The Particulars

The Review

This review for the AJ Fernandez Amar - Toro (6 x 56) is based on the journal entry dated 2026-06-05

Appearance & Construction (0-3):  Good (3)

This is an eye-catching cigar that completely belies its price. The smooth, Cuban-seed Nicaraguan leaf is a very warm, slightly rosado chocolate brown with a sheen that looks like freshly poured melted chocolate. There’s no visible tooth, and the visible veins are very thin and unobtrusive. As a result, the roll is a beautiful and even cylinder, with tight, nearly invisible seams and a clean triple cap.

Accentuating the look is the purple and gold primary band, coupled with the matching gold footband. As noted earlier, the Amar was influenced by AJF’s Cuban and Lebanese heritage, and the band utilizes Arabian ogee arch styles along the gold border. The phases of the moon are depicted as well, which are a key part of the rural Lebanese agricultural community. Those farmers utilize traditional lunar calendars to time when they sow seeds, prune, and harvest crops. Additionally, in regions like southern Lebanon, traditional nightrise agriculture involves farmers guiding water into terraces by the light of the moon, which allows them to avoid the harsh daytime heat.

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Good (3) / Good (3)

The draw is spot-on, and the burn starts beautifully. The ash is a very light gray with medium-spaced striations and light flaking at the cracks. The burn line starts to get uneven—it’s not canoeing yet, but one side is definitely burning faster. The wrapper develops an inch-long crack at the end of the first third. The crack occurred where a small section of the cigar bulged out. It’s not interfering with the burn or unraveling just yet, and the burn line hasn’t reached it. But I’ll see how this progresses and if I’ll need to break out the cigar glue once the burn reaches that point.

Amazingly, as I near the midway point, the crack hasn’t worsened, the ash is still holding, and the burn line is self-correcting. There’s just one little section by the crack that’s dragging on the burn. And on the next draw, the ash falls with a reassuring thud, and the burn line has almost fully self-corrected to damn near dead-nuts even. No corrections, no cigar glue needed, and the burn line is beautiful again. It takes a special kind of talent to eat an entire wheel of cheese and leave it in the fridge—frankly, I’m not even mad; that’s amazing! 😂

Then I notice another crack peeking out from under the primary band. So I peel the primary band off, and of course, a little piece of the wrapper comes with it. It’s a clean tear, but these cracks and tears are my only gripe about an otherwise beautifully constructed cigar. But, to its credit, I’ve still yet to need to apply a correction or use the cigar glue.

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Excellent (5)

Immediately on light-up, I get hit with heavy cinnamon, bits of baking cocoa, light red pepper, and a heavy dose of cedar brightness. There’s some citrus zest in the sweetness and a vanilla-like aromatic quality to it all. About an inch in, I start to get roasted cashew flavors, backed by a richer earthy base alongside more chocolate and mild coffee notes. It’s bright, it’s complex, it’s flavorful—it’s an awesome start.

At the second third, that roasted cashew savoriness and cedar brightness are still driving the primary flavors over a mild earth base. A hefty dose cinnamon is still bringing the spice, with bits of black pepper hitting the back of my soft palate. There’s a sweet breadiness that’s appeared—a bit like white bread or a sugar cookie—and while the sweetness is still zesty with citrus notes, it’s also developing an increasing honey flavor. Cocoa and espresso are light but creamy, swirling into a moderately creamy finish. It’s a slightly drier blend, but this is fucking delightful and punches way above its weight class.

The final third starts with no changes, marching on with the symphony of flavors from the second third. And that is perfectly okay with me. This is bright, bready, flavorful, sweet, and just beautifully blended.

Overall Experience (0-5):  Excellent (5)

I honestly don’t know how AJ pulled this blend together so quickly while also rebuilding Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars after the fire. Was this a blend he was already working on, or did everything just come together under the inspiration of the situation and the response of the industry? As it says on the band, “Gold is tested by fire,” and this stands true to “the gold standard” on the footband. It’s a wonderful tribute and an even better cigar. If you haven’t already, go buy some now. Go get it!

Review Base Rating (0-5):

4.75

Is it Burnable?

Without a doubt (box worthy)

Review Final Score (0-10):

9.67

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.