ASHES TO ASHES

Ashes-to-Ashes | An interview with Alan Rubin of Alec Bradley Cigars

This month, we speak to one of the most innovative young mavericks in the cigar industry, Alan Rubin of Alec Bradley Cigars. I first met Alan in 2002 at the RTDA show in Las Vegas, and I instinctively knew there was talent brewing in his booth. Starting in 1997, Alan has built his company from the ground up at a slow and steady pace. Between having a remarkable palate, keen business skills, and learning from some of the world's best cigar blenders, he has helped create some of the finest premium cigars in the industry. From his first premium cigar line, Occidental Reserve, to Tempus, his company's new flagship cigar, Alec Bradley is a name to be reckoned with. - Gary Korb

What was the first premium cigar you ever smoked, and how was it?
A.R.: I was 22 and my first cigar was a Dominican Partagas, followed by a Cuban Partagas. I was hooked on cigars from that point forward.

1997 was a funky year to enter the cigar business. How were you able to get started amid all of the cigar boom brands that had flooded the market?
A.R:  I started by placing cigars on golf courses and that put me in front of a captive audience.  I wasn't making money, but I was surviving. I remember going to the local country clubs and having to put the courses price stickers on each cigar when I arrived.  The only way I could continue to stay in business was by offering a higher level of customer service.

In terms of how you market your cigars, who is the Alec Bradley cigar smoker?
A.R: Because we have a wide variety of brands in our portfolio, we don't really cater to one type of smoker.  For example, our Spirit of Cuba line is what we call our transition cigar. This is a lower priced cigar meant to transition mass market smokers into hand made cigars. This cigar is for the price conscious smoker. Maxx cigars are more for the younger generation who wants bigger ring gauges and a lot of flavor. The Maxx Freak is a 6-3/8 x 60 and the entire line is very complex. Our new Alec Bradley Tempus cigars line, is for the enthusiast who wants it all, waves of flavor and complexity combined with subtle strength.

Since you do not own your own factory, do you feel like you might have more control over your product if you did? And do you think it would make a difference if the boxes were labeled "Tabacalera Alec Bradley?"
A.R: Although we don't own a factory at this time, that may change in the future.  Right now our growth has been fueled by our ability to produce the best cigars from all three major cigar producing countries: The Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In my experience, every factory has a certain style, and to ask a factory who makes a great Cameroon cigar to produce a Cuban styled, full-bodied blend may take them out of their comfort zone.  In addition, it will take them a lot more time to learn and understand a new tobacco

Because we are very strict and exacting on our standards, one of my responsibilities is to identify the factories that can give us the right product for the right project. As for "Tabacalera Alec Bradley" we are so involved in each step of the process, from blending and leaf fermentation, to how the leaves are placed when constructing the bunches, to our draw standards, we create an atmosphere of having an Alec Bradley factory within a factory.   

When we first met, you were promoting your three-sided Trilogy selection. It must have been very risky. What motivated you to develop such an ambitious cigar line?
A.R:  It was risky, but we blended three great blends and had only one idea for a brand, so I had to get creative. As for the "Trilogy Press," I always liked blending with many tobaccos to create complexity, and I couldn't achieve the blends I wanted with any size smaller than a 50 ring.  At the same time, I really enjoyed smoking 46 ring cigars, so I wanted to develop a way to make a 50 ring feel and smoke like a 46. Everyone in my office was against it, but after smoking the samples I pressed myself, everyone really enjoyed the feel and comfort of the triangle press.
 
With regard to Maxx, what compelled you market an all wide ring cigar series? And what was the inspiration for the names you gave to the frontmarks?
A.R: At the time Maxx was developed, we had no large ring gauge cigars in our portfolio.  We felt the market was looking for larger cigars and we had an opportunity to be successful in that category. We had a great blend that was presented to us in a 52 ring and over the next several months we tweaked and toyed with the blend to create the Maxx line.

As for the names, each of the names came from smoking the cigars with my partner and our vice president, Ralph Montero, and talking about the size. For example, "The Fix" is a 5 x 58 for when you want your cigar fix. "The Culture" is a 6-1/2 x 54 designed more for the standard cigar smoking culture.  "The Curve" is our only shaped cigar in the line, "The Freak" is a 6-3/8 x 60 and "The Ego" is a 9-1/4 x 50 and those sizes generally don't need much of an explanation (smiles). The "Nano" is the smallest cigar in the line, and "The Vice" s our only box pressed cigar in the line. So they all really do have a meaning; it just depends on the smoker's preference and personality.

Starting with your Medalist cigars in 2005, then Maxx in 2006, and now the new Tempus line; there appears to be a pattern in terms of each blend being more full-flavored and complex than the one before. Is it about adapting to the market or about being able to keep topping yourself?
A.R: Both, I'd be silly to say that we don't keep our eyes and ears open to what the market is asking for, but I don't develop lines just to meet market demands.  What I mean is that each of our brand concepts are created around the cigar first. I don't create packaging, and names and then figure out what cigar will fit the concept. I work endlessly to create new exciting blends but when that one special blend comes along, I know it. Once that happens I start creating a packaging concept inspired by smoking that cigar. 

What does Tempus represent to you in terms of where your company is headed?
A.R: Everyday in the cigar business is a day to learn. Tempus is about taking what I have learned over the last decade and bringing it together in this creation. Tempus is a new beginning for our company and our first cigar line displaying Alec Bradley as the frontmark. If you look at the Tempus line, the names of our cigars are "Genesis," "Terra Novo," "Creo," "Centuria," and "Imperator." Genesis is for a new beginning, Terra Novo is Latin for New Earth, representing the small farm in which the wrapper was grown. Creo is to create, Centuria, and Imperator, is century and leader, and that tells a story in itself.

Make no mistake about it, we want to be a leader in this industry. As a company, we are just hitting our stride, and I looking forward to many great things to come for our company.  We have many fantastic customers who are loyal to us, and we strive to better, not only for us, but them as well. £ 

You can view this article at www.cigaradvisor.com.