Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli Torpedo - Box of 24

Black Market Estelí isn't just another size in the Black Market family. It's a genuine reinvention. Announced at the 2017 IPCPR and shipping to retailers that October, this line takes the original four-country blend that made Black Market a fan favorite, tears out the Panamanian filler that defined it, and rebuilds the whole thing around Nicaraguan tobacco instead. Founder Alan Rubin described it directly: this line has a similar feel to its namesake, but the flavor and experience are completely unique, Estelí is the mecca of Nicaraguan cigars, and this line represents exactly what that city is about.

The Torpedo, at 6.5 x 52, wraps a nearly maduro Nicaraguan leaf, box-pressed with a noticeable give when squeezed, around a double binder combining Nicaraguan and Honduran tobacco, with an all-Nicaraguan filler underneath. It's handmade at Plasencia Cigars S.A., right in Estelí itself, a different factory entirely from the original Black Market's Honduran production. The cigar arrives with an unusual presentation, an oversized paper sleeve covering nearly two-thirds of the stick, playing into the smuggled-goods theme the entire Black Market concept is built around.

Cigar Aficionado named this Torpedo to its Top 25 Cigars of 2018, describing it as earthy and leathery with sweet, concentrated undertones of raisins and cocoa, delivered through a flawless draw that carries a weighty, substantial smoke to the palate. Independent reviewers describe a similar arc: rich chocolate, coffee, and hay notes early on, building through the second third into a genuinely intense final stretch where licorice moves to the front, followed by root beer, and a chocolate finish that lingers remarkably long. One reviewer, admittedly skeptical going in, described the overall effect as tasting like vanilla beans boiled in molasses, medium in strength throughout but intensely strong in both flavor and body. The only real complaint across multiple reviews is a snugging draw that sometimes calls for touch-ups, a minor tradeoff for a cigar more than one longtime skeptic has called the release that finally made them a believer in the brand.

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Flavor progression:

1. Opening: cedar, earth, and leather aromas from the wrapper, with cashews, dark chocolate, cloves, and a vanilla sweetness on the cold draw
2. Mid-smoke: rich chocolate, coffee, and hay build steadily, bittersweet cocoa and peppery spice deepening alongside citrus zest and oak
3. Close: licorice moves to the front with root beer following, resolving into a long, lingering chocolate finish that carries well past the final draw

Key Features:

1. Brand: Alec Bradley
2. Line: Black Market Estelí
3. Release: October 2017, announced at 2017 IPCPR
4. Recognition: Top 25 Cigars of 2018, Cigar Aficionado
5. Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A., Estelí, Nicaragua
6. Country of Origin: Nicaragua
7. Wrapper: Nicaraguan (near-maduro, box-pressed)
8. Binder: Double binder, Nicaraguan and Honduran
9. Filler: Nicaraguan
10. Construction: Handmade, box-pressed
11. Vitola: Torpedo
12. Size: 6½ inches x 52 ring gauge
13. Strength: Medium to Full
14. Flavor Profile: Earth, leather, raisins, cocoa, cedar, chocolate, peppery spice, citrus zest, oak, licorice, root beer
15. Box Count: 24 cigars
16. Price per Cigar: approximately $8.75