Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BCN-143

Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BCN-143

Today, we review the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BCN-143. The Fine & Rare is an annual release dating back to 2011 that has become the Alec Bradley brand’s most premium release. The Fine & Rare involved constructing a blend featuring ten different tobaccos taken from some of the best tobaccos the company had available to it.  Since that initial launch, the Fine & Rare has been released in various sizes and blends on a near-annual basis. Over the years, ten tobaccos were used and then rolled into a size that best represented the blend. Some years, Alec Bradley introduced a new blend and other years, it rolled the blend with a different tobacco vintage.

Released November 11, 2023, BCN-143 is the twelfth year there has been a Fine & Rare release. What is different about BCN-143 is that it is the first Fine & Rare released following the sale of Alec Bradley Cigar Company to Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG). The BCN-143 was a project that was still under development when the company was sold in early 2023. It was one of the last projects Alec Bradley founder Alan Rubin and his sons Alec and Bradley worked on. BCN-143 is the code name for the blend, and this is how Alec Bradley named its Fine & Rare releases.

Alec Bradley Fine & Rare Series

For completeness, we list the annual Alec Bradley Fine & Rare releases since 2011:

BCN-143 follows up the BC-(13)4EV blend, which would capture Cigar Coop’s #1 Cigar of the Year in 2022. Without further ado, let’s dive into the Fine & Rare BCN-143 and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BCN-143 – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The BCN-143 features a Honduran Trojes Criollo ’98 wrapper from Honduras’s La Vega Coyol Farm. The cigar’s double binder is comprised of Honduran Trojes Criollo ’98 and Nicaraguan Esteli Criollo. The remainder of the blend consists of five Honduran tobaccos and two different Nicaragua tobaccos. Production for the Fine & Rare BCN-143 comes from Raices Cubanas in Honduras.

Wrapper: Honduran (Trojes)
Binder: Honduran Trojes Criollo 98, Nicaraguan Esteli Criollo
Filler:
– Ligero tobaccos: Honduran Jamastran Criollo ’98, Nicaraguan Jalapa Criollo ’98, Honduran Trojes Criollo ’98
– Viso: Honduran Jamastran Criollo ’98, Honduran Trojes Corojo ’99, Honduran Jamastran Corojo and Nicaraguan Jalapa Corojo ’99
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Raíces Cubanas S. de R.L.

Vitolas Offered

The Fine & Rare BCN-143 was box-pressed in one size—a 7 x 50 Churchill. The cigars were produced in ten-count boxes, with 2,500 boxes produced for this run. The only other Fine & Rare that was box-pressed was 2019’s HOF / 506 blend.

Appearance (*)

The Honduran wrapper from Trojes on the Fine & Rare BCN-143 was medium brown with a slight rosado tint. There wasn’t much oil on the surface of the wrapper, but it had some visible veins and a visible wrapper seam.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

A straight cut removed the cap from the Fine & Rare BCN-143.  Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered a combination of earth, cedar, and a vegetal note. Overall, this wasn’t the most exciting pre-light draw experience. Since the pre-light draw is not factored into the numeric score or value rating, there was no loss of points here.  At this point, it was time to toast up the Fine & Rare BCN-143 and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes (*)

The Fine & Rare BCN-143 opened up with a combination of earth, cedar, vegetal, chocolate, and fruit notes. There was no dominant note during the early phases, but the earth and cedar notes became primary by the midway point. Meanwhile, the vegetal, chocolate, and fruit notes moved into the background. While secondary, these notes still rounded out the flavor profile. At times, the fruit sweetness popped into the forefront. Meanwhile, cedar and fruit sweetness were present in the retro-hale.

Toward the end of the first third, black pepper emerged in the background and also became present on the retro-hale. As the Fine & Rare BCN-143 reached the midway point, the earth notes took a slight edge as the primary note. The cedar diminished to the background and developed an interesting fusion with the fruit notes. The vegetal and pepper notes were still present. On the retro-hale, the pepper notes became more prominent. Meanwhile, the chocolate notes diminished and were gone by the end of the second third.

In the final third, the fused cedar and fruit notes took over as the primary note. The pepper had increased to become the most prominent secondary note. The earth and vegetal notes were also present in the background. During this phase, I felt the flavors were somewhat muddled. This is how the Fine & Rare BCN-143 came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Fine & Rare BCN-143 maintained a straight burn path and burn line but required frequent touch-ups along the way. While the touch-ups did the trick, more touch-ups were needed than I preferred. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firmer side and charcoal gray in color. Both the burn rate and burn temperature had ideal levels.

Burn of the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BCN-143

Draw

The draw to the Fine & Rare BCN-143 was open but not loose. Normally, I like a touch of resistance on a draw. While the Fine & Rare BCN-143 did not have that touch of resistance, there were no adverse effects.

Strength and Body

Overall, the Fine & Rare BCN-143 opened as a medium-strong and medium-bodied smoke. There was a slight increase in intensity along the way, but overall, the Fine & Rare BCN-143 remained medium in both strength and body for the duration of the cigar.

In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained a slight edge over the strength from start to finish.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

While it’s not a humidor, I always loved the way the Fine & Rare comes packaged in its elegant wood box. This year, the color theme revolves around green.

Box of the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BCN-143

The Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BCN-143 band uses a postage stamp style. Over the years, this band has changed from year to year. I liked the signatures of the people involved with the cigar. While the BCN-143 wasn’t my favorite band design compared to other Fine & Rare installments, I still like it.  It will be interesting to see what this band looks like when (if) STG creates its own Fine & Rare.

Band of the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BCN-143

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

One of the things I like to do with the Fine & Rare series is compare, contrast, and rank. When you stack and rank them, something goes to the top, and something goes to the bottom. In 2022, the BC-(13)4EV went to the top as Cigar of the Year. Unfortunately, the BCN-143 falls down here. This was not as enjoyable as the other ones. The first half performed well, but the second half saw the flavors become uninspiring and muddled. While the overall score is still a respectable 87 points, this was one of the higher-priced Fine & Rare releases, and at nearly $26.00, it’s a hard pill for me to come back to this cigar. Alec Bradley has some excellent cigars in its portfolio, and I’m inclined to pursue some of the other ones instead.

Summary

Key Flavors: Earth, Fruit, Cedar, Vegetal, Chocolate, Pepper
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Very Good
Complexity: Medium Plus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good

Rating

Value: Not Recommended
Score: 87

REFERENCES

News  Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BCN-143 Showcased at PCA 2023
Price: $25.99
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Alec Bradley

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop

(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating