Alan Ruben Interview - Alec Bradley Cigars

Interview with Alan Ruben, Presidente of Alec Bradley Cigar Corporation. Alan is the force behind the creation and developement of the famous Tempus Cigar, winner of Cigar of the Year by Cigar Aficianado Magazine. Under Alan's leadership, Alec Bradley has awarded high ratings for several of its popular brands, the Maxx, theTrilogy and lately a rare 94, again for their flagship Tempus. We sat down for some talk and a smoke with Alan, to contemplate his recent accomplishments anda look into the future of Alec Bradley cigars. Mike's carries an extensive line of premium Alec Bradley cigar brands including: Maxx Cigars, Occidental Cigars, Tempus brand and Trilogy.

Q. What do you feel are the main ingredients behind the success of Alec Bradley?
<>A. … I think there are many factors that have contributed to our growth and success; first and foremost, we listen. The market has been very clear in directing us as to what our new lines should look and taste like. For example, when the market was looking for larger ring gauges, we developed Maxx. In addition, our Tempus line seems to be satisfying the needs of today’s consumers who are looking for a very complex and balanced cigar with a high level of smoking satisfaction. Some of the other factors that have contributed to our growth come from the philosophies that we’ve been living by from the day we opened our doors. One, is that an Alec Bradley cigar must be a value regardless of price, and two, we always want to be a part of the best hour of your day, and relaxing with a cigar always seems to be the best hour to hour and a half of the day.

We’re sitting with in the overcrowded offices of Alec Bradley in Dania Florida, a stone throw from Fort Lauderdale International Airport and major hub of Federal Express. UPS is shipping numerous cigar cases of ABC (Alec Bradley Cigars) all over the country, as well as countless boxes to our customers, every day. Alan lights a newly developed ABC cigar, it is the new Alec Bradley Select Cabinet Reserve.
Q. Can you tell us about your new cigar?
A. … I was working on developing a line that had a very traditional Cuban flavor, and after ten months of blending and tweaking, we hit on our SCR blend about six months ago. We’ve been slowly letting these cigars rest over the last several months and we’ll be releasing this line this spring. You’re actually smoking a finished sample that we pulled out of the aging room. Once a month I have some sent in for me to smoke.

We light our own.. it is certainly a remarkable smoke..
Q. What trends do you see in the cigar industry in the coming future?
A. … As cigar smokers continue to get educated, and people’s palates continue to develop, cigar enthusiasts will want higher levels of satisfaction. It’s going to take some creativity to come up with the next great cigar, which is why we’re working on new blends, with types of premium tobacco that are not yet on the market. I can tell you that we will be releasing a line later this year using a wrapper that is not currently in the US market.
Q. What are your thoughts on the recent talks of lifting the Cuban Embargo?
A. … I think the embargo will be lifted and there will be a great resurgence of interest in our industry again from the general population.
Q. And finally what else can we expect from Alec Bradley in the coming future?
A. … You’re going to see four to five new lines coming into the market in 2009 from Alec Bradley. We’ve been working on these new lines for well over a year, and fortunately or unfortunately, they all seem like they’ll be ready for release within the next six months. We weren’t trying to release all those lines so close together, but when they’re smoking perfectly, and ready to ship, we’re going to hit the floor running. I think the ride we’re on right now is only going to get more exciting.