Cigar Aficionado

For the first time in the history of the brand, there’s going to be an Alec Bradley made by A.J. Fernandez. It’s called Alec Bradley Kintsugi Wabi Sabi and is a spinoff of the existing Kintsugi line. 

When Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) acquired Alec Bradley Cigar Co. in 2023, all the existing brands came with the sale. Some brands were deleted, others were kept in production. Kintsugi made the cut. The core line is produced in Honduras at the Raices Cubanas factory, but next month, there will be a new limited-edition Kintsugi made in Nicaragua by A.J. Fernandez. While Fernandez makes plenty of cigar lines for STG, Kintsugi Wabi Sabi marks the first time he’s ever made an Alec Bradley. 

Kintsugi Wabi Sabi comes in one size, a Toro measuring 6 inches by 52 ring gauge ($12.49). It’s packaged in 16-count boxes and only 1,500 boxes are being produced. The blend consists of an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper, Mexican binder and Nicaraguan filler. STG describes the strength as being “medium to medium-plus.”

Kintsugi was released in 2020 before Alec Bradley was acquired, and was conceived by Rubin brothers, Alec and Bradley. They were inspired by kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer and highlighting the cracks in gold, resulting in a new form thought to be more beautiful than the original unbroken piece. The brothers also meant the name to serve as a metaphor for the cigar industry, which they felt was fragmented at the time. For Wabi Sabi, the thinking behind the cigar has changed a bit. 

“Wabi Sabi isn’t about flaws,” says Bradley Rubin, brand ambassador for STG. “It’s about honoring the character of the materials and the story they tell. We didn’t set out to chase perfection. We set out to create a cigar with soul, and what we found was something greater than the sum of its parts.”

Kintsugi Wabi Sabi ships to retailers on August 4, and is distributed by STG’s subsidiary Forged Cigar Co.

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