You don’t make great cigars sitting behind a desk and Alan Rubin will be happy to tell you that. Alan Rubin started Alec Bradley Cigars (named after his sons, Alec and Bradley) in 1996. Since the company’s inception, they have garnered several 90+ ratings. To say that I’m excited to try this blend would be an understatement.

Alec Bradley’s American Classic intrigued me from the beginning. Being a red-blooded, gun-toting, beer drinking, flag flying, truck-driving....well, you get the picture. I consider myself a patriot. So what goes well with my patriotism? An American cigar, of course! Well, sort of American....the American Classic is made in Nicaragua utilizing a Connecticut-seed wrapper grown in Honduras. The fillers are a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan long-leaf tobaccos. So really, there’s nothing American about it except the band. What is American about the blend is that it’s a throwback to the cigars that were rolled in Tampa in the early part of the 20^th century. You know, back in the good ol’days of homogenized wrappers and machine made brands. Huh? Whatever. At least his intentions were good, I hope.  So let’s just take the cigar for what it’s worth – about $4-$5 in box....not bad.

I picked up the Robusto for the review. At first glance, it seems like this stick is going to be a light-weight. I generally prefer a fuller cigar, and American Blend’s pale, tan wrapper doesn’t raise my pulse in the slightest. Upon lighting, I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, it’s no powerhouse, but it actually has some pretty good flavor right out of the gate. For about the first inch it comes off as a medium-bodied cigar. Up front, there’s a creamy, cedary flavor that turns to spice as it finishes. You definitely feel the spice on the back of your palate. As the cigar progresses, the spice subsides and the creamy, cedary flavor is more pronounced. 

I won’t lie, this isn’t the most complex cigar you’ll ever smoke and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it’s nice to not have to think about all the changes in a blend and just smoke. The American Blend provides and all-around tasty cigar at pretty reasonable prices. I’ll give it a 90 (including a couple of bonus points for the name).