Amar by AJ Fernandez

Reviewed by Michael Z

Amar was created in the aftermath of the March 31, 2025 fire at AJ Fernandez’s factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, a blaze that destroyed millions of finished cigars. Rather than simply focusing on the loss, AJ Fernandez created Amar as an expression of gratitude to the employees, friends, customers, and members of the cigar community who supported the company following the fire.

Even the name carries some meaning. “Amar” means “to love” in Spanish, while the branding also pays tribute to AJ Fernandez’s Lebanese heritage. It’s a cigar born from a difficult moment, but its story is really about gratitude, resilience, and moving forward.

Cigar Details

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Factory: San Lotano Factory, Ocotál, Nicaragua

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Vitola: Toro, 6 x 56

MSRP: $11.00 per cigar / $220 per box of 20

Number of Cigars Smoked for Review: 2

Appearance

The Amar has a beautiful milk-chocolate-colored wrapper and feels substantial and well made in the hand.

The purple-and-gold main band immediately catches your eye, while the gold foot band adds another nice touch to the presentation. Inside the foot band are the words, “AJ The Gold Standard in Premium Cigars.”

The main band carries an even more meaningful message: “Gracias por tu Apoyo con Amor,” which translates to “Thank you for your support with love.”

Considering the story behind Amar, I think that small detail adds something special to the cigar before you even light it.

Cold Draw

The cold draw actually made me question my palate for a second.

I was picking up distinct notes of fresh bread and dry hay. They weren't flavors I necessarily expected going into an AJ Fernandez Nicaraguan puro, but those bread notes would become much more important once the cigar got underway.

First Third

This is where Amar immediately surprised me.

During my first cigar, I picked up a pleasant sweetness along with baking spices and some white pepper. On my second cigar, however, one flavor jumped out at me almost immediately: salted pretzel.

That pretzel character tied perfectly into the bread notes I experienced on the cold draw.

There was a combination of toasted bread, salt, subtle sweetness, baking spice, and just enough white pepper to keep everything lively.

It made for an excellent opening third.

This cigar starts out like a banger.

Second Third

During my second cigar, the burn started to get a little wonky, but I resisted touching it up and I'm glad I did. It corrected itself without any help.

Flavor-wise, the Amar continued to develop.

There was still some of that salted pretzel character hanging around, but now I began picking up sweetness and citrus, giving the cigar a brighter dimension.

This was also the point where something became very clear: Amar doesn't smoke like the AJ Fernandez cigar I was expecting.

Those looking for an aggressive, pepper-heavy Nicaraguan powerhouse might actually be surprised by this one. Amar is much more refined. The profile is creamy, balanced, and approachable, with enough complexity to keep things interesting without beating up your palate.

And that's exactly what I enjoyed about it.

Final Third

The transition into the final third was easy to recognize.

The sweetness began fading into the background as more traditional flavors of earth and leather moved forward. The pepper also changed gears, with black pepper becoming much more noticeable on the retrohale.

It gave the cigar a stronger, darker finish than the first two thirds.

I didn't mind the change at all. In fact, I thought it worked. The cigar begins with these unexpected bread, pretzel, sweetness, and baking-spice flavors, then finishes with the earth, leather, and pepper you might have expected from an AJ Fernandez Nicaraguan puro in the first place.

It closes the experience with some energy.

Final Thoughts

The biggest compliment I can give Amar is that it wasn't the cigar I expected it to be.

And that's exactly why I enjoyed it so much.

AJ Fernandez has built a reputation around some bold and unmistakably Nicaraguan cigars, so I went into Amar expecting something considerably heavier. Instead, I found a cigar that was creamy, balanced, flavorful, and surprisingly nuanced.

The salted pretzel note in particular separated Amar from a lot of cigars I've smoked recently. Add the sweetness, baking spice, citrus, earth, leather, and evolving pepper, and there was enough movement throughout the cigar to keep me interested from beginning to end.

At an $11 MSRP, I also think Amar offers very good value.

If you're buying this expecting the typical powerhouse AJ Fernandez experience, you may be caught off guard. My suggestion is to forget those expectations before you light it.

Pick up Amar because you want to see a different side of AJ Fernandez.

For me, that's what makes this cigar memorable. It doesn't need to overpower you to get your attention. Amar takes a more refined route, gives you a few unexpected flavors along the way, and still manages to finish with enough strength and character to remind you whose cigar you're smoking.

After smoking two of them, I'd absolutely reach for another.

Final Score

Construction: 9.2/10

Burn: 8.8/10

Draw: 9.0/10

Flavor: 9.4/10

Complexity: 9.1/10

Overall Score: 9.1/10

Would I buy this cigar again?

Absolutely. At $11, this is one I'd not only smoke again, but I'd be comfortable keeping several in the humidor.