San Lotano Habano
Krieg
Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 5,068
I had one of these yesterday, and have to say it was damn good. I liked it more than the maduro. I even tasted a touch of sweetness to it. Great cigar, def a change from the very first one I had when these came out...probably the age. To me, it was the perfect cigar at the perfect time.
Comments
i find them a bit spicy when they are fresh.
Everything he makes is certainly expertly put together. I prefer his stronger stuff, but even the mild (er) stuff he makes is great. Id say half of my cigars are by AJ. I will always try whatever he puts out at least once... but usually I "try" them many, many times.
The construction though . . . I even had a morro castle belicoso with a crack in it through the wrapper and the binder on the pointy end, which usually makes it unsmokeable with the binder is damaged, and it still somehow smoked flawlessly.
his current factory is not all that impressive. in fact, i would say it is downright run down. but the patience and care is there and that is the most important thing.
little story that some of you may have heard from me:
while on the factory tour of the AJ Fernandez factory we stepped into the aging room. Kris was telling us about all the different lines that are in the room we are standing in. im the only one of the group wondering about the room. everyone else is just listening. i was seeing things from RP, Graycliff, 5 vegas, and of course all the AJ brands all just sitting on the shelf waiting to be just right to ship.
meanwhile, AJ is looking through some of the bundles there. i was watching him look at the wrapper of the cigar, roll it in his hands, smell it, etc. and i was impressed by the way he held the cigar. on occasion he would light one up to give it a try. as he was holding one of the cigars the power went out. ( did i mention it was a run down factory) I could hear a gasp from the rolling room just outside the door of the aging room. almost instantly AJ flips open his Phone to get some light. However, he is not holding it up so that everyone can see. he is holding the light to the cigar so that he can continue to work. im fairly sure i was the only one in the group to see that.
it was at that moment that i realized just how much passion was in that man.
I am a big fan of the spicy flavor profiles as well as the more subdued ones, so at this point I am a fan of everything that I've tried from AJ...I'm always looking forward to trying anything he has a hand in.
I recently had my first San Lotano Habano. I had recieved it in a winnings package about a month earlier, with an unknown rest period prior. The flavors from the start were near perfect IMO...it had just enough spice to accent the flavor profile without overpowering it. The only negative thing I can say about it was the flavors did not change any after the first third. I wasn't bored with it...but It was also not exciting IMO. I'd love to see this blend in a smaller vitola!
Alex Svenson: AJ, thanks for taking the time to meet with me. Having grown into one of Nicaragua’s largest manufactures in just five years, I know you have a lot on your plate.
AJ Fernandez: It is my pleasure. I always have time for Cigar.com, you guys are a big part of the reason I am where I am today. If you had not discovered me when I was in my first small factory, I may still be there today.
AS: Speaking of factories, you guys are building a new one no?
AF: Yes we have purchased the land and have started the surveying and architectural plans and hope to break ground this winter. The facility will be state of the art with pre-industry (fermentation), sorting, stripping, production, aging and packaging all under one roof. While it will be one of the largest if not the largest factories in Esteli, we are using a simple design. Many other new factories are massive and spent a lot of money on the exterior. They look like palaces. For me, I want to keep it simple. My Father always taught me the virtue of humility. While we are fortunate to be where we are today, I won’t soon be forgetting where I came from. My hope is that by building something manageable that we can continue to grow into, we can keep the overhead down by avoiding all the extras and focus on keeping our costs down so our customers can in turn give the best possible prices to the end consumer and pass along savings. Cigars are such a wonderful part of life and as luxurious as it is, I want to make sure they are available at a price that can make good premium product available to anyone shares my love for my product.
AS: Well you did splurge some on the new house you guys are building on the grounds for your visitors. I drove past it the other day and it is a monster.
AF: That is not part of Tabacalera Fernandez. I spent my personal savings to construct the house and the cost of which will not be factored into my cigars. I built the house because I want more people to come to Nicaragua and see what we are doing and have a comfortable place to stay. For many, Esteli is not a “destination” and the hotel here is comfortable but not great. It is important my guests have a place to stay, smoke and enjoy rum near the factory. It is a bit funny because some people in town know I invested my own money in the guest house and they don’t understand because it is considerably bigger than my own home where my family lives nearby. Like I said, I am a simple man and don’t require much, so when I can invest in what we are doing with tobacco and try to find ways to bring people here to learn about our philosophy first hand, I will go to great lengths. The guest house as you mentioned is practically inside the factory grounds and will have 12 bedrooms. The living room space is going to be set up like a cigar lounge and after a day at the factory, our guests will have access to a pool, a fully stocked bar and even a half court basketball court that is lit for those late night games of HORSE. You gringos get competitive when you get together….
AS: What will you gain by moving into your new facility?
AF: We need to get everything under one roof. Like I said, I am grateful and thank god for our success but we have grown so fast that we have spread ourselves out all over town. For example, right now, we have farms and barns in Esteli, Condega, Jalapa, Ometepe, Ecaudor and soon in Honduras. To process the tobacco once it all arrives in Esteli, we have 6 warehouses and another 3 for aging. Once the tobacco is ready, it is sent to both of our factories which at present are making a combined 35,000 cigars per day. This move will centralize everything except for the farms and barns of course. Now all the fermentation and processing will be done right where the cigars are made and instead of two factories we will have one that we can grow into and make up to 60,000 cigars a day.
AS: Being so spread out now, I imagine it makes it tough to manage.
AF: It is a tremendous amount of work. Sometimes I feel like I spend the bulk of my day driving from location to location as I like to have my hands in all parts of the process. I have a great team, but at the end of the day, I am the last line of defense in quality control and I think that is important. Many days, when we are busy, I don’t get back to the factory until after dinner and will stay up all night going through the days production making sure the supervisors on the floor are on top of their game.
AS: We don’t get many returns on your product. I can tell you your efforts pay off.
AF: It isn’t to say we don’t have issues from time to time, but we catch them because we pay very close attention to detail. When one of my pairs (rolling teams) had a lousy day, they know it when they arrive to the factory. Not only do I destroy the cigars, I move their rolling table to the very back of the room. (editors note: in most factories, the experienced rollers sit all the way at the front of the factory and the new rollers sit in the back).
AS: So what’s next for Tabacalera Fernandez?
AF: I am going to keep my sights set on what got me here and never forget it. Even though we are expanding, I will not lose sight of what is important. I want to make great cigars at a price that makes them accessible to everyone and will focus my efforts on sourcing great tobacco by growing it myself when I can and buying some of the more exceptional crops I discover from independent farmers. To make great cigars, you have to have the best materials.
AS: AJ, it was great getting to see you as always. Is there anything you would like to tell my readers before we end?
AF: I just want to thank everyone out there who enjoys my cigars from the bottom of my heart. I grew up in tobacco and thank god everyday I can carry on the tradition and legacy left for me by my famil. There was a time when things were at their hardest as I moved from Cuba to Nicaragua that I didn’t think I was going to make it and would be forced to make ends meet by abandoning the only thing I have ever known. Because of the support of those who enjoy our cigars, I am able to continue to make cigars using some of the most traditional and secretive processes taught to me by several of Cuba’s oldest and most sought after tobacco men who practiced their craft in what I feel is a bygone era. To not continue their legacy would have crushed me and in time I will be passing these very same ideals on to my children. My dream is that we can continue to share with your our vision and philosophy which we have brought to Nicaragua which is real cigars made the real way… the old way. Thank you all so much!
On a side note, I would absolutely love the opportunity to visit Tabacalera Fernandez and see how my favorite smokes go through the process.
Very Cool... And another way to solidify me to AJ!
on a serious note, that would be the most amazing place ever to have a forum member's only herf!
I would totally love to get in on this trip
Side note. I did like the San Lotano maduro but with all this talk about the habano I am regretting not getting 5 and 5 or something. Kinda sad.