AJ Fernandez New World Puro Especial in Review
WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Habano
BINDER: Nicaraguan Habano
FILLER: Nicaraguan
ORIGIN: Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez, Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium-full
NOTES:
Black pepper | Red spices | Chocolate
Hyper-focused & steadfast. Purposeful. Almost aggressively-so but not quite, somehow. Dark toasted grains form the stage. The spotlight shines on pepper-spices. Black peppercorn w/ cayenne accompaniment. Chili & jerk seasonings. Braced by an oaken note which at times is wine cask, particularly more-so via progression.
The lone cushion this blend is pushin' is powdered cocoa, unsweetened but fluffy-smooth. Offers a spot in which more primary notes can embed themselves, develop nuances. So nuanced, but shy of complex per se. Thru the retro-hale is an amped-up spiciness that settles to the palate in a blackstrap molasses manner. Nice. Final third intros a B I G dose of leather. Some edges there, not abrasively.
Performs all-around admirably. Ash grows solid, draw pulls smooth. Burn-line is razor-tin and almost nuts-even. Seams do listen a hair-tick ahead of char but barely & not always. Smoke out-put is heavy shy of over-bearing, culminates n an aroma then room-note of surprising sweet-savory quality. Anise is there, a bar of separate dark chocolate... these flavors become tastes* in the second half.
TASTE: A-
DRAW: A-
BURN: A
BUILD: A-
FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59
Performs all-around admirably. Ash grows solid, draw pulls smooth. Burn-line is razor-tin and almost nuts-even. Seams do listen a hair-tick ahead of char but barely & not always. Smoke out-put is heavy shy of over-bearing, culminates n an aroma then room-note of surprising sweet-savory quality. Anise is there, a bar of separate dark chocolate... these flavors become tastes* in the second half.
TASTE: A-
DRAW: A-
BURN: A
BUILD: A-
FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59
*just me, foreshadowing** a write-up I have in the works, discussing the difference between taste & flavor. **or perhaps post-shadowing? Not sure when this will post. I only work here.