Thursday, June 11, 2020

AJ Fernandez Cigars Dias de Gloria in Review "Smokes a Bit Like a History Lesson"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

AJ Fernandez Cigars
Dias de Gloria

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Robusto (5.5x52)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars, Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: ajfcigars.com

NOTES:
Pink peppercorn | Cashew, salted | Cedar, sweet

Pink peppercorn? Sure. Look it up. For now, think peppery between black || red, softly & with a cashew lilt. That lilt amplifies the distinct cashew note it sidles up to. Nicely salted. The pepper is milder in flavor than its effect on body. We'll come back to that. A sweet cedar via natural inherently sweet tobacco underneath, drives & structures quite well. An ardent delineation of flavors. 

Back to the body, it does dry the palate some, a la a Dominican Olor, interestingly. This focuses some dusty sharpness in the peppery/woodsy realms. Stiffly rigid, but also met with a musty creaminess down below. [If you experience a musty creaminess down below, keep it to yourself & see a doctor.] Ultimately, this blend is a weird-ish mix of brisk if not brusk, & musty almost dusty. In short, it's the classic creamy blend AJ was going for, arrived at oddly. 

Other undertones are a diner cup of joe, a bit of white pepper, a vague nougat, a more vague lemony citrus. Predominantly sweet nethers. A bright morning prior to its fog burning off. Earthy in a very 'baccy then clay manner, as to underbelly. Some slight chicken coop there, too. A bit of cereal grain. Well-balanced and smokes a bit like a history lesson. Short sweet-sour finish. Not complex but not meaning to be. Nuanced 'nuff, though mottled there.

Burns nicely, neatly at a good pace and even line. Draws smooth. Builds ash admirably. No complaints. Aroma is a musty dusty thing. Leathery, with a kindly kick, & is that way on the retro-hale as well. My lone complaint is the dryness of the thing, which would be remedied by say a solid medium roasted Colombian cuppa. A history lesson is not complete sans a dryly delivered textbook -- add that to the tasting notes.

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

::: very :::