This June, Alec Bradley will be bringing its diamond-shaped vitola to the Black Market Estelí line with a new limited edition release.

The Alec Bradley Black Market Estelí Diamond will measure 6 1/4 inches long with a 54 ring gauge, and while it is box-pressed, it is into a diamond shape as opposed to a traditional box press. The blend remains basically the same, with a Nicaraguan wrapper, dual binders from Nicaragua and Honduras, and a filler from Nicaragua, though there is an extra leaf of ligero in the filler, giving the cigar a stronger and bolder profile than the core line, which debuted in 2017.

It is being produced at the Plasencia factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, with 1,500 boxes of 16 cigars being made for a total run of 24,000 cigars. Pricing is set at $9.85 per cigar and $157.60 per box, before taxes.

The Black Market Estelí Diamond joins the line’s five regular production sizes:

  • Black Market Estelí Churchill (7 x 50) – $8.75 (Boxes of 22, $192.50)
  • Black Market Estelí Gordo (6 x 60) – $9.20 (Boxes of 22, $202.40)
  • Black Market Estelí Robusto (5 x 52) – $7.55 (Boxes of 22, $166.10)
  • Black Market Estelí Toro (6 x 52) – $8.50 (Boxes of 22, $187)
  • Black Market Estelí Torpedo (6 1/2 x 52) – $8.75 (Boxes of 22, $192.50)

The company has used the diamond-pressed vitola before, debuting it in 2014 with the Nica Puro Diamond Rough-Cut and bringing it back in several subsequent years as a limited edition release. That cigar is also made at the Plasencia factory and also measures 6 1/4 x 54.

Alec Bradley made the announcement via Cigar AficionadoA representative from the company declined to discuss the cigar, citing an exclusivity agreement with that publication.

Update (March, 7, 2020) — Alec Bradley issued a press release today, including images of the cigar which have been added to the story.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.