AJ Fernandez Enclave Toro Cigar Review

This week on The Cigar Authority we will be smoking the Enclave by AJ Fernandez. Yes, tomorrow on the show we will be sharing our thoughts, but I’ve been asked by a growing number of people to put up a review of the cigar we are smoking the day before the show airs live. I’m not really sure why, but it’s as good of a choice as any on the Friday in December.

Cigar Review: Enclave by AJ Fernandez
Wrapper: Ecuador Rosado
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Size: Toro

The Look: The Enclave comes packaged in wooden boxes that holds 2 rows of 10 cigars. The artwork is Native American based, and has the feel of an older cigar brand. There is a secondary band that denotes AJ Fernandez. The Rosado wrapper as one would expect has a reddish hue to it with a fair amount of oils. It’s virtually flawless with only a few thin veins. The cigar has a closed foot, and feels firm in the hand with no soft spots.

The Notes: The cold draw of the Enclave is very delicate, none of the notes really dominate but they are easy to identify. There are subtle notes of cocoa, cedar and red pepper flakes. The foot of the cigar is closed but there is subtle floral aroma and cedar. Once the cigar is lit the first note is chocolate with hints of cedar.

Smoking the first third of the cigar the chocolate note slides into the background as cedar becomes dominant with a touch of red pepper as well. As we dive deeper into the portion of the cigar some nuttiness begins to develop as well. The finish was moderate in length at this point with a woodsy aroma and pepper on the retrohale.

In the second third of the cigar the pepper continues to develop as cedar remains dominant. Around the halfway point of the cigar it is matched with nuttiness that eventually surpassed the wood notes. There is still some subtle nuttiness and chocolate but they serve as an afterthought on the prolonged finish of the cigar. The retrohale becomes heavy on red pepper.

Moving on to the final third, some notes of cinnamon begin to develop on the finish of the cigar that dominates the palate with notes of wood. Some nuttiness remains on the long finish with an abundance of red pepper on the retrohale.

The Finish: AJ Fernandez continues to make great cigars, none of which meet the predicate date. With FDA Regulations in place this is one company that has a lot to lose if premium cigars don’t find the exemption they need. AJ Fernandez owns his own farms where countless people work. He owns his own factory where countless people are employed. Then here stateside they have their own sales reps and distribution. Not only will these great cigars disappear without FDA approval, it could cost over 1,000 people their jobs. Our Enclave needs to survive, it’s an Enclave I am proud to be a part of.

Score: 90
Price: $7.29 / $128.99