Alec Bradley Chunk Shade cigars are made in Honduras with a Honduran Connecticut wrapper, U.S. Broadleaf binder, and a blend of filler tobaccos from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Dominican Republic. These cigars became available in July 2025 in three short and stout sizes:
- XL (4 x 60) - $5.99
- 3XL (4 x 66) - $7.69
- 4XL (4 x 80) - $8.49
This is a review of the XL size. For more information about these cigars, please check out the press release.
Although I am not a big fan of short stubby cigars, I did enjoy the Chunk Maduro Cigars that were released back in October 2024, only because I really liked their flavor. Unfortunately, the Shade version in this review failed to measure up.
For having such a large ring gauge, the first sample Alec Bradley Chunk Shade XL cigar was relatively easy to light with my four jet flame torch lighter. However, the cigar began with a tangy sour flavor that remained predominant throughout the smoking session. After 15 minutes, I ashed the cigar for the first time, and although the taste became slightly less tangy and sour by this point, any other flavors that might have been present were completely subjugated. I continued smoking the sample for another 15 minutes, then
the ash fell off by itself. Five minutes later, the cigar then went out by itself.
As far as construction, the sample cigar was well made and had a very good draw that delivered a nice
volume of smoke. The burn was mostly even and no relights nor touch-ups were needed. It took me 35
minutes to smoke down to 1½ inches remaining.
The sample Alec Bradley Chunk Shade XL cigars spent 2½ weeks in my humidor before the first one was smoked for this review. Apparently
they needed more time. Therefore, no rating will be given until additional cigars are sampled. Please revisit this review later, after it has been updated.
CHUNK SHADE UPDATE:
After spending a couple of additional months in the humidor, another sample Alec Bradley Chunk Shade cigar has now been reviewed. The extra aging made a big difference. Although the flavor significantly improved, it still did not compare to the Maduro version. The smoke was still mild-to-medium bodied and smooth. The flavor was a mix of lightly toasted white bread and hay, which was accompanied by a brief and very faint hint of citrus near the start of the smoking session. The taste wasn't bad but nothing special, and somewhat bland in comparison to the Chunk Maduro. However, the cigar's short-stubby size is what "largely" distinguishes it from most other Connecticut cigars, but I'm just not a big fan of that size.
This time around, the sample Alec Bradley Chunk Shade cigar took me 40 minutes to smoke down to 1½ inches remaining when it went out by itself. The cigar had a very good draw, maintained an even burn and held a long ash. No relights were needed, but a minor touch-up was applied at the 25-minute mark when I also removed the band and ashed the cigar for the first and only time. In conclusion and only after more aging, the Alec Bradley Chunk Shade cigar now deserves a decent and near-average rating of 3.25 points on a 5-point scale.
Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer.
