AJ Fernandez El Gran Llave Double Corona

[jefslat]

Another new release from the AJ Fernandez company.



Cocoa notes from the wrapper and perfect cold draw with some spices from the foot. Smooth box press; impressive construction.

At first the flavors are deceptive, very light on the way in and plentiful on the way out. Light cocoa notes mixed with almost pipe tobacco flavors. Very light pepper notes in the nose.

The box press makes it very easy to hold and smoke. Something I failed to notice before is that it is Reserva No. E560FE. So these may be a limited release.

The ash is a mottled grey that is very solid with no flaking. The draw is very smooth and is yielding wonderful tobacco notes with very pleasant coffee and cocoa flavors. The burn is a bit slanted, but nothing crucial at this point.

Finally tapped the ash at two inches as it was starting to curve, revealing a nice conical burn indicating the ligero is mostly in the center, another sign of excellent construction.

At 1/3 the smoke remains smooth and has taken on a very pleasant creaminess. This cigar displays all of the qualities one would expect from AJ Fernandez. its beauty is exceeded only by its flavor. It is easy to see why so many manufacturers collaborate with him for the blending and manufacture of their products.

The chocolate stout is a perfect match, accentuating the cocoa undertones of the cigar. In my opinion it is the perfect beer for maduro and oscuro cigars.

Hints of leather and cinnamon begin to develop about half way; a very solid mixture of flavor for a very complex cigar. The burn remains angular but with no canoeing. At one point I tried to even out the burn but it returned to the same angle as before.

The smoke remains medium to full throughout, something of a surprise for a cigar with such a rich dark wrapper. At 2/3, the flavor has settled to a rich leather and tobacco. A slight bitterness is easily solved with a light purge.

As the cigar winds down, the burn has evened out and remains so until my fingers start burning, even though the smoke never gets hot.

Put it down at about one inch. This is a very fine cigar that needs to be smoked by everyone . 9.25/10, Joe Bob says check it out.