Cigar Review - AJ Fernandez New World Belicoso

[herman]

Price: $6
Dimensions: 5.5" 55
Orign: Nicaraguan
Humidor: 68% rh
Burn Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

First Impressions and Construction:
This being my second AJ, I was a bit skeptical. I have only had the UHC which I enjoyed, but found it to be a little rough around
the edges and bitter for my taste. I was excited to try another AJ blend to see how it would compare.

Label: The label was impressive with a nice anitque appearance. Intricate designs were printed
along the edge, and it gifted me several shiny metallic coins along the sides and bottom. I can only guess this is a
tribute to our tobacco heritage, with Christopher Columbus and a Native by his side.

Cigar: The cigar was neatly wrapped in a box pressed shape with a thin distinct vein, that wasn't distracting but pleasant
to look at with some neat symmetry. The wrapper was a dark brown with a slightly toothy texture and appeared to almost have a
fine brown dust that made it feel like velvet or felt. The cap had some jagged edges, but overall, appeared to be well constructed.
When I smelled the cigar, it gave off a sweet scent that reminded me of chocolate and cedar.

Prelight: I was skeptical because my cut revealed what appeared to be very tightly packed tobacco, but surprisingly the draw was perfect.
The prelight tasted of sweet tobacco with a hint of cedar.

Lighting: I was a little concerned because it took a little effort to get going. Not too bad but with a couple toasts it was on its way.

Burn: The burn was pretty straight throughout. It opened up a little crooked but required no touch ups and corrected itself. The burn line
mimicked the gentle waves in the background of the label, but I was surprised at how straight it held through the smoke. Burn time was 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Flavor:

1st Third: The cigar opened up a little warm. The smoke was light and didn't seem to have much flavor. My skepticism was growing at this point.
After another puff, the smoke really took off and cooled down. The cigar was producing a good quantity of smoke and I could tell right off the
bat this was a Nicaraguan tobacco since I tasted that Nicaraguan quality I get in many. This was a good sign. The flavor really started to open
up more, and pretty soon I realized how complex this smoke was. There was a good balance of pepper and sweetness to help refine it, and
a good woody flavor was in the mix along with coffee. The pepper gave it a little bite, but it was gentle. Maybe it could be described
better as a nip, but it was definitely a smooth delivery and I found the contrast to be a perfect balance. Continuing my way through
the 1st third, the coffee, cedar, oak, and pepper mixe offered a nice blend, but what really did it for me was the earthy nuances that
took it to a new level of complexity. There was a grassy flavor to it, but not one of fresh clippings, rather it reminded me of my days as
a kid exploring the woods. For a second there, I caught a subtle murkiness that reminded me of walking alongside a river with
a muddy bank. It was very subtle, and I wasn't certain if it was coming from the scent or from the wrapper. Maybe my imagination was even running away from me? It did concern me at first, because I have had cigars with a burning muddy consistency that were very unpleasant, but despite this tempting me to expect past catastrophe, the cool smoke, and smooth delivery and consistency kept everything in check and it was a very pleasant experience. The coffee flavor was slowly giving into a more wood like taste of cedar and oak and the the pepper was slowly dissipating. Near the end of the 1st third, the wood followed the pepper out the door, and was replaced with a sweet chocolate for 10 minutes or so.

2nd Third: While I took my picture about 10 minutes too early, the 2nd third really shifted. The coffee, chocolate and pepper were pretty much absent.
I was very surprised to find the 2nd third in a way I can only describe as feral or animal like. I wouldn't describe it as barnyard, manure, or hay, but
there was a good gamey animal quality to it. Perhaps the best way I can describe it, is being on horseback. The grassy taste was still
there and there was some lingering cedar in the background. The entire 2nd third pretty much stayed the same and it made the cigar even more interesting.

Last 3rd: The horse like taste was gone. The coffee and pepper were back. In fact where I thought the first third had a perfect balance of coffee
and pepper, allowing the cigar to accommodate people that enjoy a touch of pepper, but dislike pepper bombs, I felt the last third stepped it up a notch and challenged my tolerance for it. It wasn't overpowering, but the pepper was definitely back, and stronger. The coffee and earthy flavor took the backseat and kept the smoke enjoyable. The smoke was starting to get a little hotter, but just as I thought this, it's like the cigar was reading my mind and eased on the brakes, slowing the burn down and the smoke immediately cooled back down. The remaining last third, pretty much continued its pepper, coffee, earthy finish and left me satisfied. The nicotine was more on the medium side, and the smoke started off a little lighter, but picked up from the first third and held on to the finish line.

Final Thoughts:
I am very impressed! This cigar was fun! I had several split seconds, where I would raise my eyebrow towards it, but it always came around
and surprised me, making me feel guilty for ever questioning it. Like I said, it had a very slight nip to it here and there, but I found this welcoming because it was certainly gentle enough and gave the cigar more personality. It was far smoother than my expectations from the UHC and probably much smoother than many cigars I have had. It maintained itself throughout with a smooth pleasant delivery and wide range of complexity with interesting shifts. I wasn't anticipating this much potential. There was really nothing unpleasant about this smoke. I felt that it was leaps and bounds better than the UHC, and will happily purchase more.

Is it Box Worthy: Yes

[CoachDread]

Outstanding review! Thanks!

[herman]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. First review, and I already caught some annoying eyesores. I think I used the word "really" a dozen times so went back and edited it. I vow to not use that word once on my next review. I also tried using a different camera but for some reason that sunlight just wouldn't cooperate with the label. I'll try to not rush my next review before I gotta leave to get somewhere next time.