Alec Bradley Tempus Quadrum (5.5" x 55)

Alec Bradley Tempus Quadrum (5.5" x 55)

I bought a few 5 packs of these on sale a month or so ago. Though the Alec Bradley Tempus is available everywhere, the "Quadrum" is a Cigars International exclusive.



Here is what CI has to say about the blend:

A 94-rated masterpiece.

Here it is, quite possibly the crowning achievement of Alec Bradley Cigars. Tempus is truly boutique, right down to the tobaccos used. The Habano-seed wrapper hails from a small tobacco field located on the border of Nicaragua and Honduras, capturing the rich, hearty flavors of Honduras. This leaf is dark and leathery, and conceals a complex mixture of Cuban-seed long-fillers grown in both Nicaragua and Honduras. The cigar explodes with rich, but smooth flavors noting toasted wood and nuts. The finish is long and peppery with an enjoyable sweetness.

I like the band. Gaudy but the purple is a nice "break from the pack"-seems like many labels blend together with the same red/gold color scheme.

The Quadrum also differs from other Tempus lines I've seen due to the partial box press, resulting in a flast top and bottom and rounded sides. It makes for a pretty thick stick-this monkey was so thick that my Cuban Crafter guillotine cutter was only able to cut off about 1/8" of an inch-but that was plenty to give me a great draw and get me started.

I paired this cigar with my favorite scotch, Laphroiag and enjoyed it while watching Josh Whedon's Dollhouse. It was chilly but with my hat and pancho, I was living the good life.

The stogie had some really rich chocolate and coffee flavors initially. Partway through, the stick seemed to become more "earthy" with an occasional metallic element-still good but a little odd.

The stick had excellent ash but did require a few touch ups. During the last third, I started noticing the potency of the cigar-seemed very full bodied and full flavored by the time I nubbed it.



I've been enjoying Alec Bradley cigars since shortly after I started smoking a few years ago...and have sought them out frequently, as they were often on sale and were alwasy good smokes for the money. The Tempus seems to be the brands' first "premium" cigar and I'm really impressed with what they've done. I rate the Tempus a 4-I've really enjoyed smoking these bad boys and will be buying more.


Here's a snapshot of our evil cat Blossom...who wastes little time crawling in bed with any sleeping Reid he can find!

LFD Double Ligero Oscuro Especiales 6 7/8” x 49

Double Ligero Oscuro Especiales 6 7/8” x 49
By La Flor Dominicana

(This review was actually done a few weeks ago-got behind and forgot to post!)

I bought a box of these while in KC at the Litto Gomez event at the Outlaw (for Eric's Bachelor Party!). Here's a photo of the band-notice the dark colored Oscuro wrapper and cute little pig tail cap.

Notice LFD's new band-heavy on the black and dark red (used to have a lot of pink in it with some flowers). I like the new band but prefer the old one. Maybe the new one is supposed to warn people to watch out: some of the LFD stogies pack a punch!

Here's some "sales talk" I found online at a vendor's site:

With a pungent aroma, and very spicy on the palate, this full bodied La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Churchill Especiales is meticulously handcrafted with powerful ligero fillers and with a rich-tasting, Ecuadorian sun grown Oscuro wrapper. Like the regular La Flor Dominicana cigars, this selection is considered to be among some of the finest cigars made in the Dominican Republic.

When I pulled this bad boy out of the box, I immediately had a flash back to Eric's Bachelor Party, where Kent, Eric, Brad, Scott and I all enjoyed some great smokes. Good times!

The stogie is dark and alluring and has a tart prelight aroma. I had some trouble getting it to take the flame but once it was lit, it gave off a pleasant chalky flavor with some pepper and tart cherrys. The aroma was pleasant, as with most La Flor Dominicana's, and is one of the main reasons I keep coming back to them.

The stogie's flavor was consistent (and enjoyable!) the whole ride. By the end, the nicotine hit was noticable-and I remembered that it was a Litto "double ligero"-had forgotten the power on these guys.

Overall, I'd rate this stick a solid 3 on my four point scale. I would avoid it if you prefer mild cigars (it is medium to full flavored and full bodied).




Here I am enjoying the last bit of it.



...And here I am with Anne-Marie in our Halloween costumes. I'm a (software) pirate and Anne-Marie is, of course, Wonder Woman!

Veteran's Day Update

Man it's been busy!

I've got the day off and somehow I ended up working all morning, fixing computers, paying bills, running kids around, the whole deal). Luckily, I have carved out an hour or so and grabbed up one of my favorite cigars (Coronado in the toro size) and figured I'd kick it and watch a few episodes of The Dollhouse, Season 1.

I could review this stogie but I've done it before-I can already tell you that I'm going to love it. We'll see how the Dollhouse goes.


Have a good Veteran's Day-"Smoke'm if you gott'em!"