Amar by AJ Fernandez Toro

Last March, a fire broke out in the packaging area of AJ Fernandez’s main factory in Estelí. Given AJ Fernandez’s extensive client list, the impact of the fire—which came on the heels of the 2025 PCA Convention & Trade Show—had a noticeable impact on not just AJ Fernandez but also many other companies, some of which are still feeling the effects.

Earlier this year, the company announced Amar, a new line that the company says, in part, pays tribute to the help that it received from others in Estelí after the fire took place.

Amar, Spanish for love, is made entirely of Nicaraguan tobacco, including a habano wrapper. It debuted in four vitolas:

• Amar by AJ Fernandez Robusto (5 1/2 x 54) — $10.40 (Box of 20, $208)
• Amar by AJ Fernandez Toro (6 x 56) — $11 (Box of 20, $220)
• Amar by AJ Fernandez Gordo (6 x 60) — $11.30 (Box of 20, $226)
• Amar by AJ Fernandez Torito (6 1/2 x 50) — $10.70 (Box of 20, $214)

Qamar is the Arabic word for moon; the company says the use of Amar also references Abdel Ferándnez’s Lebanese heritage.

“Like the lunar phase that directly follows a moon at full illumination, Amar represents reflection, gratitude, personal growth, and new beginnings,” said the company in a press release. “AJ’s passion and perseverance only made him return stronger, and the cigar community’s unwavering support overwhelms him with appreciation and fuels his purpose.”

• Cigar Reviewed: Amar by AJ Fernandez Toro
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: San Lotano Factory
• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Habano)
• Binder: Nicaragua
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 56
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $11 (Box of 20, $220)
• Release Date: April 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

While this is not my favorite shade of purple, the mostly indigo color complements the very red-colored wrappers. The three cigars appear to be well-rolled, with some veins popping off the surface, adding depth to the look. Aroma-wise, the wrappers are medium-full with scents of sweet Spanish cedar and floral aromas along with a touch of milk chocolate and, depending on the cigar, varying amounts of acidity. The foot of the first cigar has some of the sweet smells, but there’s a sharp chemical-like burn and a bit of mushroom. The second and third cigars smell more medium-full with more pine and less sweetness and mushroom smells. Cold draws are medium-full with an ever-present flavor that reminds me of dirty water, along with a typical AJ Fernandez mixture of sharp pepper and dry sweetness. Regarding the sweetness, the second cigar tastes a bit like a Kit-Kat bar, while the third cigar has some apple sweetness. Each cigar has a vegetal quality, something like a basmati rice seasoning in the first cigar, though more like a kale in the second and third cigars. The cold draws are medium-full in intensity and there are no signs of any potential draw problems.

The Amar by AJ Fernandez Toro starts medium-plus and with lots of woodiness. It’s quite smooth and joined by whole-grain bread, white pepper, earth and some mild amounts of pepper. After just a few minutes, the medium-plus start has given way to a full flavor that is led by earthiness. Secondary notes include some demi-glace, popcorn, leather, minerals and berry sweetness. The third cigar has some sourness that I think is coming from a tight draw. The finish is a tad lighter than the main flavor and also adds some sweetness, though I’m unsure if the flavors have changed. Leather is a bit stronger and the bread is more of a starchy flavor, but there’s not a major difference between the first few seconds after the smoke hits the palate versus 10 seconds later. Retrohales bring out more of the popcorn and leather, while secondary notes are dry grass, lemon, white pepper, black pepper and some hoisin sauce. While the finish is milder, there’s more irritation thanks to a lingering sharpness. Flavor-wise, it’s a lot of the same notes—black pepper, white pepper, saltiness, hoisin sauce, leather—just in milder form and with an emerging cinnamon. While those are the flavors, many puffs are overwhelmed by just how sharp and salty the cigars are. If you are looking for balance, the Amar isn’t it. Flavor is full, body is medium-plus to medium-full and strength is medium or medium-plus. Outside of ash falling way sooner than I’d ever expect, I have no issues with the construction of any of the three cigars.

At least for the first half of the second third, there’s not much change for the Amar. I sense more woodiness, but the core earth and leather remain with a lot of the aggressive saltiness and pepper that overwhelm things. However, shortly after the halfway mark, the non-sharp flavors settle down and gain some much-needed breathing room. That room is filled by nuttiness with berry sweetness, brown mustard and lemon joining as secondary notes. Unfortunately, the pepper and saltiness are still very sharp and way more intense than the other flavors. The finish gets some of the changes—peanuts, smooth earth, and soggy pizza crust—while the black pepper, saltiness and acidic lemon remain. Retrohaling isn’t all that different, though the first cigar has some distinct soy sauce flavors that remind me of the base sauce used for lots of American Chinese dishes. At times, the retrohale’s finish can be really clean, avoiding most of the pepper and saltiness, though the list of flavors remains unchanged. Most of the time, it remains very sharp with the aggressive white pepper and acidity overwhelming and outlasting whatever other flavors might be possible. Flavor is full, body is medium-full and strength is creeping into the full mark. The draws of the first and third cigars improve slightly but still could be better. However, I no longer think the flavor profile is getting impacted by how tight they are. Unfortunately, the second cigar continues to need regular touch-ups for both smoke production and uneven burns.

At around the one-and-a-half-inch mark, things start to calm down a lot. The core is still a mixture of earth and leather over varying amounts of oak, creaminess, black pepper and saltiness, but the sharpness and saltiness are mostly integrated into the profile. There are still some puffs when the Amar is dominated by those two sensations, but the overwhelming puffs are happening less than a quarter of the time. The finish continues to add just a bit more creaminess, though otherwise the list of flavors is mostly unchanged. Retrohaling has more leather than before, leading brown mustard, earthiness, black pepper, saltiness and lemon. The finish sees most of those flavors depart with the earthiness, saltiness and white pepper the only consistent flavors to stick around. While flavor is full and body remains medium-full, the strength is solidly full and hits me with a noticeable effect. Construction has some positive and negative developments. On one hand, removing the bands has helped the draw slightly but noticeably, but the touch-ups continue on the second and third cigar, which just need help with keeping combustion consistent.

Final Notes

• While the sides of the ash were a light gray color, the front of the ash was mostly dark gray. While most cigars tend to be a mixture of both, the difference was very noticeable.
• Far more noticeable was how flimsy the ash was, especially on the third cigar when it could barely get to a half-inch long before ending up on my lap.
• All three cigars could have had a better draw. The third cigar was the only one for which I deducted points, because it seemed like the flavor was being held back by how tight the draw was. There were very clear hard spots at the top of the main band of each cigar.

• Speaking of bands, here’s what’s on the back of them. It translates to “Thank you for your support, with love.”
• While the cigars are in some part a tribute to the fire at the Estelí factory, they are made at the San Lotano Factory, the company’s second factory, which is located in Ocotal, north of Estelí.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• The Amar by AJ Fernandez Toro is listed at 6 x 56. Above are the dimensions I found for the three cigars I smoked. These numbers were impressively consistent.
• Final smoking time was just right around three hours for each cigar.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Daily, Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co., JR Cigar and Small Batch Cigar carry the Amar by AJ Fernandez Toro.

AJ Fernandez
Amar by AJ Fernandez
Amar by AJ Fernandez Toro
Nicaragua
San Lotano Factory
Toro