This morning I smoked an El Pulpo Robusto Grande by Artesano Del Tobacco for review. You can see my thoughts on it here. Cliff notes: It was good. Full bodied and flavored. Strength kick towards the end. This cigar comes from Tabacalera AJ Fernandez. AJ is a huge name in the industry and has been for many years now. He makes a lot of cigars for a lot of companies, and his own cigars are quite popular in their own right. I would argue he may be the most well known blender at this point in time.
His name is often tied to the cigars he works on, for example, Artesano Del Tobacco puts his name on their boxes and brands like Hoyo and Montecristo have their “by Aj Fernandez” lines.
When you are getting more into cigar smoking and trying various things, I strongly urge people to figure out who blended (or at least what factory produced) the cigars you enjoy and don’t enjoy. Oftentimes blenders and factories have “signature flavors” or styles. For me, AJ Fernandez’s signature flavor/style is full flavor and strength cigars with plenty of earth and pepper. One of my favorite blenders/manufacturers is Edgar Julian Sued. I consider his signature to be citrus and spices.
If you can identify which blenders/manufacturers your tastes are aligned, or misaligned with, you can set yourself up for better smoking experiences moving forward. Now, these flavors and styles don’t always hold true. Sometimes a blender can surprise you - think how the Sobremesa Brulee from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust compares to every other cigar he blends. Sometimes you have to look a little deeper at the blend details as well to see patterns. For my Edgar Julian Sued exemple, I find those signature flavors to be pretty universal across most of his blends, HOWEVER, if it is a maduro I also always look for coffee notes and if it is a connecticut I always look for vegetal earthiness.
What are some of your favorite blenders and their signature flavors/styles?
Take care,
Trevor