Stogie Reviews: Alec Bradley Maxx The Fix

4 Mar 2008

maxx In all honesty, I’ve pulled fewer sticks from the humidor with lower expectations. The combination of a silly name and a girth that seems more appropriate for a billy club isn’t what I look for in a cigar.

On the other hand, I have read and heard good things about this line. So, with some serious reading to do, I thought I’d give the Maxx a try.

I got the five inch by 58 ring gauge “The Fix” at the 2007 Cigar Artisans a couple of months ago. According to Alec Bradley’s website, the blend is a complex one. The wrapper is a lovely Nicaraguan Habano; the binder from Costa Rica; and the filler is a four-nation mix from Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Honduras.

I’ve seen different listings for the single stick price. Some sources put it at $4.75, others at $5. Boxes of 20 appear to run around $90.

Keeping up the theme of honesty, I have to say that the cigar was much better than I anticipated. It took a bit to get it lit, which wasn’t a surprise given the ring size. But it burned evenly through most of the smoke, even though I put it in the ashtray frequently.

The taste was smooth and the draw was fine. While not a particularly complex cigar — not as full-bodied as its advertising touts — it was satisfying, with a nice tobacco taste and touches of sharp cocoa and coffee.

If a large cigar is what you like, I suggest you give the Maxx a try. For me, however, the ring size is just too big to be comfortable and, because of that, I feel I can give it a rating of only three out of five stogies.