📰 Alec Bradley Fine & Rare ANB-228 Arrives

The 2025 Alec Bradley Fine & Rare cigar, officially dubbed the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare ANB-228, is set to begin shipping to stores on Monday, November 3. While the core concept of complexity remains, this edition features a notable change in packaging.

Key Details & Blend

Following a tradition that began in 2011, the 7 x 50 Churchill size cigar utilizes ten different types of tobacco—one wrapper, two binders, and seven fillers—making for a highly complex blend.

• Wrapper: Trojes, Honduras

• Binders: One from Trojes, Honduras, and one from Estelí, Nicaragua.

• Seven Fillers:

  • Criollo (Dominican Republic)

  • Jamastran (Honduras)

  • Jamastran (Honduras)

  • Jalapa (Nicaragua)

  • Mexico San Andrés

  • Nicaragua (Estelí)

  • Nicaragua (Jalapa)

The cigar is made, as always, at Raíces Cubanas in Honduras.

Pricing and Availability

The Alec Bradley Fine & Rare ANB-228 has a suggested retail price (MSRP) of $19.99 per cigar.

Only 1,500 boxes of this limited release will be made available to American brick-and-mortar retailers.

Packaging Update & Brand Statement

While the blending process is meticulous, the most significant change this year is the packaging. Since Scandinavian Tobacco Group acquired Alec Bradley in early 2023, the brand has updated the boxes dramatically. Earlier releases used wide boxes that held ten cigars horizontally in two groups of five, each secured by its own wooden holder. The new boxes feature a much more standard look, though the bands are similar with updated Alec Bradley branding.

Bradley Rubin, brand ambassador for Alec Bradley, expressed enthusiasm for the release:

“We are delighted with the newest version of the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare series... After extensive testing of aged tobaccos and a meticulous blending process, we feel confident that Fine & Rare ANB-228 is one of the most luxurious and rewarding cigars we’ve ever produced with the talented artisans of Raíces Cubanas.”

The Fine & Rare series was initially created in 2011 to push the boundaries of cigar blending by using over double the typical number of tobaccos in a single cigar.

The Alec Bradley Fine & Rare series has a fascinating history rooted in pushing the boundaries of cigar blending.

🕰️ History of the Fine & Rare Series

The Fine & Rare project began in 2011 as an ambitious and highly specialized effort by Alec Bradley's founder, Alan Rubin.

The Core Concept: Ten Tobaccos

• Boundary Pushing: The defining characteristic of the Fine & Rare series is the use of ten different types of tobacco in a single cigar—one wrapper, two binders, and seven fillers. This is more than double the typical number of leaves used in a premium cigar blend, making it an exercise in extreme complexity and balance.

• The Blend Dictates the Shape: Alan Rubin's original ambition was that the blend itself (the selection and combination of the ten tobaccos) would dictate the final size and shape of the cigar for that year, rather than starting with a predetermined vitola.

• Artisan Craftsmanship: Due to the complexity of the blend, the cigars are entrusted only to the most experienced master artisans at the Raíces Cubanas factory in Honduras. Each cigar band is often massive and complex, sometimes even bearing the signatures of the roller, buncher, and executives.

Annual Limited Editions

• Vintage-Dated: Since its debut, Fine & Rare has been an annual, limited-edition release, with the blend changing every year, similar to a vintage wine. This ensures that each edition is unique and highly collectible.

• Naming Convention: Each annual release is designated by a specific code name (e.g., the original 2011 release was the HJ10-i, and the newest is the ANB-228).

📜 Selected Previous Releases

While the blend and size are unique each year, all releases follow the ten-tobacco formula and are produced at Raíces Cubanas. Production is always extremely limited, often around 1,500 to 2,500 boxes worldwide.

The series remains a showcase for the most complex blending skills and is highly sought after by collectors.