Dias de Gloria Brazil
Dias de Gloria Brazil
Image: Supplied

Abdel J Fernandez, known as AJ Fernandez, learnt the craft of tobacco growing and cigar blending from his father, Ismael (who worked in Cuba’s agricultural department), and his grandfather, who was a master blender at Cuba’s San Lotano factory.

Born in a rich, cigar tobacco growing area in Cuba, he is said to have spent time at a tobacco farm since the age of 13. In the early 2000s, he moved to Nicaragua, and established AJ Fernandez Cigars in 2005.

He started off making cigars for other cigar manufacturers before going on to create his own cigars, incorporating Cuban tobacco growing traditions and cigar making techniques with newer innovations in the world of cigars. Since then, he has blended memorable cigar lines such as the San Lotano (a revival of his grandfather’s brand before the Cuban Revolution), New World, Last Call and Bellas Artes lines. The Bellas Artes Maduro Robusto, with its Brazil Mata Fina wrapper, Mexico San Andrés binder and Nicaragua filler continues to be a favourite, and I indulge in at least two a week.

In 2016, he released the Días de Gloria (Days of Glory) line. It is said to have been inspired by the cigars his father, Ismael, used to smoke during what some consider Cuba’s glory days, before the Cuban Revolution. While the Días de Gloria faded away after debuting, AJ Fernandez relaunched the Nicaragua puro cigar in late 2019, and hasn’t looked back since. Blended in collaboration with Ismael, it truly captures the flavour notes and spirit of Ismael’s favourite cigars.

The original Dias De Gloria, blended from aged tobacco grown in AJ’s farms in Esteli, Nicaragua, comes in four vitolas, namely a 5½ by 52 ring gauge Robusto, a 6 by 58 Gordo, a 6½ by 48 Short Churchill and a box-press 6 by 56 Toro.

Mid-2024 A.J Fernandez released an extension to the Dias De Gloria with the Dias De Gloria Brazil, made with a dark, rich and oily Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder and a Nicaraguan blended filler. The Mata Fina comes from Brazil’s Recôncavo, located near the country’s northeastern coast. The Brazil is rolled at the Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua SA in Esteli.

Dias de Gloria Brazil by AJ Fernandez
Dias de Gloria Brazil by AJ Fernandez
Image: Aj Fernandez Dias de Gloria Brazil Privada Cigar Club

The Dias De Gloria Brazil is truly a well-rolled glorious smoke. It is smooth from the first pull, with strong spicy and pepper notes at the back of the palate, with a subtle sweetness and creaminess that lingers throughout the smoke. There are also hints of cedar, cocoa and expresso notes that are overwhelming yet contribute to a smoke that is well-balanced from the first draw to the last one. It occurred to me that it is Brazilian Mata Fina that appeals to me most considering the Bellas Artes Robusto is also wrapped in that.

Another difference from the original, which were primarily round, except the Toro, is that all the Brazil vitolas are box-pressed. The five sizes released are the 6½ length by 44 ring gauge Corona, the 5½ by 54 Robusto, the 6½ by 54 Toro, the 6½ by 52 Figurado, and the 6½ by 60 Gordo. The prominence of green in the bands and the box and the cedar wood wrap the top half of each cigar are striking and appealing to the eye in a way that is difficult to explain.

The two that I have smoked are the Toro and the Robusto. I honestly cannot decide which one I like best because each delivers commendably every time I light one up. It is getting so that I often have one of each in my little humidor and decide which to smoke, in the moment.

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