IPCPR 2019 Spotlight: AJ Fernandez Cigars

As we have seen over the past three years, AJ Fernandez and his factory have been partnering with many leading companies and cigar brands. The list is quite impressive: Altadis, General, Miami Cigar and Company, Espinosa Cigars, La Palina, Southern Draw, Foundation Cigar Company, and many others. In addition, his farms supply many companies and factories tobacco. At the same time, AJ Fernandez also has his own company and own brands. While some may argue those brands get overlooked, I’ve found it to be the place where Fernandez can showcase some of his best work. In fact, this year’s projects showcased some nice product innovation.

The signature release making its debut this year was Dias de Gloria. The name translates to “days of glory” and it pays homage to pre-revolutionary Cuba. The cigar itself is a Nicaraguan puro that incorporates tobaccos from four of Fernandez’s farms in Nicaragua: Finca los Cedros, La Lilia, La Providencia 1, and La Soledad.

There were a couple of projects that were released over the past few months that were being showcased for the first time at the Trade Show. First up was the San Lotano Dominicano. It’s a project that is a true collaboration between Fernandez and Dominican grower and manufacturer Jochy Blanco. It’s a rare occasion when two growers and factory owners team up to collaborate on a cigar, but that’s exactly what was done for San Lotano Dominicano. It’s a cigar that made its debut this past spring.

The San Lotano Dominicano features a Brazilian Cuban seed wrapper over a Dominican binder and Nicaraguan fillers. The Dominican tobacco comes from Blanco’s farms while the Nicaraguan comes from Fernandez’s farms. Production is handled at Blanco’s Tabacalera Palma, but is sold by AJ Fernandez.

Late last year came a new offering under AJ Fernandez New World brand called the New World Cameroon Selection. As the name indicates, the cigar features a Cameroon wrapper. Pricing is set in the value-priced range of $5.00 to $7.00.

Finally, on the eve of IPCPR, AJ Fernandez announced a limited edition lancero size to its Belles Artes Maduro line. It is described as a limited offering. As opposed to the twenty-count boxes the Belles Artes Maduro line comes in, the Lancero size comes in ten-count boxes.