AJ Fernandez Amar Toro

AJ Fernandez's cigars have become synonymous with quality and premium flavor. Cigars such as his New World line, Dias De Gloria, and of course, the Goat, have become favorites of many smokers in the cigar community. The new cigar in the AJF catalog is the Amar. Amar is symbolic for AJ Fernandez in a multitude of ways. The most prevelant is as a thank you to the help he recieved from other manufacturers when he suffered a fire at one of his facilities. Amar is meant to represent personal growth and reflection. Amar also means "to love" in Spanish, and "long-lived" in Arabic. Read the review, and consider adding the Amar to your smoking rotation.

The Amar is noticeably Aj Fernandez, but very different from some of the other cigars in his catalog. The band is predominently purple, with gold accents. The lettering on the band is gold and embossed, along with some of the ornamentation. The AJ Fernandez logo is prominent above the boldly printed "Amar". There is orante decoration around the band, including stars and the phases of the moon at the bottom. On the back of the primary band, there is a a tag line: Gold is tested by fire. The foot band is a simple gold band with the AJ Fernandez logo. The cigar itself is a light-medium brown, with some veins and seems showing. There is also a slight toothiness to the wrapper. This cigar is presented as a regular parejo.

The Amar is a Nicaraguan puro, constructed with Nicarguan Binder and Filler, and a Nicaraguan Habano Wrapper. The draw is smooth and effortless, with a decent smoke output to allow a nice aroma to go along with the flavor profile. The ash is light-medium gray, and falls around the one inch mark. The burn may start off a bit uneven, but is straightens out before the end of the first third.

The flavor profile on the Amar is dynamic, but consistent. The cold draw may provide notes of dried plum and honey. The first light starts strong with notes of cashew, white pepper, earth, and cedar.

Going into the first third, the cedar note lingers, then dissipates. There may be notes of earth and brown sugar that hit the front of the palate. There may also be more subtle notes of cashew and light roast coffee. There may also be a lingering note of cinnamon, as well as some fig. The retrohale of the first third may have notes of white pepper, light roast coffee, and a subtle floral note.

The second third is where the flavor profile becomes a bit more dynamic. The second third may have strong notes of light roast coffee and earth, which are accompanied by undertones of brown sugar and caramel. There may also be hints of light toast, and a lingering graham cracker flavor. The retrohale of the second third may have notes of white pepper, honey, and subtle floral notes.

The final third of the cigar may have front notes of light roasted coffee and earth, which white pepper notes getting more prominent. Subtle notes of caramel and cashew stay prevelant, which hints of cedar lingering on the palate. The may also be notes of honey adding a layer of added sweetness. The retrohale of the final third may see the floral note becoming more prominent, along with notes of white pepper and light roast coffee.

The Amar is priced very reasonably. A single cigar goes from around $11.00, while a box of 20 goes for around $220.00. This a great price for this cigar. If it were to cost less it would be an absolute steal. Whereas if it were priced higher it may be overlooked by some. The Amar is a great medium-bodied cigar, perfect for those who enjoy a cigar every once in a while. It's also a great cigar for those who haven't been smoking for long, and acts as a great introduction to the medium-body profile. Those who have been smoking for a long time will enjoy the expereince and more subtle flavor notes.

GC Rating: 93

Thanks to the Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop for sponsoring this review of the AJ Fernandez Amar Toro. If you'd like to try the Amar, or anything else from the AJ Fernandez catalog, visit woodenindiantobacco.com and use the coupon code for 10% off your order, plus free shipping.