Días de Gloria Brazil Toro

Tributes are one of my common themes for cigars, whether to a person, a place, or an event. In the case of the Días de Gloria line, it’s a tribute to cigars from more than 60 years ago.

The name of the line translates as days of glory, and is a reference to the cigars that Abdel A.J.” Fernández’s father, Ismael, would smoke in Cuba in the days before Fidel Castro took power. The original Días de Gloria is a Nicaraguan puro using tobacco from four of AJ Fernandez’s farms in the Estelí region. The line debuted in 2016 then disappeared for a few years, returning in August 2019.

In early 2024, AJ Fernandez gave Días de Gloria its first extension, the Días de Gloria Brazil.

As the name would suggest, the blend features Brazilian tobacco, specifically a mata fina wrapper leaf, while the binder and fillers come from AJ Fernandez’s farms in Nicaragua. The line is produced at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelî and offered in five box-pressed sizes:

• Días de Gloria Brazil Corona (6 1/2 x 44) — $14 (Box of 20, $280)
• Días de Gloria Brazil Robusto (5 1/2 x 54) — $14.50 (Box of 20, $290)
• Días de Gloria Brazil Toro (6 1/2 x 54) — $15 (Box of 20, $300)
• Días de Gloria Brazil Figurado (6 1/2 x 52) — $15.50 (Box of 20, $310)
• Días de Gloria Brazil Gordo (6 1/2 x 60) — $16 (Box of 20, $320)

The box press is a departure from the original Días de Gloria line, which is offered in round vitolas.

“Días de Gloria Brazil celebrates the union of two exceptional worlds of tobacco,” said the company in a press release when the cigar was announced in March. “Honoring the rich roots of Brazil and the legacy of Nicaragua, AJ Fernandez captures the soul of traditional influences with this distinct and vibrant blend. While adorned with a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, AJ’s signature Nicaraguan binder & filler remains at the heart of this blend. In crafting this cigar, AJ Fernandez not only pays tribute to the glory days of tobacco but also will create new glory days for every connoisseur.”

• Cigar Reviewed: Días de Gloria Brazil Toro
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Brazil (Mata Fina)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 1/2 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $15 (Box of 20, $300)
• Release Date: May 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

These cigars come in cedar wraps, but due to our measuring process—more on that below—I didn’t get to see those wraps as they were removed to weigh the cigars. So without the cedar, three things stand out about the Días de Gloria Brazil Toro when I take the first cigar out of its cellophane: the dark color that the wrapper has, how that dark shade contrasts with the gold and green on the bands, and how clean the box press is. On the whole, all three cigars look good visually: well-constructed and sporting wrappers with even coloring and no prominent veins. In terms of density, few box-pressed cigars get called firm and this is no exception. That unique density is a result of the need to have a bit less tobacco in the filler to facilitate the press. If anything, the Días de Gloria Brazil Toro is one of the softer box-pressed cigars I can recall, not feeling squishy or underfilled but with a pillowy density that allows for some give. The foot has an aroma that is initially light, creamy, and airy, then turns honey-like for a moment before quickly introducing a peppery tingle in my nostrils that is surrounded by dry wood. The cold draw has a touch of creaminess but not much behind that other than a bit of dry tobacco leaves. Airflow is smooth in the first cigar, a bit open in the second, and near ideal in the third, with just a bit of friction from the bunch.

The Días de Gloria Brazil Toro starts with plumes of smoke, a creamy undertone in the flavor, and then an explosion of pepper and spice on retrohales that takes the leading role in the experience. One cigar reminds me of a packet of red chili pepper flakes that I put on a slice of pizza the other day in how it adds the same topline sensation and one cigar gets to be a bit too much for me to truly enjoy. Creaminess increases in the flavor, and while I find myself drawn to retrohales, I intentionally skip them to get a better feel for the flavor, and I’m surprised by how mild it is given the liveliness of retrohales. There is some building flavor as the first third progresses, some puffs have more of an earthy aspect, others have more of a cardboard sensation, while touches of black pepper are consistent. But if I had to put a ratio to what’s driving the experience in the first third of the first cigar, I’d say 80 percent is the retrohale and 20 percent is the flavor on my taste buds. If retrohaling and counting that as part of the flavor, there is no doubt this is a full-flavored first third. Without retrohales, it’s more medium in flavor. Body is medium and strength is medium-minus. The cigar flies through the first third with a smooth draw, creating puffs that push the burn line evenly up the cigar’s body. Smoke production remains very good.

The second third keeps the retrohales lively and vibrant, though maybe a tick less intense than they were at the start of the cigar. The flavor stays fairly mild, though the creaminess is building in flavor and thickening in texture as the Días de Gloria Brazil Toro progresses, with those same supporting notes that taste like earthiness and almond. Around the midway point, the retrohales become a bit more concentrated and not as much like fireworks in my nostrils in the sense of hitting seemingly every receptor they can find and instead hitting with more of a blunt punch. There’s still more evolution of the creaminess on my taste buds, and I’m enjoying how it has turned into a melted vanilla ice cream sensation, both for its flavor and for how it serves as a counterbalance to the spiciness. A touch of char comes in as this section comes to a close, giving the profile a new sharpness. Like with the first third, retrohaling keeps this in full-flavor territory, while skipping them has it more medium-plus. Body is medium-full and strength is medium. Construction remains very good, though the ash could be a bit more durable.

Just when I think the creaminess had peaked in the Días de Gloria Brazil Toro, a bit more comes out at the final third of the gets going. While the flavor was quite mild in the first third, it has done an impressive job building itself up since, though it still pales in comparison to the intensity of the retrohales, which are still the story of the Días de Gloria Brazil Toro for me though, packing far more flavor and sensation. I get a touch of sweetness in the profile, somewhat floral but thick and syrupy, reminding me of grenadine for a puff or two. The black pepper tingles my tongue more in this section, adding a fairly new physical sensation as the cigar approaches its conclusion. The cigar finishes full in flavor, medium-full in body and medium-plus in strength. Construction is very good with no problems, plenty of smoke, an easy draw and no combustion issues.

Final Notes

• If retrohales aren’t you’re thing, particularly spicy and peppery retrohales, this might be a cigar to skip. I think they’re integral to the full experience, but they come with a level of intensity and stimulation that even experienced nostrils will find challenging at times.
• The speed at which the Días de Gloria Brazil Toro burns is notable, as there are times when it feels like a normal puff advances the burn line a few millimeters more than average and certain thirds are over much more quickly than I would expect.
• There is definitely some nicotine strength in the Días de Gloria Brazil Toro; it’s not knock-you-over strong, but I could feel it kicking in at various points in each cigar as well as at the finish of each.

• As mentioned above, the cedar wraps were removed so we could measure and weigh the cigars. On the first cigar, a piece of the wrapper came off with the cedar wrap. It appears that the cedar is held in place by both tape and some sort of adhesive.
• Additionally, for the four cigars that were measured—the damaged first one was discarded—only one of the cedar wraps could be described as easy to remove. Two required the use of a knife to cut the tape.
• All three cigars felt lighter than average, and I don’t know if that played a part, but the ash had good structure but poor durability, frequently breaking off randomly and landing on my desk.

• The company lists these as a 6 1/2 x 54 toro. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
• Final smoking time was about two hours on average.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co. and Famous Smoke Shop carry the Días de Gloria Brazil Toro.