Overall, the H. Upmann 175th Anniversary was average throughout. I was looking forward to this specially fermented wrapper, but it was run over by the typical AJ Fernandez flavor profile which was disappointing. The flavor profile and price will likely steer me away from revisiting. I'd love to see this wrapper used by another blender just to see what it could do.
It is great to see the Don Lino Africa Duma back, and it is a solid cigar, but I would have loved to see more Cameroon in the blend. I would love to get a little bit more Africa in a cigar that revolves around the continent. With that being said, solid and enjoyable flavors in the first and second third with a slight bit of harshness in the end.
The Trinidad Espiritu Series No. 1 Toro started out quite promising in the first third. Unfortunately, the second and last thirds lacked the same flavor complexity, resulting in an overall average experience.
The Artesano Del Tobacco Viva La Vida Toro had an overall decent showing. I enjoyed the first third the most as there was a great balance of sweetness, earth and spice. Past that point, the profile was more earth derived. Special shout out to the amazing perfection in burn and draw performance.
Overall, I felt the Punch Diablo Scamp was fairly average. For people that are a fan of AJ and like darker, fuller strength cigars, they may find an enjoyable experience. When I'm in the mood for something dark and fuller strength, I'd prefer something with a better flavor profile, so this cigar probably isn't something I'd return to with any frequency.
It shows tons of sweetness and spice. You are getting those noticeable oaky flavors along with those sweet Sherry flavors. The Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask Robusto is enjoyable on it's own, but I think it was meant to be smoked with some bourbon.
The Diesel Hair of the Dog Toro is by no means a bad cigar, but I wish they had continued with the bourbon barrel aged/sherry cask theme of their first and latest cigars. It would have been cool to have some of that tobacco in the filler with the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. Overall, a decent flavor profile that lacked some complexity and transitioning from start to finish.
The Hoyo de Monterrey HOYO La Amistad Black Rothschild is unbalanced and dominated by almost overwhelming pepper, until the final third where it's dominated by almost overwhelming earth. I don't have the requisite tobacco experience to determine whether the issue is with the tobacco, or the blending, but my experience tells me that the tobacco wasn't ready when the cigar was produced.
Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask is a cigar with epic depth and sublime flavor. Developed by Justin Andrews, blended by AJ Fernandez and handcrafted at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Esteli, Diesel Whiskey Row Sherry Cask features Nicaraguan-aged tobaccos cultivated on three continents.
The AJ Fernandez New World Cameroon Double Robusto brought more strength than I was expecting, but the fullness of flavor kept up. I felt like it was a prototypical AJ blend, really didn't showcase Cameroon at all and probably not something I'm eager to revisit.
