JC Newman

January 20, 2019

New World Cameroon Selection Toro (6 x 50) w/ Epilogue






Video review HERE.
NOTE: See Epilogue at end of this post for update.


AJ Fernandez Cigars has released its first cigar with a Cameroon wrapper. The cigar will be a new addition to the highly successful New World line called the AJ Fernandez New World Cameroon Selection. The company released information via Cigar Aficionado earlier this week.

In addition to a Cameroon wrapper, the cigar features all-Nicaraguan tobaccos for the binder and filler, including tobaccos from Fernandez’s farms located in EstelĂ­. The cigars will be packaged in 20-count boxes and available in six sizes: Short Robusto, Corona, Robusto, Toro, Churchill, and Torpedo. The pricing is reported to be between $5.00 to $7.00 per cigar.

The New World Cameroon Selection joins the New World, New World Connecticut, and New World Puro Especial as offerings under the New World brand.



Blend and Origin
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua


Vitolas Offered
Short Robusto: 4 x 48
Robusto: 5 1/2 x 54
Corona: 6 x 46
Toro: 6 x 50 REVIEWED TODAY
Torpedo: 6 1/2 x 52
Churchill: 7 x 48



The cigar is box pressed and well made. The wrapper has a slightly greenish hue to the brown. The cigar has an average feel in the hand.





The test draw after cutting the cap was good with a touch of firmness. The initial flavors at light up were a lot of nice, sweet flavors; a citrus/cedar combination, with a lot of brown sugar and caramel, cinnamon, and underlying nutmeg that acts as a nice bridge to the darker notes of black coffee. The black coffee base is just enough to let you know there is something more to the cigar than just sweet flavors. There was nice black pepper which I rated at 7 1/2. The cigar is very sweet at the outset.




At the first third (24 minutes) the cigar is fantastic. It's more than up my alley, it is my alley. The flavors are like they started but they seem to keep blossoming. The citrus/cedar combination has a richness that no doubt comes from the sweet caramel. Add to that the sweet brown sugar and tingly cinnamon. The black pepper seems to be edging up. The cigar is medium bodied. The nutmeg is very creamy. The finish is one of sweet caramel with a nice amount of lingering black pepper; not over the top but a good amount. The cigar is quite impressive and very sweet. I rated the first third at 95.




At the second third (49 minutes) the only thing that's changed is you get more of the coffee notes. They don't hurt the cigar at all. In fact, they put the cigar more in balance. The same great flavors are in play and they are still very sweet. In fact, the citrus/cedar is still there but there is so much sweetness from the caramel and brown sugar you almost don't notice them. The cigar is still medium bodied but it's moving up. The finish is absolutely unchanged; sweet caramel. The pepper is up. I now say it's rated at an 8. The pepper is also up slightly on the finish. You really get nice pepper on the retrohale. I rated the second third at a 95.




The cigar lasted 1 hour 16 minutes. The only major change in the final third is the cigar definitely reached medium to full bodied and it's leaning hard toward full bodied. Great flavors, great finish, great pricepoint. This cigar has it all. With the cigar reaching medium to full bodied I raised the score to 96. These are a no brainer. Go out and gobble them up. This is a fantastic cigar. Loved it. To give these fantastic cigars a try, and you should, go HERE.


Overall Score: 95.33 (1/22/19)
Final Score (Epilogue): 90.5 (3/22/19)

Epilogue:
Since having this cigar in January I was so impressed I ordered a box of the toros. Since then, after having several here and there, I have noticed a troubling point. The cigars seem to be inconsistent. The reviews are done under rigid conditions. I prepare for the review the same way for each cigar. The results shown above and in the video are true. I report exactly what I taste, etc.

However, when I'm impressed with a certain cigar I tend to have more of them. Why not? They're good so have more! I'll have them in places that do not have the same conditions as the controlled review, like in the car, watching a tv show, etc. 

I am not able to duplicate the same great flavors in this cigar while driving or watching tv, etc. When this happens once it could be a fluke. No big deal. Maybe it's me. Who knows. But, when it happens over and over under various conditions it gets troublesome. 

Bottom line; these cigars seem to be very inconsistent. I've had some from the same box that I would rate at a 90 and some others at a 92 but none that have impressed me like the review sample.

For these reasons I am lowering the overall score to 90.5. It is important to note that the reviewed sample stands on it's own. Those were exactly the flavors I got. Unfortunatley subsequent samples did not prove to be the same.

This very well could be a blending problem with this particular box but I find it hard to believe I'm the only one who has run into this situation. I invite anyone who has seen similar results to comment.

I have never run into this situation, or at least to this extent, but I feel it's important to report this situation to the general cigar world.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Well, I have to agree. i have smoked eight of the box of 20 in the toro size that I ordered, and I'm not impressed. I've had worse, but I don't see me buying another box.

DJ Lonon said...

Tim, just a thought. I have smoked every vitola in this line. Head and shoulders above them all is the 5 1/2 X 55 robusto extra. This cigar performs better than any of the others.

Tim Rollins said...

Thanks DJ. Different sizes definitely yield different intensity of flavors. Thanks for the info and glad you enjoyed it.