Alec & Bradley Gatekeeper Robusto

Smoked: Alec & Bradley Gatekeeper Robusto

Smoked at: West Chester, Ohio

Alec & Bradley Gatekeeper Robusto is made with Nicaraguan filler and binder and covered in a dark brown Ecuadoran wrapper with some mottling and discoloration. The gray and gold on black primary band depicts Medusa with lettering “Alec & Bradley” and “Gatekeeper.” The gold on black secondary band below simply states “Gatekeeper” on the back – from the Department of Redundancy Department.

Opens with rich chocolate, pepper, spice, and a sweet fruit note And then wood and dry earth take over. These notes overwhelmed the initial flavors for the remainder of the smoke. The cigar tasted dry, in part I believe due to issues with the draw.

Vacuum tight draw that required the Perfect Draw and several toothpick pokes to resist the resistance – not to get too banana republic political, minimal smoke production and the ash fell off in chunks. The draw never loosened up enough to enjoy the smoke. It was like trying to suck oatmeal through a hollow swizzle stick.

As much as I like the Kintsugi, the Gatekeeper left me parched and with little in the way of flavor to report. I find it hard to believe this cigar got a Top 10 ranking when it was released. The best part of this cigar is the look of the primary band. Once lit, it went south in a hurry.