AJ Fernandez: The Man Behind the Cigars You Already Love

Let me ask you something.

Have you ever smoked a Montecristo, a Romeo y Julieta, a Trinidad, a Hoyo or a Diesel and thought, "Man, that was good"?

There's a real chance you were smoking a cigar made by AJ Fernandez and didn't even know it.

That's not hype. That's how big this man is in the cigar world. And by the time you finish reading this, you're going to know exactly which AJ blend belongs in your hand next, and exactly where to smoke it.

Who Is AJ Fernandez?

Abdel J. Fernández, "AJ" to everybody, was born in 1979 in San Luis, in Cuba's Pinar del Río, some of the most famous tobacco country on earth.

Tobacco is the family business. His grandfather had a local cigar brand called San Lutano (a "San Lutano" is someone from San Luis). His father, Ismael, worked in Cuban tobacco for years. And by age 13, AJ was going straight from school to a tobacco farm, learning to plant, harvest, cure and ferment the leaf.

In 2003, he followed his father to Nicaragua. He started small. Really small: three rolling tables in his house, rolling cigars for the operation of his father's cousin, Nestor Plasencia.

Then he grew. And grew. And grew.

Why AJ Is a Powerhouse

• The factory. Tabacalera A.J. Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua, in Estelí, was built in 2013, and within a few years every rolling table was full. He also runs the San Lotano factory in Ocotal, Nicaragua.
• The farms. AJ is a grower first. He grows his own tobacco on farms in Nicaragua, including around Estelí, so he controls the leaf from the field to the box.
• The cigars he makes for others. His factory rolls cigars for some of the biggest names in the business: Altadis U.S.A. (Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, Trinidad Espíritu, Aging Room), General Cigar (Hoyo La Amistad, Diesel Estelí Puro), plus Man O' War, Foundation and Southern Draw. Early on, he made cigars for Rocky Patel, too.
• The accolades. Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 keeps finding his work: San Lotano Oval (No. 25 of 2012), Enclave Churchill (No. 20 of 2016), Enclave Broadleaf Churchill (No. 19 of 2019), Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua (No. 9 of 2022), Trinidad Espíritu (No. 12 of 2023 and No. 5 of 2025) and Nasser The Goat by A.J. Fernandez, a 95-point cigar that landed at No. 7 of 2025.
• The comeback. On March 31, 2025, a fire tore through the Estelí factory and destroyed millions of finished cigars. AJ didn't dwell on it. He thanked the people who stood by him, rebuilt and kept rolling. That's the kind of maker you want behind your cigar.

Here's the bottom line: when you light an AJ, you're smoking tobacco from a family that has lived it for three generations.

The Core of AJ Fernandez: Nine Blends and Who Each One Is For

Now the good part. This is AJ's core lineup: nine blends, nine different experiences, one name on the band. Find yours.

1. New World (Oscuro): Where It All Started

Around here, we just call it "New World," because it was the original. It debuted in 2014, the first cigar AJ blended with his father, Ismael, and it's named for the 1492 Columbus expedition that brought tobacco to the rest of the world. Today it wears the name New World Oscuro.

• Wrapper: Dark Nicaraguan oscuro
• Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Ometepe, Condega and Estelí)
• Strength: Medium-full
• Flavor: Meaty, spicy tobaccos blended into sweet and earthy, with espresso, dark chocolate and earth. Box-pressed, with big, thick smoke.
• Who it's for: Anyone who wants bold Nicaraguan flavor without the fuss. If you're new to AJ, start here.

2. New World Connecticut

Released in 2015 for the smoker who loves the New World name but wants it smooth.

• Wrapper: U.S. Connecticut Shade
• Binder: Mexican San Andrés
• Filler: Nicaragua and Brazil
• Strength: Mild to medium
• Flavor: Cream, cedar and coffee, with a hint of almond and a creamy finish.
• Who it's for: Your morning cigar, your golf-course cigar and the perfect pick for a friend who's newer to cigars.

3. New World Cameroon

Released in 2018, it was the first Cameroon-wrapped cigar in AJ's entire portfolio.

• Wrapper: Cameroon
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua, including tobacco from AJ's farms in Estelí
• Strength: Medium-full to full
• Flavor: Coffee, cocoa and wood around a leathery core, then a nutty, slightly sweet finish.
• Who it's for: Anyone who thinks Cameroon means mild. This one will change your mind, and the nuances never overwhelm your palate.

4. Bellas Artes Habano

Bellas Artes debuted in 2016, named for the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana. The wrapper is a hybrid AJ calls "Rojita," a cross of Connecticut 8212, Corojo '99 and Havana 2000.

• Wrapper: Nicaraguan "Rojita" Habano hybrid
• Binder: Nicaragua (Havana '92 from Quilalí)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí, Condega and Jalapa), Honduras and Brazil
• Strength: Medium-full
• Flavor: Cinnamon, cedar, sweet tobacco, citrus and a subtle black pepper with every draw.
• Who it's for: The smoker who loves a Cuban-style profile built for today's palate.

Want the full story? Read Mastering the Art: Bellas Artes Habano vs. Maduro.

5. Bellas Artes Maduro

The darker brother, released in 2018, and a cigar Cigar Snob put at No. 4 on its Top 25 of 2022 (the Toro).

• Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina maduro
• Binder: Mexican San Andrés
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Strength: Medium-full
• Flavor: Rich, dark sweetness with chocolate, espresso, black pepper and baking spice, finishing on hickory and molasses.
• Who it's for: Maduro lovers, and anyone enjoying one of Arizona's "cold" 55-degree mornings.

Here's our full review: Cigar Snob or Cigar Excellence? Bellas Artes Maduro.

6. San Lotano Requiem Connecticut

San Lotano carries the name of his grandfather's Cuban brand. (Yes, the spelling changed along the way.)

• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
• Binder: Honduras
• Filler: Nicaragua and Dominican Republic
• Strength: Medium
• Flavor: Graham cracker and cream up front, then cedar and real black pepper, finishing on coffee.
• Who it's for: The Connecticut fan who wants more bite than the usual "mild" cigar.

7. San Lotano Requiem Maduro

• Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés maduro
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua and Honduras
• Strength: Medium-full
• Flavor: Cigar Aficionado gave the box-pressed Robusto 91 points for "complex, sweet notes of raisin and chocolate-covered almonds," accented by cloves and baking spices.
• Who it's for: Your after-dinner, dessert-in-a-cigar smoke.

8. Enclave Habano

Launched in 2015 around a theme of brotherhood among cigar smokers, and blended with his father, Ismael. It's rolled with an uncut foot.

• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
• Binder: Cameroon
• Filler: Nicaragua, including Nicaraguan-grown Piloto Cubano
• Strength: Medium-full
• Flavor: Peppery and sweet, with baking spices, nutmeg and fresh-ground coffee. Cigar Aficionado put it best: this cigar "favors finesse over force." The Churchill scored 92 points and landed at No. 20 of 2016.
• Who it's for: The smoker who wants flavor over power. Try a couple of sizes side by side, because size matters here.

9. Enclave Broadleaf

Debuted in 2017, it was the first time AJ put a broadleaf wrapper on one of his own cigars.

• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua (including Estelí and Jalapa)
• Strength: Medium-full, leaning full
• Flavor: Earth, dark chocolate, maple, leather and wood, with sweet turns of milk chocolate, vanilla bean and anise. The Churchill scored 92 points and was No. 19 of 2019 in Cigar Aficionado.
• Who it's for: The dark-wrapper lover who wants a deep, satisfying finish, like a great dessert.

Where to Smoke Your AJ

Here's the thing. AJ spends years growing, fermenting and aging this tobacco. Don't smoke it in a hot car or rush it on a ten-minute break.

Smoke it the way it was meant to be smoked: in a leather chair, with a cold beer or a glass of wine we'll pour for you, the game on one of our seven screens, and a humidor full of options a few steps away.

Not sure which AJ is yours? You don't need to be. Tell us one thing you like, whether it's smooth, spicy, sweet or bold, and we'll point you to the AJ that fits. We'll cut and light it. You take your chair. That's it.

More AJ reading: The Top 7 AJ Fernandez Cigars, Ramon Allones by AJ Fernandez, Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua and Trinidad Espíritu No. 1 vs. No. 3.

Stop in today, ask which AJ blends are in the humidor right now, and find out for yourself why his name keeps showing up on the best cigars in the world. Hours and directions.