AJ Fernandez Dias de Gloria Brazil Staff Review
I’m smoking the newest cigar from AJ Fernandez for today’s review, Dias de Gloria Brazil, and I’m firing up a 6.5-by-54 Toro. I reviewed AJ’s original Dias de Gloria blend, which is finished in a hearty Nicaraguan wrapper leaf. For Dias de Gloria Brazil, AJ went with a very dark and oily Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, and it’s paired over robust Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos he grows on his vast acreage of farms.
Dias de Gloria translates to “days of glory” in Spanish and is a reference to the pre-embargo glory days of cigar-making in in AJ’s native Cuba. Like many of today’s talented Cuban cigar-makers, AJ left the island to produce cigars in Nicaragua and thereby enjoy access to retailers and cigar lovers in America where consumers buy and smoke the most cigars in the world. Recent statistics show the United States imports roughly $1.5 billion in cigars annually, nearly ten times more than Japan, the second-biggest market for premium cigars. It’s easy to see AJ loves what he’s accomplished in Nicaragua, having expanded his farms and factories numerous times to accommodate his ever-growing portfolio.
For Dias de Gloria Brazil, the cigars come in bright green boxes of 20 with green cigar bands, a matching ribbon at the foot, and a cedar sleeve over each cigar. After I gently slip the cedar off, the cigar’s dark-brown wrapper covers a firm box-pressed smoke that smells of sweet chocolate, leather, hay, and dried cherry. The cold draw is complex, too, with an intriguing mix of charred oak, vanilla bean, dried fruit, and dried cherry coming through after I clip the cap and enjoy a few puffs before lighting up.
Under the Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper is a beefy core of vintage Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos. Dias de Gloria Brazil is classified as a medium to full-bodied cigar, and I’m confident it will be at least that strong. One of the main reasons I’ll often choose a Toro when I’m reviewing a new cigar is that it’s a size everyone enjoys, and the cigar will burn for close to an hour, which is the perfect amount of time to experience how the taste changes.
Dias de Gloria Brazil begins with a dark and smoky profile of charred oak, rye toast, and black pepper once I’ve got the foot fully ignited. A smooth aroma of fermented fruit and sweet cedar fills my nose which balances the cigar’s spicier tendencies. Notes of leather and hay blossom with a nice undercurrent of sweetness throughout the first fifteen minutes.
The cigar is exceptionally smooth while its profile shifts to a tangy, fruity character with a continual backdrop of charred wood. If you’ve ever tossed pears, apples, or pineapples on the grill when you’re making shish kabob, Dias de Gloria Brazil progresses with a similar combination of smoky and tangy sweetness. Hints of spice and black pepper carry into the second half as well.
With Dias de Gloria Brazil, AJ has blended a great cigar to smoke with bourbon, and it may be one of my all-time favorites from his portfolio. I find that the slower you smoke it, the sweeter it tastes. The draw is superb, and I’ve only had to tap off the cigar’s firm, razor-sharp ash a few times throughout the whole cigar. If you’re a fan of AJ’s Bella Artes Maduro or the San Lotano Dominicano I reviewed earlier, Dias de Gloria Brazil is a must-try because you already know you enjoy cigars with a Brazilian wrapper. Each offers a completely unique taste. And Dias de Gloria Brazil is a cigar I will definitely smoke again.
