Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the soft rectangle pressed AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto is medium brown and has some lightly raised veins. The seams are raised and the caps have some wrinkled edges. There are three bands, with the primary carrying the traditional design for the line with a dark blue and old color combination. The secondary band carries the same colors and denotes the sub-line and the years being celebrated. The foot has a gold and black band with the company name. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of cedar and cereal while the foot brings cedar, bread, earth and some spice. The pre-light draw brings creamy cedar along with light floral and earth notes and there is a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto is a great looking cigar. The gold and blue coloring of the bands pops against the soft maduro wrapper, and the Mexican wrapper has a nice milk chocolate coloring. The wrapper is smooth and oily throughout with some small bits of tooth. The cigar is firm in hand and delivers aromas of rich earth, spices, leather, tobacco and coffee. The wrapper and foot aromas are similar.
John: The AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto comes in cellophane and features a UPC sticker with cigar information and an integrated tear space, which unfortunately rips when the cellophane is opened. The cigar sports a primary New World band, a secondary Decenio band and an AJ Fernandez foot band. For artisanal complications, the cigar has a medium-firm box press shape. I weighed the cigar at 14.3 grams and measured the humidity with the Humidimeter Pro at 60.6%. Aromas from the wrapper included intense raisin and sweet tobacco, with wood and faint earth underneath. From the foot, I could pick out sweet tobacco and wood.
Jiunn: The AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto has an even Colorado wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas tell of heavy cedar and trailing barnyard.

AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted oak, earth, black pepper and a bit of cocoa powder. At a quarter inch in, a light creaminess joins the profile. The retrohale is toasted oak, earth, zingy black pepper and light creaminess. At an inch in, the black pepper mellows a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is just ahead of the earth, with black pepper in the middle of the profile and some cocoa powder and creaminess in the background. The strength was slightly above medium.
Seth: The first third begins with a lovely spice, coffee and cocoa flavor profile. Earth and tobacco notes are present with the cigar, and the finish has this herbal and barnyard profile. Bits of leather as well. Medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first third begins with pepper followed by creamy earth as the earth and dry wood combine into the post draw. Pepper intensity climbs quickly up to medium-full strength. As the first third continues, the pepper recedes to somewhere between light-plus and medium-minus, with a heavier influence lingering through the post draw. Chocolate moves into the retrohale as the cigar progresses to the halfway point of the first third.
Jiunn: The first third has a very familiar earthy core with cedar, natural sweetness and tannins from mixed nuts, and mild dry red pepper spice. Retrohaling provides sharper dried red pepper spice and cedar. The finish is on the rear palate with lingering cedar and dirt soil. Strength and body is medium.

AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper mellows a bit more and the creaminess departs the profile. At a half inch in, the cocoa powder departs and the earth becomes pretty dry. The retrohale is now toasted oak, dry earth and mild black pepper. At an inch in, the black pepper is now pretty mellow. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is just ahead of the dry earth with black pepper in the back half. The strength dropped down to medium.
Seth: The second third is in line with the first. Spices with coffee and cocoa are on the cigar. Bits of earth with an herbal, leather, and barnyard profile. Like before, medium to medium-full in strength and body. Balanced.
John: The second third gets going with a combination of creamy pepper, sweet tobacco and wood. Mild dry wood carries the profile into the post draw. As the second third settles in, wood moves to the forefront of the profile with pepper acting as an accent note. Some earth joins the finish as the cigar approaches the end of the second third.
Jiunn: The second third’s pepper spice has settled down, especially on the retrohale. There’s also higher levels of dirt soil earthiness with less sweetness. Body stays medium but strength ramps to medium-full.

AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper picks back up a bit. The retrohale remains toasted oak, dry earth and mild black pepper. At three quarters of an inch in, the dry earth becomes even with the toasted oak up front. At an inch and a quarter, a decent level of minerality and vegetal bitterness join in. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted oak and dry earth are even up front, with the minerality and vegetal bitterness a bit ahead of the middle of the profile and the black pepper just behind the middle of the profile. The strength bumped back up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third is in line with the first and second. Spices with coffee, cocoa and herbal qualities are present with the cigar. Nice touches of cocoa with coffee, leather and earth are also present with some mineral and spice qualities on the finish. Like the first two thirds, medium to medium-full in strength and body.
John: The final third opens with earth leading the profile, as a combination of loamy earth and wood make up the finish. As the last third settles in, earth moves up to medium strength and becomes the dominant driver of the flavor profile. Some bitterness enters the finish by the halfway point of the final third.
Jiunn: The final third mimics the second third with the same higher earthiness in dirt soil, tapered red pepper spice and sweetness. Strength and body remains medium-full and medium, respectively.

AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout and the ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: The burn was perfect from start to finish.
John: The burn was razor straight through the entire review process.
Jiunn: AJ greatness in burn, as it was even, tight ashes and cool burning temperatures.

AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: The draw was perfect throughout the cigar.
John: I measured the draw at 30 inches of water with the CigarMedics Draw Machine. Subjectively, I found the draw to be perfect and right in the ideal range.
Jiunn: AJ greatness in draw as well, providing the ideal air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted oak, earth, black pepper and a bit of cocoa powder. Some light creaminess joined a bit later, then the black pepper mellowed a bit. The second third saw the pepper mellow some more and the creaminess departed. Later, the cocoa powder departed and the earth became pretty dry. The pepper became pretty mellow as well. The final third saw the pepper pick back up a bit and the earth became even with the toasted oak up front. Later, a decent level of minerality and vegetal bitterness joined in. Construction was absolutely perfect. The AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto had a nice start, with full flavor and was full bodied. As the second third began, the body mellowed a fair amount and components began dropping out, creating a fairly average profile and it remained that way for the rest of the cigar. It was like a switch got flipped as the second third began and all of the good components of the profile were drained out. Pretty disappointing as it was doing well up to that point. I wouldn’t see this as a cigar to come back to unless the others experienced a more consistent profile of what I experienced early on.
Seth: The AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto is a nice blend that captures that Mexican and Central American flavor profile. There is a nice cocoa and rich earth profile with some leather, tobacco, herbal and spice notes. There is balance with a nice level of complexity. The construction is perfect from start to finish, and it is an approachable cigar for many smokers. It’s not as good as Dorado, but a solid release, nonetheless. I would be curious to see the tobacco breakdown with this blend. I feel like the filler blend is much more Nicaraguan focused, but the Honduran tobacco has its place.
John: The AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto delivered an enjoyable start with bold pepper and creamy earth before settling into a more balanced mix of wood, chocolate and sweet tobacco. The profile lost some of its complexity in the second third, as wood began to dominate. By the final third, the cigar leaned heavily into earthy and bitter notes, detracting from the overall balance. Excellent construction and perfect draw helped keep the experience pleasant despite the tapering flavor performance. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 58 minutes.
Jiunn: I love the the name of the AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto because it nails down what I expect to taste after the brand being around for a decade/decenio. It’s the same winning formula for AJ where there is high levels of earthiness core with amazing construction. See you in the next decade.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.05

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.05

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$2.17

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$2.17

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: AJ Fernandez New World Decenio Robusto