pepper notes rounding things off in the background. At the midpoint, the pepper and wood notes increased in intensity. At the same time, the pepper also emerged in the background.

Things leveled off again in the final third. The natural tobacco notes continued to be primary, and the wood and pepper notes were the most prominent secondary notes, still with touches of chocolate and floral notes. As the Gran Selección Exclusivos came to a close, the resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Gran Selección Exclusivos started off with a straight burn path and burn line. As the cigar experience progressed, the Gran Selección Exclusivos required more touch-ups. These touch-ups did the trick but became more frequent than I preferred. The resulting ash was silver-gray.

Burn of the Alfonso Gran Selección Exclusivos

Draw

The draw of the Gran Selección Exclusivos was flawless. It had a touch of resistance, which I like.

Strength and Body

I term boldness as a product between strength and body, and when it comes to boldness for the Gran Selección Exclusivos, this was one of the bolder offerings by Nelson Alfonso. At the same time, the Gran Selección Exclusivos is not an overpowering cigar. This cigar primarily falls into the medium strength and medium to full-bodied range. There was a slight increase in both strength and body during the smoking experience. Still, the Gran Selección Exclusivos remained medium strength, medium to full-bodied.

The body had the edge from start to finish regarding strength versus body.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

Nelson Alfonso and Selected Tobacco always impress with their packaging, and the Alfonso Gran Seleccion is no exception. Both the wood boxes and the logo have an exquisite look. The Gran Selección might look like it has two bands, but it is a single band with a gap in the middle to give the appearance of two bands.

Alfonso Gran Selección Packages (Estelares Size)

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Following the stellar performance of the Alfonso Extra Añejo by Selected Tobacco, I had high hopes for the Gran Selec ión. Unfortunately, when it came to the Exclusivos (Torpedo) size of the Gran Selección, the cigar fell short in terms of overall performance. In particular, I didn’t find the Gran Selección Exclusivos had better flavor than the Extra Anejó ize. The Gran Selección Exclusivos still earns a respectable 88-point s ore. However, the Gran Selección Exclusivos comes in at a $47.00 price point. That is a hefty price point, so I’m more inclined to recommend it to cigar enthusiasts to see if you can try a sample before investing your money in this cigar.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Wood, Chocolate, Pepper, Floral
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Very Good