Cigar: AJ Fernandez Días de Gloria
Size: Corona
Smoke time: 1 hours, 15 minutes
I am a huge fan of a nice cold matcha latte. I know, I know, many will say, Oh this drink is a fad. Or how can you drink something that tastes like grass?! For me, however, the smooth creaminess, lovely aroma, delicious earthiness of the flavor profile and refreshing body are simply unparalleled.
I started with the drink because I love pairing cigars with drinks, and lately I found the ultimate cigar to pair with my honey matcha almond milk latte: the AJ Fernandez Días De Gloria Brazil. OH MY LORD, what a match made in heaven!
Días de Gloria means “Days of Glory” in Spanish and pays homage to the pre-embargo days of cigar making in AJ’s native Cuba. When I tried this cigar during the AJF international distributor convention in Bratislava last summer, it was love at first retrohale. I took a couple of puffs and was hit by an explosion of utter deliciousness.
In all of my reviews and discussions I carry out with our clients in the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region we always shy away from mentioning flavor profiles as different palates simply taste differently. What you can smell and taste today may not be the same next week depending on time, mood, food, drink, climate, etc. Of course, you can compare your previous experiences, but without stressing your senses on what they should or should not taste and smell.
As you may already know, recently the AJF factory suffered a bad fire and I want to mention to Abdel and the whole AJF family and team that I’m grateful no one was hurt and to congratulate them on the quick turnaround to production mode. This, if anything, shows the strength of the company. It also beautifully demonstrates how the industry came together to support AJF in its time of need.
As for the cigar, while not attempting to condition your palate, the first third of the Días de Gloria had a smooth yet intriguing start with lots of smoke, intense creaminess and spice and pepper on the retrohale. This may sound harsh but, no, it was sublime and almost to perfection while being a full-strength, full-body cigar. For me, this is an oxymoron, as it felt like a rough-looking Olympic bodybuilder with the best of manners and kindest of approach. I mean, you look at the dark Mata Fina wrapper and you cannot help but think this cigar is a tough one that will nauseate the stomach and spin the head. Yet instead, you experience a creaminess that adds incredible smoothness to the retrohale.
In the second third, the cigar begins to chill and becomes a more normal smoke. For me, though, it is already too late as I am hooked to the creaminess of the retrohale and I can’t seem to let go of that great sensation on the nose while my eyes are asking for mercy. I proceed to ignore my tearing eyes as this is just too good. At this stage, the cigar becomes closer to medium in strength and body but maintains that amazingly rich smoke with hints of vanilla, infused wood and toast sprinkled with subtle earthy sweetness.
In the final third, the construction remains at its best, and the cigar is getting even more delicious with no aggressive cigar-end tones. Rather, I am getting more creaminess that goes so well with my matcha and the amazing hints of chocolate and caramel encourage me to continue to retrohale this cigar while enjoying the sweetness on the tongue. I ended up smoking it till the nub, put a toothpick through it and was about to chew the tobacco!
There is no doubt that this is a strong cigar with all that this entails, but as I mentioned, it is a cigar with manners and not a rude nicotine awakening. Overall, it is delicious with great construction and I would strongly recommend it.
– Review by Ra’ed Saqfelhait, co-founder of The Leaf Master in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
This story first appeared in PCA The Magazine, Volume 2, 2025. To receive a copy of this magazine, you must be a current PCA member. Join or renew today at premiumcigars.org/membership.