Stogie Reviews: Alec Bradley Maxx The Freak

8 Oct 2008

maxx This massive cigar with a silly name from Alec Bradley aptly fills the niche for those who want a large stick. Its 60 ring gauge is nearly an inch in diameter and it runs 6 and 3/8 inches from head to foot (even larger than The Fix I reviewed back in March).

I picked one up when I went to a shop recently to watch a little football. It wasn’t a particularly good choice. On the plus side, The Freak burned well, had a good draw, and produced a lot of smoke.

The $5.75 price tag also seemed most reasonable. But a single negative outweighed those points: The cigar is one-dimensional and lasts so long it became boring.

That was somewhat surprising because the filler is a four-country mix of tobacco from Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Honduras, with a Costa Rican binder and a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. I’d rate it as medium in strength with a flavor mostly of tobacco with a hint of leather and earthiness—over and over and over.

This cigar is obviously for those who are into the current trend for big cigars. If that appeals to you and you’re just looking for something to puff for a couple of hours, then The Freak could be your stick. Personally, if I’m going to be so distracted that I assume I’ll barely notice the cigar I’m smoking, I’d rather not smoke.

I certainly wouldn’t call this a bad cigar; it’s just not a cigar I’m particularly interested in smoking again. Putting everything in perspective, I rate the Alec Bradley Maxx The Freak three out of five stogies.