Initial Thoughts
I personally feel that there are few brands which can deliver the goods year after year. They consistently put out new cigars with updated looks and stay relevant within the industry. Alec Bradley is certainly one of those brands. They put out some great cigars, the packaging always looks fantastic and up to date yet keeping a nod to the heritage of the industry. That being said, we’re kicking off the Alec Bradley Review Week with the Alec Bradley Coyol Toro!
I’ll be honest, I missed this cigar when it came out a few years ago. I like to call those the dark ages when I wasn’t writing much. Nevertheless, I picked it up and I’m smoking it now.
A cool story behind this blend. The name comes from a small tobacco farm in Honduras called La Vega Coyol. This farm is a exclusive farm for Alec Bradley, and they have incorporated this specific leaf into multiple parts of the cigar. First off they use it as the wrapper. Secondly, it’s one of the binders, alongside some Nicaraguan Jalapa leaf. Thirdly, they use the Coyol leaf in the filler. So there ya go, a special and exclusive leaf that is used throughout the cigar. Love the idea and the story behind. So let’s dig into it and get it burning.
Looks
Taking a look at this Alec Bradley Coyol box and you’ll be thrown back in time. It has a look and feel that is reminiscent of old Cuban boxes. The 20 count cardboard type box with a mural when you open the lid. There’s a person riding a horse along side the road next to a tobacco field. It’s just beautiful honestly, and I love the nod to their heritage and where this leaf comes from.
The band very simple compared to most of the Alec Bradley bands that you’ll see. Again this is a retro looking band with a modern AB twist. I love the 2nd band that says La Vega Coyol, again acknowledging the farm where the tobacco was produced.
A beautiful Honduran wrapper with a good bit of texture brings it all tobacco. It’s a semi-shiny colorado colored wrapper. It’s giving off some great aromas as well. I think it’s time to get into this cigar and see what Coyol tobacco is all about.
Smoking
This Alec Bradley Coyol comes out strong with some pretty heavy smoke. The air flow is a little tough at first, but once I get about 1/8″ in it really starts to puff and open up the draft. One thing that was interesting about smoking this cigar is that I could never get the ash to hang on longer than 1/2″. Maybe I just had shaky hands, but it didn’t seem to want to hold on while I was smoking.
As for the rest of the cigar the draw was great. There were never really any burn issues. A few times it go a little wonky but it ultimately evened itself out. I never touched it up, and it didn’t go out on me. So in my book those are both big wins! At this point I’m sure you’re itching to know the flavors from this special Coyol leaf right? Let’s jump in.
Flavor
To begin the Alec Bradley Coyol gives off a nice dose of tobacco notes on the foot of the cigar pre light. It’s a great aroma that goes from dry to sweet and changes through the barrel. Once lit I started picking up flavors of oak, cedar, and bread. Great combinations for sure. On the retrohale I was getting big doses of spice, strong spice on the habanero scale. That was only in the first third though and then that spice tapered off and become more of baking spice arena similar to Cinnamon and nutmeg.
I felt like this cigar started off as a full bodied cigar that tapered off into a medium-bodied which I’ve honestly never had happen that I can remember. It was a very unique experience. At first I was a little scared, I wasn’t ready for a full bodied at that point. Luckily by the end of it this Alec Bradley Coyol had settled in and was fantastic.
Would I Buy It Again?
Absolutely. It’s a very interesting cigar that I want to smoke again.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
Probably not for me. I enjoyed it, but I think there is something unique to it and I’m not sure if it would fit into a daily routine to me.
Would I Buy a Box?
Certainly. I’d be very interested to see how this tobacco ages and what it does to that spice.
Conclusion
Seriously, this Alec Bradley Coyol is a great and unique cigar. I loved the smoking experience, the flavors, and the story behind the blend. Do yourself a favor and go pick up 1 or a 5 pack and give it a try. I think you’ll find it unique a great smoke!
If you have smoked this Alec Bradley Coyol let us know what you think about it down below.
