Brand guide
AJ Fernandez cigars
AJ Fernandez is a cigar company run by Cuban-born Abdel Fernández, with factories in Estelí and Totogalpa, Nicaragua, and a US office in Miami.
AJ Fernandez started in a garage
Abdel Fernández left Cuba in 2003 to work for the Plasencia family in Nicaragua, and a year later he opened his first factory in a garage.
He was born in March 1979. Wikipedia calls him a third-generation cigar maker. His first site in Estelí was run-down and had six rollers. The company began as a contract maker, rolling for other brands, before it put out its own.
Two early clients mattered: Rocky Patel and Cigars International. For Cigars International he made Man O'War and Diesel, both launched in 2009. In 2024 the company marked its 20th year with an AJF 20th Anniversary release.
San Lotano came back from Cuba
San Lotano is a brand that Wikipedia says began in San Luis, Cuba, with Abdel's grandfather, before the 1959 revolution.
He revived it in the summer of 2010. Wikipedia flags the grandfather detail as uncited, so treat it as family history rather than settled record. The name now covers a full set of lines: Requiem Habano, Requiem Connecticut, Requiem Maduro, Bull and Dominicano. San Lotano is also the name of his second factory.
Where are AJ Fernandez cigars made?
AJ Fernandez owns two factories in Nicaragua: Tabacalera AJ Fernandez de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelí, and the San Lotano factory in Totogalpa, 70 kilometers north.
The company says the two together roll more than 100,000 cigars a day, all by hand. Fernández manages day-to-day operations himself. The US side is a Miami-area office.
On March 31, 2025, a fire hit the packaging department of the Estelí factory, and Wikipedia reports millions of cigars were destroyed.
AJ Fernandez grows on named farms
AJ Fernandez grows its own tobacco on farms across Nicaragua's main regions: Condega, Jalapa, Estelí, Pueblo Nuevo, Quilalí and the island of Ometepe.
The company names the farms. Finca La Providencia, La Lilia, Los Espejos, San José, La Soledad, San Lotano, San Diego, Los Cedros and Santa Lucía. Días de Gloria uses aged tobacco from four of the oldest: Los Cedros, La Providencia 1, La Lilia and La Soledad, all in Estelí. Read more about these regions in cigar tobacco regions.
AJ Fernandez lines and their stated blends
AJ Fernandez lists the wrapper, binder and filler for its own lines on its website.
| Line | Wrapper (maker) | Binder / filler | Maker's strength | Notable sizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New World Oscuro | Dark Nicaragua | Jalapa / Ometepe, Condega, Estelí | Not published | Robusto (5 1/2 x 55), Gordo (6 x 58), Double Corona (7 1/2 x 55) |
| New World Connecticut | Connecticut Shade | San Andrés, Mexico / Nicaragua, Brazil | Not published | Robusto (5 x 50), Corona Gorda (5 1/2 x 46), Churchill (7 x 50) |
| Días de Gloria | Nicaragua | Nicaragua / Nicaragua | Not published | Robusto (5 1/2 x 52), Toro, box-pressed (6 x 56), Short Churchill (6 1/2 x 48) |
| Bellas Artes | Habano and Maduro versions | Not listed here | Not published | Named for Cuba's Bellas Artes National Museum |
Other house brands include Enclave (Habano and Broadleaf), Last Call, Ramón Allones and the New World Cameroon, Dorado and Puro Especial versions.
AJ Fernandez milestones
AJ Fernandez went from six rollers to two factories in about two decades.
- 2003: Abdel Fernández leaves Cuba for Nicaragua.
- 2004: first factory opens in a garage.
- 2009: Man O'War and Diesel launched for Cigars International.
- 2010: San Lotano revived.
- 2024: AJF 20th Anniversary shown at the PCA trade show.
- 2025: fire in the Estelí packaging department.
What to know before you buy an AJ Fernandez
An AJ Fernandez cigar may carry another company's band, because the factory rolls private-label brands for many other makers.
Halfwheel's list of clients includes Altadis U.S.A., Foundation, General Cigar, Gurkha, Illusione and JR Cigar. So the house brands are only part of the output. For the house brands, look for the AJ Fernandez name on the band or box.
Sizes run heavy in ring gauge. New World Oscuro stays at 55 ring or above. Días de Gloria includes a box-pressed toro; see what box-pressed means. Convert ring sizes with the ring gauge converter.
AJ Fernandez questions
Where are AJ Fernandez cigars made?
AJ Fernandez cigars are made in Nicaragua, at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez in Estelí and at the San Lotano factory in Totogalpa, about 70 kilometers north.
Who is AJ Fernandez?
Abdel Fernández is a Cuban-born cigar maker who left Cuba in 2003, started his first factory in Estelí a year later, and still runs the company day to day.
What brands does AJ Fernandez make for other companies?
Halfwheel lists private-label clients including Altadis U.S.A., Cigars International, Foundation Cigar Co., General Cigar Co., Gurkha and JR Cigar. Rocky Patel was an early client.
What is the wrapper on AJ Fernandez New World?
It depends on the version. AJ Fernandez lists a dark Nicaraguan wrapper on New World Oscuro and a Connecticut Shade wrapper on New World Connecticut.
Where the AJ Fernandez facts come from
- A. J. Fernandez Cigars, Wikipedia
- AJ Fernandez Shows Off 20th Anniversary at PCA 2024, halfwheel
- About us (archived), AJ Fernandez Cigars, via Wayback Machine
- New World Oscuro (archived), AJ Fernandez Cigars, via Wayback Machine
- Días de Gloria (archived), AJ Fernandez Cigars, via Wayback Machine