AJ Fernandez 20th Anniversary Staff Review
I’m smoking a new arrival to Holt’s, AJ Fernandez 20th Anniversary Toro, which is a limited-edition cigar blended to commemorate the AJ’s twentieth year as a premium cigarmaker. The 20th Anniversary is rolled in a single size, a chunky 6-by-56 Toro finished in a dark, oily wrapper dressed in gold and black cigar bands with a cedar sleeve covering the bottom half.
I’m a fan of AJ Fernandez cigars, and I’ve reviewed plenty of his releases, including Dias de Gloria Brazil, New World Dorado, the original Dias de Gloria, and Last Call Maduro. I like AJ’s cigars because they’re complex and affordable. For the 20th Anniversary, AJ stepped up his game, making only 7,500 boxes of 20 cigars. They go for $25 apiece, which is considerably more than most AJ blends. The cigars are packaged in a high-end box that functions as a humidor with its thick cedar lining and a fancy black piano-gloss finish.
The 20th Anniversary is blended entirely from Nicaraguan tobaccos that AJ grows himself, including the cigar’s dark-chocolate-colored wrapper leaf. When I choose a cigar from a fresh box and slide the cedar sleeve off the bottom, the Toro is gritty and imposing but elegant at the same time. A strong aroma of cocoa, espresso, and dried cherry mingles with notes of leather and hay when I inspect the cigar closely. Once I clip the cap, the cold draw tastes of grain, pepper, and hot chocolate with a floral quality. I can tell this Toro was rolled by an expert because air passes through it with the right amount of resistance.
After slowly toasting the foot with my triple-flame torch lighter, the 20th Anniversary opens up with strong notes of chocolate and espresso for the first three to five minutes. A dense, white-and-gray ash forms at the foot, and when it passes a quarter inch in length, the cigar’s spicy side comes to life. The retrohale is complex, revealing a steady aroma of cedar, oak, leather, and hay. On the palate, bitter notes of coffee bean linger behind the cigar’s peppery, leathery flavor.
AJ Fernandez 20th Anniversary is a dense cigar you should smoke slowly. I’ve been taking my time with it, and forty minutes have easily gone by before I’m approaching the second half. I pick up a floral aroma with a touch of dried fruit in the nose. I can taste hints of peanut butter over an intense undercurrent of leather, coffee, and espresso.
The Toro is deceptively strong. I know AJ Fernandez 20th Anniversary is classified as a full-bodied cigar, but the thicker ring gauge encourages a slower combustion that may make you think the cigar isn’t all that intense. After standing up for a few minutes, the cigar’s nicotine density registers, and I can tell I’ve been enjoying a pretty hearty blend. Smoke this cigar with a full meal in your system, and don’t smoke it too fast.
Once I’m down to the nub and I’ve got the bands off, I’m well into the second hour of relishing AJ Fernandez 20th Anniversary. The Toro concludes with a solid punch of black coffee and pepper, but the profile fades slowly, leaving a sweet impression of leather and fresh tobacco on my palate. I’m comfortable giving this limited-edition cigar a 93-point rating, despite its hefty price tag. I suggest adding one or two to your humidor before they are all officially gone.
