The Alec Bradley booth was among the busier ones I stopped by on Saturday as a steady stream of retailers came through to check out a handful of new offerings from the company.

The offerings included the new line from the next generation of the Rubin family, and an unnamed project that the company didn’t release any details about until the show floor opened on Saturday morning.

Alec Bradley Bespoke

This line caught my eye as I was perusing the booth, mainly because it sounded like one of the names I’d heard pop up amidst the numerous phantom brands that were coming out ahead of the implementation of FDA regulations. It wasn’t getting quite the same amount of attention as the company’s other new products, but this Nicaraguan puro will be hitting stores later this summer, with production handled by Plasencia Cigars S.A.

  • Wrapper: Nicaragua
  • Binder: Nicaragua
  • Filler: Nicaragua
  • Alec Bradley Bespoke Robusto (5 x 50) — $7.75 (Boxes of 20, $155)
  • Alec Bradley Bespoke Toro (6 x 52) — $8.65 (Boxes of 20, $173)
  • Alec Bradley Bespoke Torpedo (6 1/8 x 52) — $8.95 (Boxes of 20, $179)
  • Alec Bradley Bespoke Gordo (6 x 60) — $9.99 (Boxes of 20, $199.80)
  • Alec Bradley Bespoke Churchill (7 x 50) — $9.50 (Boxes of 20, $190)

Production: Regular Production

Launch Date: August 2018

Alec Bradley Fine & Rare JRS10=(86)

The Fine & Rare series continues with the second release of the JRS10=(86) from 2015, and while the cigar is effectively the same as the first release—yearly crop variations notwithstanding—the box gets a fresh look. The zebra wood design comes from a change to the production process where the preparation was intentionally stopped short of what would have created the solid color box seen in years past, something that also resulted in the use of less lacquer for the boxes than previous versions.

  • Wrapper: Honduras
  • Binder: Honduras & Nicaragua
  • Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
  • Alec Bradley Fine & Rare JRS10=(86) (2018) (6 1/2 x 56) — $21.90 (Boxes of 10, $219)

Production: 2,500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (25,000 Total Cigars)

Launch Date: October 2018

Alec Bradley Magic Toast

Earlier this month, Alec Bradley announced that the company would be releasing a new cigar at this year’s trade show; only problem was that was all they announced about it. No blend, no sizes, no pricing, no details whatsoever, other than that the industry would get its first look at it this week.

That cigar is Magic Toast, an interesting name to say the least, but it has nothing to do with bread. Instead, Alan Rubin, his business partner, Ralph Montero, and some colleagues had gone out to a Honduran tobacco field in the middle of the night several years back to look at the leaves, an event that Rubin called almost magical. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and proposed a toast to the company’s future, and voila, a new cigar line was born, as Magic Toast uses tobacco from that same field, with Raíces Cubanas handling the production.

  • Wrapper: Honduras
  • Binder: Honduras & Nicaragua
  • Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
  • Alec Bradley Magic Toast Robusto (5 x 52) — $8.95 (Boxes of 20, $179)
  • Alec Bradley Magic Toast Toro (6 x 52) — $9.50 (Boxes of 20, $190)
  • Alec Bradley Magic Toast Gordo (6 x 60) — $10.25 (Boxes of 20, $205)

Production: Regular Production

Launch Date: September 2018

Blind Faith by Alec & Bradley

You undoubtedly know the name Alec Bradley, but this year cigar smokers will get to know the names Alec and Bradley, the sons of Alan Rubin. The pair, who both work for the company, are getting their first cigar line, made at Raíces Cubanas in Honduras. The two have been making monthly visits to the factory for the past six months or so and feel they have reached the point of being ready to release their own blend.

  • Wrapper: Honduras (Trojes)
  • Binder: Honduras (Trojes) & Nicaragua (Jalapa)
  • Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí Corojo 99 & Criollo 98)
  • Blind Faith by Alec & Bradley Robusto (5 x 52) — $8.95 (Boxes of 20, $179)
  • Blind Faith by Alec & Bradley Toro (6 x 52) — $10 (Boxes of 20, $200)
  • Blind Faith by Alec & Bradley Gordo (6 x 60) — $10.95  (Boxes of 20, $219)

Production: Regular Production

Launch Date: July 2018

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2018 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
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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.