September will soon be upon us, officially ending the summer of 2021. What a summer it has been! After the unending torrent of suffering that was 2020, 2021 finally offered the opportunity to go outside and enjoy the sunshine without fear of disease, murder hornets, or being bombarded with political ads.
As any aficionado knows, summer offers the perfect opportunity to take in the majesty of nature while also taking in the debatably greater majesty of a prime stogie. But which will you smoke? That’s the type of dilemma you want to have. Everyone has their own preferences, but we believe we’ve simplified the process. After sampling a bevy of premium smoke (God I love this job!) were proud to declare the Alec Bradley Gatekeeper as our Cigar of the Summer.
Fans of premium smokes will no doubt remember that the Alec Bradley Gatekeeper was rated #7 on Cigar Aficionado’s top 25 of the year, with the respected publication writing “When Rubin brothers Alec and Bradley decided to follow in their father’s footsteps and start making cigars of their own, we were admittedly a little skeptical. But here we are with the Alec & Bradley Gatekeeper Robusto making an auspicious appearance on our list at No. 7—not too bad for a couple of blending rookies. Then again, they did get a little help from industry veteran Ernesto Perez-Carrillo who makes the cigar in the Dominican Republic. Ultimately, the Gatekeeper is a collaboration between Perez-Carrillo and the young Rubins.
The project gave Alec and Bradley the opportunity to not only learn from Perez-Carrillo but to gain some experience with Dominican tobacco. “We are a part of the next generation of the premium cigar business,” says Bradley, “and Ernesto is a legend.”
The Gatekeeper finds synergy and balance with its backbone of pepper (both red and black), nougat, and caramel that’s spicy in the right places, sweet in the right places, and pops with savory snaps of leather.
The band depicts the mythical head of Medusa, which is part of the famous bronze statue Perseus With the Head of Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini. We’re not exactly sure how that ties into the cigar or the story behind it, but we know that this collaboration points to an encouraging future in the business for the brothers Rubin.”
What more can be said about this exemplary cigar? The only thing left is to spark it up, take a draw, and let its flavors take you away.
Looking where to buy cigars? Mike’s delivers near and far!
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