AJF 20th Anniversary Toro

Two decades after starting his first factory in a garage in Estelí, Nicaragua, Abdel Fernández has become the owner of one of the largest businesses in the cigar industry. Fernández—a third-generation tobacco farmer—left his native Cuba in 2003, and his first job before he founded his factory was with the Plasencia family.

In addition to his company’s many lines, Fernández makes private label blends for a long list of other cigar brands, including Altadis U.S.A., Cigars International, Espinosa Premium Cigars, Foundation Cigar Co., General Cigar Co., Gurkha, Illusione, JR Cigar and more.

During the 2024 PCA Convention & Trade Show, AJ Fernandez showcased a new release to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary. Carrying the appropriate name of AJF 20th Anniversary, the new blend is made entirely of Nicaraguan tobacco, which Fernández says are the best leaves from his various farms across the Central American country.

There are actually two different vitolas for the 20th Anniversary line: one is a 6 x 56 Toro packaged in 20-count boxes, while the other is a 6 3/4 x 54 Belicoso that is sold in 50-count humidors. Production-wise, the Toro is vitola is limited to 7,500 numbered boxes, while the Humidor Belicoso is limited to 250 numbered humidors; of that, 5,000 boxes of Toros and 100 humidors will be sold in the U.S.

• AJF 20th Anniversary Toro (6 x 56) — $25 (Box of 20, $500)
• AJF 20th Anniversary Humidor Belicoso (6 3/4 x 54) — $35 (Humidor of 50 Cigars, $1,750)

The cigars are rolled at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. factory in Estelí and they started shipping to retailers in October.

• Cigar Reviewed: AJ Fernandez 20th Anniversary Toro
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 56
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $25 (Box of 20, $500)
• Release Date: October 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: 7,500 Boxes of 20 (150,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

All three cigars are covered in dark brown wrappers that are relatively smooth to the touch, but the final cigar has quite a few more spots on it than the other two, almost to the point of distraction. There are plenty of veins as well, but very few of them are what I would consider protruding, and the cigars are extremely firm when squeezed. Aromas from the wrappers start with cocoa nibs and generic nuttiness, followed by cedar, earth, barnyard and pencil lead. The scents emanating from the feet are another thing altogether: a combination of lemon zest and cinnamon lead notes of cedar, sawdust, cornbread, coffee beans and honey sweetness. There is also quite a bit of lemongrass on the cold draws of all three cigars, but my first cigar features more nuttiness and cedar, while the last two cigars have more meatiness, pretzel bread and leather tack.

Cloves and black pepper start the cigars off, along with a massive amount of spice that almost makes my tongue numb. That spice continues to be a factor through the first third, but it recedes enough so that flavors of dried tea leaves and lemongrass can emerge as the main flavors, followed by charred meat, cedar, gritty earth, dry hay, peanuts and very light herbal note. The retrohale features an abundance of black pepper, but it is tempered by some wonderful brown sugar sweetness that does a great job of keeping up. The flavor is full, the body is at a solid medium, and the strength ends the first third at a point just over the medium mark but increasing. In terms of construction, there are no issues whatsoever across three cigars, as the burn lines, smoke production, and excellent draws all work together nicely.

During the second third of the 20th Anniversary Toro, a zingy red pepper becomes noticeable on the finish, and it combines nicely with the new main flavors of charred meat and cedar. Secondary flavors of toasted bread, cinnamon, pencil lead, cocoa nibs, leather tack and earth show up at various points, and while the amount of spice on my tongue has fallen off quite a bit compared to the first third, it is still strong enough to be a component in the profile. On the retrohale, black pepper continues to lead the sweetness, which now reminds me of grape jelly. The flavor remains at full, but the body has increased to land at medium-plus and the strength hits medium-full. Once again, the construction is problem-free for all three cigars, although the burn on my second cigar is a bit more wavy than the other two.

As the final third begins, flavors of lemongrass and charred meat take over the top spots in the profile of the cigars, followed by tea leaves, cocoa nibs, espresso beans, cloves, cinnamon, wheat bread and cedar. The combination of grape jelly sweetness and black pepper continues to dominate the retrohale until the end of the cigar, while both the spice on my tongue and the red pepper note on the finish remain at about the same level as the second third. The flavor stays at full, and the body stays put at medium-plus, but the strength increases enough to cross into full territory about halfway through the final third. The construction is like a broken record—but in a good way—as the razor-sharp burn lines, excellent draws and copious smoke production continue until I am finished with each of the cigars.

Final Notes

• I really love the band being used for this release: the logos are easy to read but understated, and the gold foil looks extremely attractive against the dark brown wrappers that cover the cigars.

• There is a recreation of Abdel Fernández’s signature on the backside of each main band.

• As noted above, the wrapper on my last cigar was literally covered in spots, so much so that Charlie—who weighed and measured the three cigars I smoked for this review—pointed out that he was surprised that particular leaf actually made it through the wrapper selection process.
• The grape jelly I tasted on the retrohale during the second and final thirds reminded me instantly of Welches Concord Grape Jelly, which I ate quite a bit of when I was growing up.
• All three aspects of the construction were phenomenal for each cigar I smoked for this review.
• I would love to smoke one of these cigars in about six months for a Redux review to see if that overt spice in the first third has diminished at all.
• AJ Fernandez produced a documentary about the company’s 20th anniversary that you can see here.
• The cigars smoked for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• These cigars are officially listed as being 6 x 56 vitolas, the above is what we found when we measured the three cigars I smoked for this review.
• Final smoking time averaged two hours and 29 minutes for all three cigars.
• If you would like to purchase any of the AJ Fernandez 20th Anniversary Toro, site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co. and Smokingpipes have them for sale on their respective websites.