Alec Bradley Medalist Robusto - Box of 24

The most compact format in Alan Rubin's tribute to Alec Bradley's mild-cigar origins. At 5 x 52, the Medalist Robusto delivers the same smooth, deceptively substantial blend found across the line in the most practical, everyday time commitment the collection offers.

The construction stays consistent across every Medalist vitola: a shade-grown Honduran wrapper with a sun-dried golden raisin appearance and a genuine oily sheen, layered over a Honduran binder and filler tobacco drawn from Nicaragua and Honduras. Made at Tabacos de Oriente, the Robusto carries the same underlying purpose Rubin built the entire line around when he released it in 2018, a return to smoother, more approachable cigars for smokers who had drifted away from Alec Bradley as the brand became known for bolder blends.

A dedicated blind panel review of this specific size offers a useful window into what the Robusto delivers on its own terms. There's a genuine sweetness when smelling the wrapper, growing even stronger at the foot, and while that sweetness mutes somewhat once the cap is clipped, a medium-strength white pepper appears on the retrohale almost immediately, with Sumatran coffee and cream notes showing up right on the draw. The second third has been specifically singled out as the most rewarding stretch, where graham cracker sweetness holds steady and the flavor complexity peaks before the smoke settles into its final act. As with the Toro, this cigar rewards a certain expectation-check: the light, shade-grown wrapper suggests something genuinely mild, but the pepper and body that show up along the way confirm this is a fuller smoke than its appearance lets on.

Browse the full premium cigar selection at Smokenza or explore all tobacco products in the catalog.

Flavor progression:

1. Opening: a noticeable sweetness on the wrapper and foot, muting slightly after the cap is clipped, with medium-strength white pepper and Sumatran coffee and cream on the first draws
2. Mid-smoke: graham cracker sweetness holds steady through the second third, with additional complexity building alongside the coffee and cream character
3. Close: the pepper and body settle into a rounded finish, the cigar's fuller-than-expected strength most apparent by this stage

Key Features:

1. Brand: Alec Bradley
2. Line: Medalist
3. Release: April 2018
4. Concept: A return to Alan Rubin's early mild-cigar roots, aimed at reconnecting with smokers who prefer smoother blends
5. Blender: Alan Rubin, founder of Alec Bradley
6. Factory: Tabacos de Oriente, Honduras
7. Country of Origin: Honduras
8. Wrapper: Honduran, shade-grown
9. Binder: Honduras
10. Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras
11. Construction: Handmade
12. Vitola: Robusto
13. Size: 5 inches x 52 ring gauge
14. Strength: Medium-Plus
15. Flavor Profile: Cream, coffee, white pepper, graham cracker, cedar, sweetness
16. Box Count: 24 cigars
17. Price per Cigar: approximately $6.00