Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (Jalapa, Condega, and Esteli)
Size: 6.5 x 55 “Oval”
Body: Full
Price: $7.00 (No Longer Available)

This is the last of the bunch. About 6 months ago, CI and cigar.com sold an 8 pack of AJ Fernandez sticks that were not only huge, but all in the oval shape made famous by his San Lotano Oval.

I only bought one set so this is a first and only try at it.

Turning the 5.5 x 56 torpedo Diesel Unholy Cocktail into a big oval may or may not have an effect on the flavor. But since this cigar is over 6 months old, I’m sure I’m in for a treat; as I am a big fan of Fernandez.

I did search for this cigar and it appears no one reviewed this stick. So I used the stats on the original stick here.

The cigar has held up well. Solid as a rock. A rustic look with lots of veins and odd looking seams. Clearly, this was a difficult cigar to roll.
I sniff and detect hay, spice, wood, leather, cocoa, and coffee.

I use my huge stainless 4 hole cutter and get a very nice V cut and light up.

Immediately, I get a wallop of pepper. And following that, some leather and wood. It is extremely earthy and rich. And the smoke just spews like a house fire. The draw is flawless. And the char line is dead nuts.

Clearly, with this size cigar, it is going to take me 2 hours to smoke so since I smoke and write at the same time, I will be back and forth. Otherwise, this review will be as long as the Gutenberg Bible.

The CB wrapper is as close to being black and still not being black, as possible. Photos are going to be a bitch…and fairly uninteresting since that band was at the foot.

The body starts off as classic medium. So my guess, it will stay this until the last third or will get down and dirty quickly. We shall see.
There is a nuttiness to it; like burnt almond. The cigar has a matte finish with just a hint of oil. The photos I’ve seen of the current stick show a black, very oily cigar. This stick is nowhere near that aesthetic. There is also a sweetness that lingers in the background. As I am only half an inch in, it may take a while to come to the surface.

I’m puffing, I’m puffing. Note: Diesel was AJ’s first cigar under his own name in 2009. Obviously, he built his reputation on this cigar and then followed up with a glut of extraordinary blends.

It is at the 1” mark now and the earthiness is driving the bus. This has to be the smokiest cigar I’ve smoked. Because this is AJ’s first endeavor, you can go back in history and see how he started on his own. How he developed his later blends to be so refined and luscious.
The ash is very close to white with a few black specks. I like the oval shape. It is by far the most mouth user friendly shape. Easy to chomp on without accidentally spitting it out.

The first third sees an upswing in flavor. Creaminess begins to show. The ash doesn’t hang on very long.

The sweetness is cherry. The Lapin variety, not the Rainier. The Lapin is the dark ruby cherry that most of us eat.

The beginning of the second third pushes the earthiness back and the creaminess is definitely out front; but now combined with stronger cocoa and coffee components. The coffee is actually stronger than the cocoa which is odd coming from so much Nicaraguan leaves. The aging process may have had something to do with this.

At the halfway mark, the coffee turned to a dark espresso. It forced the creaminess to move out of the spotlight. But an inch later, it reverses itself. It seems as if it can’t make up its mind. The creaminess is much better than the bitter espresso. The strength is increasing now. I can feel it in my head and gut.

I begin the last third and the flavors hit their sweet spot. But the cigar is also become intense. It reminds me of La Flor Dominicanas. That deep, dark richness backed by plenty of strength. The spiciness has moved way to the back of the bus. I’m sure this would not be so had the cigar been smoked a month or two after receipt.

The last couple of inches are the most pleasant of this experience. The flavors become brighter. But it is way beyond full bodied now. This sucker is strong and I’m having trouble finishing it.

Since CI and Cigar.com are the only sellers of the Diesel blend, it is clear that this shape is no longer available. I’m guessing, at some point, Fernandez will bring it back. But for now, they are gone with the wind.

And now for something really, really different:

I’ve never told this story to anyone but a few close friends. That is because telling this story makes people think I’m friggin’ nuts. But I had a close encounter of the third kind.

It was 1999. I worked at a place that expected us to start at 6am. I lived about 20 minutes away and it was all freeway.
Naturally, it was dark outside when I left for work. I hadn’t traversed but a few miles when I saw something strange ahead of me, on the left side of the freeway; maybe half a mile up.

As it got closer, I could make out a form. It looked like those old fashioned helicopter clear bubbles from the Korean War. But in this case, all I could see was the bubble. It was like clear glass as it approached, and then I saw a figure inside. But this bubble had no wings or helicopter blades or jet engine or propellers. No outward sense of what propelled this thing. It was just a bit smaller that the size of the helicopter bubble. The figure inside looked like a normal sized man. And it moved slowly as if it were observing the cars on the freeway.

All of a sudden, it did a dive, and a swoop, into traffic. Cars swerved to miss it and luckily no fender benders occurred. The bubble swooped up gracefully and went back to the left side of the freeway hovering above the dirt road. It seemed to be toying with the drivers. Why else would it do this?

It hovered on the road next to the freeway just above us. As I slowed down, I could see the figure inside. But now the glass had an opaque-ness to it and I couldn’t make out specific features of the individual driving this thing. I opened the window to listen and there was no sound coming from it. Nothing. It was deadly quiet. I saw no heat signature emitting from the thing which would identify some sort of propulsion system.

It just hovered about 6 feet off the ground and the figure stared out on to the freeway. I could see enough that it was man-like with a head and I could see it turn. There was enough traffic that I could no longer chug along at 10mph and had to move on. I strained to look in the rear view mirror and watched again as it swooped down on to the freeway, amidst the cars, causing them to swerve. It then doubled back to about 100 yards in front of me. This time, it came at me in the middle lane of a three lane freeway. I slammed on the brakes and it just gracefully, and slowly, swooped up to avoid hitting me about 20 feet from my car.

I grabbed my cell phone and dialed 911. I was all adrenaline. I told the operator what I saw. An alien. In an alien space ship. I asked if any of the air force bases were doing testing and I got a curt, “No” on the other end.

I hit the accelerator to avoid becoming a crash statistic and lost it behind me. All of the vehicles, who barely avoided being rammed into, hit their accelerators to get the hell out of there. I tried to catch up to see if I could get someone to pull over to discuss what happened; but to no avail.

To this day, I have no idea what I saw. Nothing within my scope of knowledge made what I saw identifiable. A bubble with no wings, no jets, no helicopter blades….just a bubble with a man inside. And it did not make a single sound as it maneuvered.

I hoped that the other cars would have reported it. And I listened to the news all day and checked the newspaper the next day. Nothing.
Now you can say, “He’s friggin nuts.”

This photo is the closest thing I could find that is somewhat like what I saw.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS