Pre-light Experience

The AJ Fernandez Last Call has a smooth, semi-oily, Colorado maduro wrapper. The veins are fairly invisible and pressed tight. The foot is semi enclosed and head finished off with a well applied triple cap. The cigars bunching feels uniform and tight with no soft spots. Pre-light wrapper aroma of sharp cedar, barnyard and flowery perfume. Foot aroma of namely barnyard and sneezing white pepper. Cold draw notes of dry cardboard, natural sweet tobacco and lip tingly white pepper.

First Third

First thirds flavor profile consists of dry biscuits, marzipan, flower like perfume, soft white pepper and lightly charred wood. Good medium to medium full tannins on the palate providing lightly charred wood and cedar. Through the retrohale, escalated white pepper and cedar. The finish lingers with slight bitterness and slightly toasted wood. Within the entire first third, body and strength is at a solid medium.

Second Third

Second thirds flavor profile starts off with the same dry biscuits and marzipan. The flower like perfume as well as bitterness is no longer present. The sharp cedar and charred wood is intensified creating a more earthy and rustic flavor profile. The finish is now namely charred wood. Roughly half way through the second third, the sweetness is noticeably amplified, playing off the sharp cedar nicely. Also at this point, the strength has crept to a medium full, leaving a slight haziness in my head. The body is still at a solid medium.

Final Third

Last thirds flavor profile is dialed back quite a bit leaving mainly magnified bitterness, slight cream and charred wood. The strength is still at a medium full and body at a solid medium. The complexities and transition of the first two thirds is non existent, leaving just a rustic earthy profile.

Burn

Burn rate was slow and uniform. It took a relaxing 100 minutes to smoke the cigar. All leaves burned in unison without ever needing a touch up or re-light. Burn line was almost picture perfect. In terms of ash, ash marks averaging one inches of solid chunks.

Draw

The draw was simply amazing. Just the perfect amount of give and effortless draws. All cigars should draw like this example.

Overall

Another AJ cigar out of his signature brands worth picking up a few of. This cigar reminded me of being back at AJ’s White House in Esteli lounging with awesome brothers of the leaf. A technically great performing cigar with some good complexity build ups and transitions (minus the last third). But given the 100 minutes of smoking time for this “last call,” I will light this one up during half time.

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.53

Cost/Point

$0.77

Scoring System