Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5 x 50 Robusto
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $10.29
Date Released: June 5, 2026
Quantity Released: Regular Production
Factory: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A.

My cigars received 2+ months of naked humidor time.

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
I’ve planned on reviewing this cigar for week or so and then I saw that Halfwheel reviewed it on Aug. 18. Well, dang me. Whittington gave it an 89 which in HW terms is my 95. I think…maybe not.

There have been several reviews of the Maduro, and they are all over the place from a high thumbs up to meh. When a cigar hits the inconsistent reaction status, it does not bode well.

It’s an AJ blend. Which might explain the dissonance in the crowd sourcing. Especially since there is no background info available for the type of Nicaraguan tobacco. Not even alluding that it might be special but undisclosed.

The cigar is a rough cob of swelling, contusions, bulges, veins, and a brindle coloration. It smells very nice with notes of chocolate, organic sweetness that waffles between dark plum and rich earthiness, cedar, and malted creaminess.

My ramrod partner, PerfecPunch, is at the ready. There is a squeal as I insert the rotary blade into the cap. There is a tiny aperture on my PP that translates to a once high stepping penis aggrandizement. But now, it is merely a eunuch in the service of the lord.

The cold draw is black tea, black licorice, dark chocolate, gravelly earth, creamy fried butter, and sweet cedar.

There’s always a 50/50 chance that if once it is lit it can turn the vivid appeal from both the burning ember and the taste of warm wrapper into a long-lasting event. I don’t keep record of what I smoke or my opinions. I know so many of you take special care to document everything. I’m just too fucking lazy. I suppose if I was a serious cigar smoker instead of the village idiot, I might behave more constructively.

The combination of laziness and old age is the main reason for calling it quits in 2026. I’ve always been a lazy man. I leave everything till the last minute. It takes an enormous amount of grit and rotundity to get me started writing a review. But then once I start, I usually don’t have an issue belaboring the point. Many times, a review is my first time with the object of my attention. I skirt the obvious and read other reviews to see if the blend is worthy of my begrudged drudgery. I have nothing in common with other reviewers in so many ways. The main one is that I’m a dashing swashbuckler, and they have faces for radio. And yet, every man jack of them have podcasts.

A chocolate candy bar with nuts. And a penis. But no buttocks. The blend is all AJ. I’ve been here a million times as the first half inch descends into the depths of hell. Or in Esperanto, “Lagume didgeridoo cornholio.” I very much liked the original Johnny Tobacconaut. I gave it 93. The original Johnny Tobacconaut in 2015 was terrible. Truthfully, I am not a fan of Room 101. The blends are ordinary. Which might explain why my encounter with Matt Booth at a lounge event in 2017 did not go well. I am a fan of the Room 101 Matt Booth’s Face Golden Egg. I love the name. It is extremely difficult to find these cigars. Alex Gougher at Cigar Page turned me onto them. The problem has been I keep buying them and smoking them all before I have a chance to put quill to parchment. A medium strength cigar made of a Connie wrapper with Dominican binder and filler. And around $14 per cigar…except at CP. Let’s see how the Maduro goes before I begin a rant on the Golden Egg.
The first inch is history. This could be any decent AJ blend. The excellent start has reverted to civil discourse and yet not wholly exceptional. There’s time.

My buddy, Tyler Jeffery (Viso Horny) worked at a local B&M in Milwaukee and was always a good hang. He knew how I felt about Room 101. He invited me to the event hosted by Booth. I got there midafternoon and not a soul in the place except for Booth. He glad handed me. Asked my name. And then I watched his face drop. I swear he wanted to take a swat at me.

Because of the strength of this cigar, I chose to smoke it after lunch. Always a good test to see how a blend cuts through the detritus of food in the belly. Creaminess makes an entry. The chocolatiness is enhanced. Spiciness is tame. Which allows the depth, if any, to show itself.

Transitions are minimal. I’m thinking of Peter Tork and I have no idea why.

While promoting the Eddie Munster project, we shared a bill with ex-Monkees Tork. At the end of the evening, we traded tee shirts. I didn’t bother to have him sign it, so it is basically worthless. I still have the shirt, but I’d need to lose 30lbs for it to fit. I did check on eBay and even if signed, the shirt might be worth $35.

The first half was pedestrian. Pick an AJ cigar. Any cigar. I’ll wait.

I was jovial with Booth but he could barely hide his disdain for me. I chose to discuss jewelry because Booth sells bawdy ugly jewelry to the hip-hop crowd. And as a young man, I designed and made jewelry the hard way through lapidary and lost wax. He was drawn in, but not happily. All this time, and no one was showing up for the event. I could see him seething that he was stuck with me. I was having a grand time. I didn’t know at the time that he was a Marine with experience in martial arts. I might have run from the place had I known. He allowed me to live.

I’ve seen smokers on social media rave on about this cigar. I don’t get it.
HW found a gabillion flavors. For me, there are only trace elements at hand. If I was smoking for fun and not critiquing it, I’d find zero flavor points. The only thing I taste is creamy chocolate, mild nuttiness, cedar, malt, and cedar.

HW and I are both reviewing the cigar just 2 months after its release. And here is that crowd source inconsistency. Everyone tastes something different and comes away with different opinions. I hate that. Are the cigars different? Is there unevenness in the blending? The rolling? Who knows.

The second third finds some tasty citrus. Candied lemon peel. Or a day-old yellow Peep.

I bet that I am the only living cigar reviewer who Barbra Streisand kissed on the cheek. I’m not implying that there are any dead ones…just a figure of speech.

I get an unpleasant Vicks VapoRub flavor. The cigar has taken a dip from pleasant to WTF.

This is only my second Maduro whose first one was non-descript. I had hoped that another month in the pit might help. It has not.

The last third goes belly up.

I remind you of my recommendation of the Room 101 Matt Booth’s Face Golden Egg. A good mild/medium cigar that Cigar Page sells for 20% below the $14 price tag…if you can find them.

RATING: 81

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