Top AJ Fernandez Cigars

January 29, 2020

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Top 5 Cigars Produced at AJ Fernandez Factory

AJ Fernandez is a legend in the cigar industry from his early beginning working in the fields of his native Cuba. Now running his operations out of Estelí, Nicaragua, AJ Fernandez is blending and collaborating on some of the most impressive cigars to be released over the last 20 years.

With such an impressive portfolio of work, we wanted to share with our readers some of our favorites currently being released out of AJ’s factory that always have a spot in our humidors. From his collaboration with Southern Draw to his teaming up with Altadis USA, here are the Top 5 Cigars made in AJ Fernandez Factory.

Don’t forget this limited-time sampler in the link below.

JR Ultimate 50th Anniversary

Origin – Honduras

Wrapper Type – Ecuador Sumatra

Binder – Connecticut Broadleaf

Filler – Honduras

Strength – Medium-Full

Wrapper Shade – Oscuro

Size – 6 x 54

Smoke Time – 95 minutes

 We here at JR don’t like to toot our own horn, but when you team up one of the best blenders in the business with a long heritage brand like H. Uppman you are bound to hit a home run, and AJ with his love for legacy and our 50 years of loyal service to our customers, the JR Ultimate 50th edition commemorates the blend that started it all.

AJ went out of his way to craft this stunning cigar, utilizing some of the best tobaccos he felt matched the legacy blend for this exclusive release.

An Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper gives this 6×54 toro a zest of cinnamon and black cherry that contrasts its creamy San Andres wrapper that binds Honduran long-fillers for a complex, full-bodied treat true to its legacy.

Sold only here at JR, you’ll want to give these AJ exclusives a try for yourself.

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Trinidad Espiritu Series 2

Origin – Nicaragua

Wrapper Type – Brazil

Binder – Nicaragua

Filler – Brazil / Nicaragua

Strength – Medium-Full

Wrapper Shade – EMS

Size – 6 x 54

Smoke Time – 95 minutes

Coasting off of a successful 2019 release of the Trinidad Espiritu, Altadis U.S.A in collaboration with AJ Fernandez and Rafael Nodal released the highly anticipated Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2 to glowing reviews over its exotic and masterfully crafted flavors.

Brazilian wrappers, though not common, are not rare in the cigar-making industry. The rich full flavors of the Caribbean tobacco can be powerful on the palette, but with age and balanced with some of the best top-shelf Nicaraguan tobaccos on the market you’ll generate a stick that is sweet, earthy, and rich in creamy aromas of dark roast coffee and pepper.

Dark in compaction, you’ll find this medium-body cigar has mild strength to it but full flavor. Sold in boxes of 20, the Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 2 is a great cigar to share with friends.

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Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez

Origin – Nicaragua

Wrapper Type – Nicaragua Habano

Binder – Nicaragua Corojo 99

Filler – Nicaragua Corojo 99 / Nicaragua Criollo 98

Strength – Medium-Full

Wrapper Shade – Oscuro

Size – 6.5 x 54

Smoke Time – 95 Minutes

AJ is not only a master blender of his time but a historical icon of tobacco too in the way he cares for and respects the long rich and complex history of this beautifully cultivated industry.

Ramon Allones was a passion project AJ had picked up to pay homage to his father’s favorite Cuban cigar brand, Ramon Allones. Under his guiding eye and the masterful team in Estelí, AJ was able to produce such a stunning cigar that it landed in Cigar Aficionado’s top 25 cigars of the year in both 2018 and 2021; and it just might be his best work to date.

Medium in body, this stick utilizes a rare Nicaraguan Habano, Medio-Tiempo wrapper that produces a perfect flavor profile of earth, nut, and espresso giving this cigar a semi-sweet spice that is subtle but savory.

Bound and filled with a blend of vintage Corojo’99 and ’98 tobaccos, there’s a harmonious balance between the wrapper and fillers in strength and flavor being played here that rides beautifully in the middle and makes for the most stable complex cigar I’ve ever smoked.

Smoked in the 6.5 x 54 torpedo size, you’ll find this is the best way to experience this memorial cigar. However, AJ and his love for good blends have created the Ramon Allones in 5 popular sizes to fit any smoker’s profile.

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Origin – Nicaragua

Wrapper Type – Brazil

Binder – Mexican San Andres

Filler – Nicaragua

Strength – Medium-Full

Wrapper Shade –  Maduro

Size – 6 x 54

Smoke Time – 95 minutes

The Bellas Artes should evoke a feeling, a story, behind the medium that is created. In this case, multiple worlds of spectacular flavor blended into one decedent Maduro treat that can be enjoyed during those sweet moments of Sunday brunch and dessert.

The renaissance artwork on the cigar band proudly displays a Nicaraguan woman kneeling to a seated and shielded light-skinned Puerto Rican woman who is enviously humbled over the bundle of fresh viso leaves the Nicaraguan woman has brought to her side.

Medium in body, this chewy cigar is creamy with thick smoke and tons of savory dark chocolate flavors that come from the dark and oily Brazilian Viso leaves wrapped around this sweet treat.

Mexican San Andres Tobacco binder and Nicaraguan long-fillers doubling down on the sweet and creamy flavors of this pastry of a cigar.

Coming in five popular sizes, each Bellas Artes is beautifully hand-assembled with perfect construction at AJ’s factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, and can be found in AJ’s specially grown EMS– shade- Hybrid Rojita wrapper for a more complex, spicier treat.

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Southern Draw Desert Rose

Origin – Nicaragua

Wrapper Type – Ecuador

Binder – Nicaragua

Filler – Dominican Republic – Piloto Cubano / Honduras – Corojo ‘99

Strength – Medium

Wrapper Shade – EMS

Size – 5.5 x 54

Smoke Time – 85 minutes

Just as AJ has a long-lived history with tobacco, Robert and Sharon Holt of Southern Draw cigars have had, exponentially,  a wild journey that has brought their boutique brand to national recognition – leading to collaborations with some of the finest blenders in this business.

This time around Robert and Sharon went to AJ for this beautiful cigar that dedicates itself to the process and vision of making a cigar means to them, and what we think is one of the best blends currently coming out of AJ’s factory today

The Rose of Sharon Desert Rose is one spectacular cigar. From its clean look, strong build, and elegant presentation out of the box, This cigar smoked flawlessly with ultimate flavor and consistent burn in this 5.5 x 54 belicoso.

Rich flavors of cedar and spice make up the profile of this stick, but with a creaminess that comes from the Piloto Cubano and Corojo ’99 fillers, making it the perfect mid-day smoke; this one limited production cigar you won’t want to miss out on.

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Top AJ Fernandez Cigars 2020

AJ has become one of the most prolific blenders in the cigar industry.  His reputation as one of the best in the business goes beyond just the work on his own brands, but also to the countless collaborations he has been apart of.  This Top 5 is dedicated to, what I believe, are the five best cigars blended by AJ Fernandez.  Don’t forget, there is a limited edition sampler available here.

AJ Fernandez Last Call Falquitas

This cigar was actually created for the exact purpose of watching football.  When AJ would have friends over his house to watch football, he created a blend to enjoy for the last quarter and appropriately named it the Last Call.  It is available in two different wrapper options: a rich broadleaf and a zesty and flavorful Ecuadorian Habano Rosado.

Although I’m known as a broadleaf guy, there is something special about this Rosado wrapper.  It is flawless, flavorful and incredibly smooth.

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Foundation Highclere Castle Victorian Toro

The Highclere Castle, named for the legendary castle from Downton Abby, was the big release from Foundation two years ago and he is following it up with a stronger, spicier offering.  The original release, now known as the Edwardian, was known for its smooth aroma and mellow creamy profile.  The Highclere Castle Victorian takes everything up a notch.

While the cigar still uses the same Brazilian Mata fina binder, but the cigar is now cloaked in a stunning reddish Ecuadorian Habano wrapper for a touch of rich spice.  If you were a fan of the original Highclere, but are looking for a little more pop, the Victorian is the one for you!

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AJ Fernandez Bellas Artes Maduro

The Belles Artes Maduro is a bold and rich cigar with all of the finest qualities we have come to expect from an AJ cigar.  It is complex and flavorful, with its Nicaraguan filler giving it wonderful notes of pepper and sweet spice.  Its Mexican binder adds in some chocolate notes as well as some zest, while its bold Brazilian wrapper finishes it with powerful notes of coffee, earth, leather, and black pepper.

If you were looking for a bold version of the original Belles Artes, your wait is now over.  This cigar shows that AJ is just as committed to his name brands as he is to his collaborations and this fine new smoke shows that his skills are developing with each passing day.

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Southern Draw Jacob's Ladder Brimstone

For full-bodied smokers, the most anticipated cigar of this year is the new Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder Brimstone.  This cigar actually scares me and I love a strong, full smoke.  It is not just the blend of tobaccos but also the name and the story behind it that makes it intimidating yet intriguing.

Like its predecessor, the Jacobs Ladder Brimstone was handmade in Nicaragua under the guidance of AJ Fernandez.  White the Jacobs Ladder was considered strong, the Brimstone is next level.  It uses a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper, an American broadleaf binder, and three Ligero tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic for its filler.  It is incredibly bold, rich and flavorful but it is not a cigar to be taken lightly.

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H. Upmann 175 Anniversary Churchill

To celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the brand, AUSA decided to work with A.J. Fernandez to create a special, limited-release blend.  What I thought was going to be yet another solid cigar turned out to be exquisite in every way you can think.  From just opening the box you can tell there is something different about this cigar.

It is a Nicaraguan puro that only uses Medio Tiempo leaves.  These are the highest leaves on the plant and the hardest to come by.  Add three years of age on them and you get a brilliant, nuanced blend that balances both flavor and intensity.  Notes of cream and caramel are combined with a zesty oak flavor before finishing off with an earthy sweetness of which I have never tasted before.   The cigar was named to several top lists, including the Cigar Aficionado Top 25, the Halfwheel Consensus, and the JR Cigar Top 25 Cigars of the Year.

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Get the sampler here!

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