What a month it has been for AJ Fernandez. Several week ago, AJ Fernandez’ factory, Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua caught on fire and sustained heavy damage. According La Voz de Norte, the fire began in what is the packaging room in the morning on March 31st, 2025. There has been a plethora of products that have been affected but overall, it would seem they have rebounded pretty well and are already moving forward in the right direction. As a result, AJ was not at PCA 2025, but we spoke with AJ Fernandez brand development manager Laurel Tilley, who was on hand to help us.
The booth was nice, very open and refreshing with the red carpet going down the middle. Gave me a sense of peace and comfort and that this booth wasn’t took over the top but sustained its stance as a power player. There were display cases that lines each side of the red carpet that represented each of the AJ Fernandez brands. Up at the front of the booth was the main display which was used to showcase the New World Decenio.
New World Decenio
Decenio translates to Decade in Spanish and appropriately celebrates the tenth anniversary of the New World brand name. This cigar is manufactured at the San Lotano factory and therefore (if I remember correctly) was unaffected by the fire. These will come in twenty count boxes.
- Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua
- Size: Robusto (5 1/2 x 54), Toro (6 1/2 x 54), and Gordo (6 x 58)
- MSRP: $12.50 – $15
- Production: Regular Production
- Release Date: May 20225
Enclave by Eladio Diaz
The Enclave series began as a collaboration between AJ and his father, Ismael. This release focuses more on a collaboration between Eladio Diaz, former Master Blender at Davidoff and AJ Fernandez. This cigar is being manufactured at Diaz’s factory, Tabacalera Díaz Cabrera, and uses his own tobacco. These will come in twenty count boxes.
- Wrapper: Dominican Republic (Criollo 99)
- Binder: Ecuador
- Filler: Dominican Republic
- Size: Robusto (5 1/2 x 54), Toro (6 x 54), and Gordo (6 x 60)
- MSRP: $9 – $10
- Production: Regular Production
- Release Date: May 2025
Check out our interview with Laurel Tilley from PCA 2025 below:
