Black Market is the outcome of a year-long labor of love by Alan Rubin. It was launched in 2011 at the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers (IPCPR) Trade Show and is the third cigar Rubin smoked from a line of 18 blends. 

The idea was to share the unique flavor of Panamanian tobacco with the world. According to Alan Rubin, the moment he smoked it, he knew it was Black Market and after naming it so, he ensured the box design was “crate like” so as to fit the ‘illicit’ narrative. 

Contrary to its contraband evoking name and packaging, Black Market is a luxury cigar with a medium body made from aged tobacco. It definitely delivers the superior quality the world has come to expect of Alec Bradley cigars. A strong indicator of this is the fact that the Black Market was the bestselling cigar brand in  Alec Bradley in 2021. 

The Black Market Brand

The Black Market brand has enjoyed numerous additions over the years. The original Black Market cigars are enrobed in a dark glossy Nicaraguan wrapper. Polished to an almost shimmery sheen, the fillers are from small yield farms in Honduras and Panama while the binder is Sumatran. Sweet and spicy notes of red pepper, nutmeg, cloves, rich and creamy dark chocolate, cedar, and leather showup all over this smoke.

In addition to this stick, there are special releases including Black Market Esteli, Black Market Churchill, Black Market Illicit, Black Market Filthy Hooligan, and Black Market Filthy Hooligan Shamrock. 

Some of these are limited releases while others began as special releases that went on to become regular production stogies.

The signature Black Market cigar look comes with two bands; one huge band (tube) covering over half the length of the shaft and another standard size. Only Filthy Hooligan and Shamrock are different with their exquisite barber pole wrappers and standard bands. 

Black Market vitolas include;

• Black Market Churchill (7x50)

• Black Market Robusto (5.25x 52)

• Black Market Toro (6x50)

• Black Market Torpedo (6.125x54)

• Black Market Gordo (6x60)

• Black Market Punk (4.5x42) Petite Corona

• Black Market Chunk (4x60) exclusive to Canada

About the company

The Alec Bradley Cigars Company is a handmade cigar company founded in 1996 by Alan Rubin. Armed with money from the sale of his father’s hardware business, Rubin decided to follow in his father’s entrepreneurial footsteps but try a different industry. He named his company Alec Bradley after his two sons and over 25 years later, the company boasts over 30 highly rated cigar brands.  

About the blender Alan Rubin 

Alan Rubin sold a prosperous business to enter the cigar industry. He aspires to always give smokers an unforgettable experience and “make cigars that people can enjoy”. His passion for cigars was inherited by his sons, Alec and Bradley, who now work in the company and have blended their own brand lines.