AJ Fernandez

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Blind Review: Cigar Clowns “The Ronald”

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Cigar Clowns “The Ronald”

In 2021, Limited Cigar Association (owned by Privada Cigar Club) released Cigar Clowns “The Ronald.” This toro size cigar recognizes the popular clown Ronald McDonald of the fast food McDonalds chain. Master blender AJ Fernandez created this smoke at his Esteli factory as a Nicaraguan puro. AJ has developed blends for a variety of cigar companies and has a superb reputation as someone that processes and treats tobacco with an expert touch. I’ve smoked many of his cigars which rarely if ever disappoint in taste and quality. Read on for the blind review.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Cigar Clowns “The Ronald”
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
  • Binder: Nicaraguan 
  • Filler: Nicaraguan 
  • Size: 6″ x 50 (Toro)
Cigar Clowns “The Ronald” Review
Cigar Clowns “The Ronald” Review

Blind Review: Cigar Clowns “The Ronald”

Appearance & Construction

There’s an oily sheen to this toothy, milk chocolate colored wrapper. The foot is a bit spongy and as I run my fingers alongside the cigar there are no discerning soft spots. Giving a roll in my palm, the uniformity of the smoke is evident and the quality in construction is there. The accent is the triple cap on the head that makes the cigar more attractive. The foot smells of cocoa bean and rich chocolate.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

A straight cut clips just enough of the head and giving a dry draw, there’s must and some grit from the wrapper. With a cigar taper I toast the foot which burns brightly. Taking a puff, the cigar starts off spicy with some heat and black pepper. The smoke turns up right away and is wafting thick in the air. Taking a retrohale there’s distinct graham cracker and floral notes resonating from my nostrils. The white/gray ash is uneven while I draw slowly. Vanilla and cream counterbalance the strength from the cigar’s full body. 

By midway, I’m picking up burnt almonds with the profile in the medium to full bodied range. On the retrohale there’s notes of tin and copper that is rather displeasing. Another draw yields spiciness that ends a bit harshly. The burn line continues to falter, and the spice turns to cedar with a short finish. I’m currently enjoying the spice and wood notes although I wish the flavors lasted a little longer. With another puff there is serious chocolate coming from the cigar, giving this cigar some sweetness and making the profile more interesting.

Reaching the last third the full strength continues with black pepper interplaying with cocoa and cinnamon. I’m getting sea salt with toasted oats and a full blast of smoke that coats my palate. The finish continues to be short with little left on the tongue as I exhale. There’s a metallic taste with a retrohale and bakers chocolate pushing through that’s becoming bitter. With a final puff the wood and pepper come together to emphasize the strength of this cigar.   

Conclusion

AJ has such a wide variety of blends and styles its hard to nail down where this one fits. Right away there was spice and heat with a full bodied profile. The toast and wood notes evident midway were enjoyable, minus the tin and copper notes on the retrohale which create some bitterness on the short finish. With the exception of the metallic tastes that resonated on the last two thirds of the cigar, this was an enjoyable full bodied smoke. I would recommend picking up one or two and laying them down for a few months and see where The Clown takes you.

Final Rating: 89

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Blind Cigar Review:Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2 Toro

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Trinidad Espiritu No 2 Review

In 2021, two master blenders Rafael Nodal and AJ Fernandez combined their skills to honor the Trinidad cigar brand and the nation of Brazil with the Trinidad Espiritu No. 2. The cigar uses Brazilian and Nicaraguan leaf to capture what they feel is the “spirit” of Brazil. The Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper really stands out with its dark maduro color and bold appearance. Read on to see how this cigar fared in blind review.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2 Toro
  • Wrapper: Brazilian Arapiraca
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan and Brazilian
  • Size:6”x 54 (Toro)
Trinidad Espiritu No 2 Review
Trinidad Espiritu No 2 Review

Blind Review: Trinidad Espiritu No. 2

Appearance and Construction

This toro sports a molted dark maduro wrapper with a few distinct veins along the side. There are some soft spots at the foot and in the middle of the cigar as I give it a squeeze. The foot of the smoke is semi closed with some wrapper leaf covering most though not all of it. Not sure if this was intentional or a quality control issue. While I give it a smell and coax out some flavors there’s faint traces of oak, wine barrel and leather with nothing too pungent lingering.

Taste and Smoke Characteristics

I slice the toro with my Xikar and despite the clean cut a bit of filler tobacco appears loose from the binder. Taking a cold draw there’s oak notes along with pieces of tobacco I must take out of my mouth. With that, I take a torch to the foot of the covered piece and the wrapper takes flame with a gritty start. There’s an intense charred oak flavor that’s overwhelming with earth notes and a short finish. Taking a retrohale I’m getting white pepper and a noticeable minerality that builds in intensity. Despite the flavors coming on strong the cigar is in the medium range at present. Another puff delivers wet stone and earth followed by a sharp finish. There’s a sufficient amount of smoke billowing from the cigar giving off a slight aroma of cocoa with a gray ash and straight burn line.

Working on the midpoint of the smoke I take a long draw that is full of milk chocolate backed by leather and a gritty end on the back palate. There’s a raisinated sweetness that develops with bakers’ chocolate providing a bite on my tongue as swirl the smoke around.  The retrohale is grassy with stale wine attacking my nostrils as the smoke rolls out. The strength is appearing to fade from medium to milder as the flavors get lighter in taste and less distinct. Taking a long draw leather and minerality grips the sides of my mouth which leave it dry. As I release the smoke there’s cedar and white pepper wafting out. The burn line continues to be razor sharp as the wrapper holds on strong.

The cigar is burning faster than before as I am at the final third of the smoke. I’m getting coffee and spice while I take another draw. There’s a rawness on the retrohale that stings my sinus and as I exhale there’s a lingering bitterness.  The medium body that has been prevalent has turned to a fuller profile with a chewy, dense mouthfeel. Taking another puff earth and oak preside with a short mineral finish. The draw has become tighter and there’s a peppery note then ends the cigar as it goes out on its own.

Conclusion

The Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2 Toro started off gritty with notes of charred oak then settled into an earthy, peppery cigar with a sharp minerality. At its best the smoke delivered milk chocolate and a raisinated sweetness that finished with leather and cedar. It maintained a medium body only sparingly switching to a fuller chewy quality. The short finish left me wanting more from this cigar as it delivered some pleasing flavors–they were simply too short in supply. This is not the best from AJ and Raphael however it was a concept I was happy to checkout. This is worth of try if you find it, just nothing I would seek out.

Final Rating: 87

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Blind Review: Diesel Delirium Limited Edition 2020

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It seems like these days there are more limited cigars than you can count (or review!). I could probably smoke “Limited” cigars for an entire year without ever smoking a regular production blend. That said, the limited edition world certainly has its share of hits and misses. For the Diesel Delirium 2020 Limited Edition, General Cigars Brand Manager Justin Andrews and AJ Fernandez teamed up to create this full bodied toro.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Diesel Delirium Limited Edition 2020
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
  • Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: 6” x 52 (Toro)

Appearance & Construction

Reviewing this cigar blind, I see the wrapper is dark. Though this doesn’t always indicate strength, I am anxious to see on what sides of the fence this cigar leans. Besides the color, the wrapper has elongated raised veins. The cigar is slightly soft as I give it a squeeze and there appears to be small nipple or some sort of bump on the cap. I am not sure if this is intentional or poor quality control.

As I smell the foot I’m getting chocolate, vanilla with some earth notes. Let’s light up.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

With my cherry wood Xikar blade I take a slice which cuts a small clip off the head. On the cold draw I get hay and black pepper which comes through rather distinctly. Using my Lamborghini torch I set aflame the foot and get a full blast of black pepper like ground peppercorns right on my tongue. This cigar comes on strong and with another puff there’s leather and earth with spice hitting hard in the back of my throat. I hazard a retrohale and it is spicy and aggressive through the nose. As I exhale, I’m getting  tropical fruits oddly enough with a sweetness on the finish. What began as a powerful full bodied smoke is, at the tail end of the first third, on the medium to full range.          

At midway, I notice the grayish white ash that’s formed is looking a bit shaky. I lay the cigar down for a moment to let it rest and the ash falls right off. As I pick it up and take a draw there’s a sweetness along with spice albeit it rather short lived. Another puff and it’s damp with paper notes around a backlash of earthiness. Taking another retrohale, I get a combination of leather and chocolate which ends bitter as I move it through my sinus and out my mouth.  The full body picks up once again taking a draw that is now more black pepper and leather with cacao coating the palate.  The bitterness lingers which is unpleasant at the moment and another puff delivers spice and lots full tobacco notes.

As I reach the last third of the cigar, there’s cocoa, wood and a hint of licorice that rounds it out.  While the full body seems to overshadow the other flavors, I’m still tasting some glimpses that quickly fade into the background. While I give this smoke another go, black pepper, wood and earth remain the constant. The changes are not great and the cigar continues to come off strong with a solid burn line. I’m getting some leather as I’m drawing with an earthy short finish. In the final puff the pepper is tasting more like white pepper with a bitter finish. \

A full bodied, one dimensional cigar.

Conclusion

I’ve never been wholly impressed with the Diesel brand in any of its incarnations. Although they are quite different than the previous catalog lines, the style seems more strength over nuance. This cigar began as a peppery overload on the palate and even with the sweetness I picked up it was not enough to balance out the smoke. The earth and leather notes added to the strength but lacked structure. The tobacco itself was of good quality, but the blend seemed disjointed.

My opinion: there are full bodied cigars out there with more going on, and though this cigar wasn’t bad it could’ve given more.

Final Rating: 86

Dias de Gloria Double Toro Review

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Dias de Gloria Cigar Review

Up for review today is the Dias de Gloria from AJ Fernandez. I saw a lot of buzz on social media (particularly AJ’s) in the leadup to this release, and given AJ’s penchant for blending truly delightful smokes, I was excited to give the cigar a smoke and review it. As luck would have it, before I was able to purchase the cigar myself, I received it in a monthly batch of smokes from Luxury Cigar Club, a great mail service that delivers a monthly selection of expensive cigars at a very reasonable price.

So let’s get to it.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Dias De Gloria Toro
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: 6×56 Double Toro

Appearance & Construction

At 6 x 56, this Dias de Gloria is a beefy cigar. I’m not usually a fan of such large cigars, but I’ve learned to give Fernandez the benefit of the doubt. The outer Nicaraguan Habano wrapper is smooth and nearly seamless, and it has quite a bit of oil and a smooth texture. Branding-wise, the cigar is beautiful. No expenses were spared on the bands it seems.

Taking a whiff off the foot produces aromas of dry cedar, espresso, white and black pepper, and some natural tobacco notes. Once cut, the draw is perfect, and the cold draw reveals a lot of spice, earth, and wood.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

The Dias de Gloria cigar kicks off in a way that really has me surprised. There are some definite AJ vibes but it’s also got quite a bit of new stuff going on. I’m used to AJs blends straddling the line between sweet, creamy, and bitter flavors (think chocolate, cedar and leather). The Dias de Gloria has chocolate and (lots of) cedar, but it also has a substantial savory edge that adds nice complexity. Flavors include cooking spices (white and red pepper), salted peanuts, perfume and a creamy vegetal note that I’m more used to finding in Quesada blends. The retrohale is aggressive and toasty, with some pepper, vegetal, and mineral notes.

Overall, strength and body are both at medium plus in the first third.

At an inch and a half in, the layered white ash is still holding on, and the burn is flawless. The overall balance shifts slightly toward sweet, with a new brioche-like bread note that morphs quickly into cinnamon cookies.

Into the second third, the Dias de Gloria backs down a bit and lands at medium. Some spice creeps into the palate, and some sweet fruit notes develop as well. The cigar is in good balance, with good complexity, and the burn remains remarkably perfect (something I’ve come to expect from all AJ cigars). Still, I’m finding myself wanting a bit more strength from the flavors. The large ring gauge might be stretching the flavors out a bit, so I’m interested to try a smaller format.

In the final third, the Dias de Gloria picks up again, increasing in strength and producing even more smoke. The cooking spices are back in full force, balanced against notes of fresh bread, powdered sugar, and tangy fruits. A bit of bitterness also shows up near the end and sticks around all the way to the end. Thankfully though, the smoke remains cool and never heats up.

Conclusion

Before lighting up I complained to my wife about how many boring blends I’ve reviewed lately. Thankfully, Dias de Gloria by AJ Fernandez is anything but boring.

It has some very enjoyable moments, mostly in the first third where the strength is highest. Notes of cooking spices, peanuts, cocoa and vegetal play very nicely together, but I think the cigar could do with some more flavor, particularly in the second half of the smoke.  For that reason, the cigar can’t achieve as high of a score as it probably would in a different size.

I’d recommend pursuing this cigar in the short churchill or robusto size.

Final Rating: 86

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San Lotano Dominicano AJ & Joche Review

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San Lotano Dominicano AJ & Joche Review

Sometimes it seems like 80% of the cigars I review on any given month just happen to be in some way connected to AJ Fernadnez, one of the most popular (and increasingly famous) blenders on the market. From ultra boutique brands like Viva La Vida to giant tobacco companies like Altadis, Fernandez is simply everywhere. And with the quality of smokes he puts out, his products basically demand to be reviewed. Such is the case with the San Lotano Dominicano, which is a collaboration project between Fernandez and Jose “Jochy” Blanco.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: San Lotano Dominicano
  • Wrapper: Brazil
  • Binder: Dominican Republic
  • Filler: Dominican Republic and Nicaragua
  • Size: 5 x 50 toro

Appearance & Construction

The San Lotano Dominicano is easily one of the most visually striking blends to hit the market in 2019. The dominant blue of the main band plays perfectly next to the gold and red accents, and complements the rich outer Brazilian wrapper. The outer leaf has a sandy texture and some major knotted veins located mainly near the head of the cigar.

Taking a whiff off of the foot of the cigar, I pick up aromas of barnyard, wood planks and light cocoa notes. Taking a cold draw reveals a slightly restrictive draw (about an 8/10 in terms of amount of restrictiveness), and notes of earth, granola, and light spices.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Once lit, the San Lotano Dominicano opens up with assertive flavors that are spicy, sweet, and slightly bitter. It’s strong (medium +) but definitely in a way more characteristic of Dominican tobacco than Nicaraguan. In order of prominence are notes of toasted nuts, sweet floral, cocoa, big white pepper, and cream on the finish. The retrohale is just as enjoyable, with heavy toasted bread, vegetal notes and white pepper. The cigar produces excellent amounts of rich smoke, and though there is some initial waviness to the burn, that corrects itself in about half an inch. What I’m loving most at this point in the smoke is the texture. It does a great job threading the needle between smoothness and assertiveness.

As the cigar burns past the first inch and a half, the balance of flavors ebbs and flows, sometimes emphasizing creamy cocoa, other times focusing more on a spiciness that borders on jalapeño. Beneath these notes are oak, Fuente-esque vegetal flavors, and bitter espresso. All of this helps the cigar deliver balanced complexity that makes for a captivating experience.

Into the second third, the San Lotano Dominicano loses a touch of its strength, and some of the spiciness present up till now burns off with it. The balance of flavors shifts definitively to sweet, and the smoke takes on a chocolaty flavor that’s nicely augmented by bitter espresso. Still very enjoyable but not quite as complex as the first third. Construction is perfect, with a razor sharp burn and excellent smoke production.

The final third of the Dominicano sees the profile shift once again, this time toward savory vegetal notes, white pepper, and traces of cinnamon, cocoa and cream. Construction never falters, and though the smoke does start to pick up some heat, it’s manageable and I smoke the cigar down to the nub.

Conclusion

The San Lotano Dominicano is one of the more enjoyable 2019 releases that I’ve smoked lately. It has a balanced and harmonious flavor profile, with notes of toasted nuts, floral, cocoa, pepper, and a nice cream. Construction is essentially perfect throughout the course of the smoke, which is no surprise given the characters involved in producing the cigar.

Highly recommended.

Final Rating: 91

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