Alec Bradley

Black Market Esteli

Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli is a medium-full strength cigar made in Nicaragua at Plasencia Cigars. It pairs Nicaraguan wrapper; Nicaraguan and Honduran (double binder) binder; Nicaraguan filler. The catalog lists 8 sizes, from 5 × 52 to 7 × 50.

Maker: Alec Bradley
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan and Honduran (double binder)
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country: Nicaragua
Factory: Plasencia Cigars
Strength: medium-full
Sizes: 8 · 5 × 52 to 7 × 50

Blend details are claims from manufacturer and trade sources. Blends can change between releases.

What it tastes like

what the wrapper usually brings

CigarMind has no sourced tasting notes for Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli yet.

How to smoke it

rules of thumb

Time: plan on about 1 hour to 1 h 30 min for a 6-inch size.
When: Medium to full: best after a meal, when you can give it your attention.
Pace: about a puff a minute keeps it cool and lets the flavors change from third to third. Do not inhale.
Before lighting: cut just above the cap line, toast the foot evenly, and take a cold draw to check it.

How to cut a cigarWhere the cap line is, and which cut suits this size›How to light a cigarToast the foot for an even burn, with a guided timer›

Smoke Born of Volcanoes: Why Nicaraguan Cigars Taste Like Their DirtThe boldest tobacco in the Americas grows in ash that used to be a mountain.›The Secret Math on Your Cigar: What 52 Really MeansThe numbers on a vitola are a fraction in disguise, and they quietly predict how your cigar will taste.›Your New Cigars Are Sick. Rest Will Cure Them.The trade has a name for a freshly rolled cigar's rough early months, and it is not a metaphor.›Canoes, Tunnels, and Other Ways a Wet Cigar MisbehavesMost burn problems are not the cigar's fault. They are your humidor's.›Lounge Rules Nobody Hands You at the DoorThe etiquette of the cigar lounge, translated for the newly initiated.›

Sizes

8 in the catalog

Churchill7 × 50 · Nicaraguan›Robusto5 × 52 · Nicaraguan›Robusto5 × 52 · Nicaragua›Toro6 × 52 · Nicaraguan›Toro6 × 52 · Nicaragua›Torpedo6 × 52 · Nicaragua›Torpedo6½ × 52 · Nicaraguan›Gordo6 × 60 · Nicaraguan›

What to try next

matched on wrapper, strength, origin, factory

A step milder: Alec Bradley Nica Puromedium · Nicaraguan Habano›A step fuller: Alec Bradley Prensadofull · Honduran Corojo 2006 (Trojes)›Plasencia Alma FuerteWhy: medium-full strength, made in Nicaragua, same factory›CAO NicaraguaWhy: medium-full strength, made in Nicaragua, same factory›Nat Sherman PanamericanaWhy: medium-full strength, made in Nicaragua, same factory›Crux Cigars LimitadaWhy: medium-full strength, made in Nicaragua, same factory›Montecristo EspadaWhy: medium-full strength, made in Nicaragua, same factory›Toraño Vault A-008Why: medium-full strength, made in Nicaragua, same factory›

From the desk

reads and news on Alec Bradley

Lars Tetens, the Man Who Conditioned a Category, Has DiedRead · 2026-09-22 · He rolled his own cigars in the early 1980s and sold them in plastic bags. By the boom years his name was synonymous with flavored premium tobacco, and the debate he started never really ended.›Seven Hundred Fifty Cigars, One Price Increase, and a Tariff Bill That Keeps GrowingRead · 2026-08-20 · Scandinavian Tobacco Group raised prices across nearly 750 SKUs on August 3, the broadest single-day hike in recent memory. The increase hits Alec Bradley, CAO, Macanudo, Cohiba, and half a dozen other brands. But the wholesale bump is only half the story. A separate import charge, tied to tariffs, climbed from 6 to 7 percent the same day, meaning even cigars whose base price did not change now cost retailers more.›When the Factory Becomes the Brand: Raices Cubanas Steps Into the LightRead · 2026-07-21 · For years the name on the rolling room wall appeared only in small print on cigar bands. Now the Honduran factory behind other people's trophies is putting its own name on the box.›Alec Bradley's Chunk Line Goes Sumatra, Stays Under $10News · 2026-09-26 · The Chunk series keeps growing, and growing is the right word.›Alec Bradley Tenth Uncut Pairing Bets on Bottled-in-Bond BourbonNews · 2026-09-14 · The tenth release in Alec Bradley's Uncut pairing series is built around the brand's Thirty Years anniversary cigar, matched with a seven-year-old Heaven Hill…›Lars Tetens, the Original Cigar Infuser, Has DiedNews · 2026-09-04 · Lars Tetens, the man who built an empire on what he insisted on calling conditioned cigars rather than flavored ones, died this week after battling heart…›

Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli questions

How strong is Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli?

Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli is listed as medium-full strength. Medium to full: best after a meal, when you can give it your attention.

Is Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli good for beginners?

It is a stronger cigar. Most newer smokers are better served starting milder and working up to it. Smoke it slowly, a puff a minute or so, and do not inhale.

Where is Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli made?

Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli is made in Nicaragua at Plasencia Cigars, according to manufacturer and trade sources.

What wrapper does Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli use?

Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli uses a Nicaraguan wrapper over a Nicaraguan and Honduran (double binder) binder, with Nicaraguan filler. Blends can change between releases, so check the band year if it matters to you.

What sizes does Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli come in?

The CigarMind catalog lists 8 sizes: Churchill (7 × 50), Robusto (5 × 52), Robusto (5 × 52), Toro (6 × 52), Toro (6 × 52), Torpedo (6 × 52), Torpedo (6½ × 52) and Gordo (6 × 60). Each size has its own page with the full blend.

How long does it take to smoke Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli?

For a 6-inch size, plan on about 1 hour to 1 h 30 min. That is a rule of thumb of 10 to 15 minutes per inch at a relaxed pace, a puff about once a minute.

What cigars are similar to Alec Bradley Black Market Esteli?

Cigars with a similar build include Plasencia Alma Fuerte, CAO Nicaragua and Nat Sherman Panamericana. They share medium-full strength, made in Nicaragua, same factory. Similarity here is by wrapper, strength, origin and factory, not by a tasting panel.

Smoking one?

Scan the band and log itRecord your own notes by third; your Palate DNA learns from them›Every Alec Bradley line›