A Tempured Tempus

Alan Rubin, owner of Alec Bradley Cigars, has put the finishing touches on Alec Bradley Special Cabinet Reserve, a premium cigar with a similar but smoother blend than his popular Alec Bradley Tempus, one of Cigar Aficionado Magazine's Top 25 cigars of 2008.

"Tempus has a lot of flavor, and spikes and peaks," said Rubin. "This does not have as many peaks—it's a little more balanced, and a little smoother and a little sweeter."

The SCR, as it's being called, has a blend that looks identical to Tempus: Honduran and Nicaraguan filler, an Indonesian binder and a Honduran wrapper. But the SCR filler blend uses lighter-bodied leaves from the Trojes farm in Honduras. As with the Tempus brand, the cigars are made at Fabrica de Tabacos Raices Cubanas S. de R.L. in Honduras.