A Brief Cigar Review - Alec Bradley Tempus Nicaragua

The Alec Bradley Tempus is a middle of the road priced cigar at around $7.00.  It has received pretty good ratings, so I thought I would try it and give you my perspective.

Wrapper:  Nicaragua (Jalapa)
Binder:   Nicaragua
Filler:   Nicaragua (Condega, Estelí & Jalapa)  
Size:  Robusto (5 x 52) 

Inspecting the cigar thoroughly, it seems like it is going to be stout in flavor and strength.  The Tempus is nicely constructed, it is smooth with minimal veins.  I took a punch cutter to it and the draw tested out a little snug.  A couple of pokes with my pipe skewer opened it up nicely.  The cold draw provides some cocoa, earth, and a little spice.  The aroma is pleasant.

The first third or so of the Alec Bradley Tempus provides a deep dark espresso note, along with graham cracker and black pepper.  The smoke is thick however not super cloudy.  There is something about this flavor profile that is a little boring to me.

About halfway in, even darker notes start to appear.  Once you get past the espresso nuance, it seems that the only thing left is tar, and that is never a good flavor note.  The Tempus is bordering that fine line, with some other notes going on, but they are to far in the background.  The dark flavors are like that person in a small group of friends who is the only one talking, and very loudly.  There is no balance here.  

The cigar isn't horrible, there are some mellow earth tones and a little pepper, but it is unbalanced.  It also isn't green or unaged tasting, that is a plus.  It perhaps may appeal to someone who likes very dark nicotine tasting cigars. I prefer something with more balance and complexity, versus one-dimensional boredom.  Overall I rate the Alec Bradley Tempus Nicaragua a 5 out of 10.