Today we are looking at the Magic Toast by Alec Bradley.
The Magic Toast name comes from a memory of Alan Rubin’s. After seeing a “crop beyond belief” they toasted to the future with a “very special whisky” I for one would love to know what that whisky was… but I guess that’s beside the point really. Let’s look at this stick.
| Brand | Alec Bradley |
| Size | Robusto |
| Wrapper | Honduras |
| Binder | Nica/Honduras |
| Filler | Nica/Honduras |
Released officially at IPCPR 2018 the Magic Toast was a ‘Mystery Cigar’ meaning the realise of a cigar was announced but no information as to what it was prior to the event. This is, however, was not actually the first time the stick had been available to the public, having been released as a ‘stealth’ cigar in 2016. – i.e unbranded stick for retailers. So how does it stack up?
| Construction | 9/10 |
| Burn | 10/10 |
| Draw | 8/10 |
| Strength | 7/10 |
| Complexity | 6/10 |
| Flavour | 8/10 |
Construction, Burn and Draw
This cigar is fantastically made. For me it slightly underdraws but the construction and burn are near if not perfect. The wrapper is nice and dark with a small amount of teeth and very little stork.
Strength
Medium to medium-full. It won’t blow your socks off but there is enough there to satisfy.
Complexity
This is where this stick gets the lowest marks from me, it’s by no means dull, but it feels like they were happy with the key flavours and carried them through in a, for lack of a better word, simplistic way. I don’t feel that it has a negative effect on the cigar but if you are looking for deep complexity this isn’t the stick for that.
Flavour
To me, this cigar is Coffee, berries and a hint of earthiness. Good balance throughout with a touch of pepper towards the end of the second third carrying it out to the end.
Overall
I would be more than happy to have a box of these in the humidor. They are a great anytime smoke and from the 5 or so I’ve had are consistent and enjoyable. They are also well priced so are great value for money.
