Aj Fernandez cigars are one of the most-known cigars in the industry, and their premium cigar AJ Fernandez La Gran Llave Connecticut Toro is well-known for its diverse flavor profile. This cigar is produced in Nicaragua and has a Connecticut wrapper from Ecuador.
This cigar has a well-balanced taste profile with hints of cedar, wood, leather, black pepper, and vanilla. This cigar is a terrific option for cigar aficionados seeking a premium smoking experience because of its exceptional construction.
| Wrapper Origin: Connecticut | Shape: Toro |
| Length: 6 | Ring: 50 |
| Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut | List Price: N/A |
| Origin: Nicaragua | Strength: Medium |
Appearance of AJ Fernandez La Gran Llave Connecticut Toro
The AJ Fernandez La Gran Llave Connecticut Toro cigar has a beautiful colored Connecticut wrapper that is velvety to the touch. It has almost no visible veins and but it has tight visible seams. The cigar has a firm construction, and I can’t touch any soft spots in it.
The AJ Fernandez La Gran Llave, Connecticut Toro cigar’s band has an elegant-looking band that complements the wrapper’s color well. The color of this cigar’s band is white with accents of gold.
This cigar actually has two bands, one with the actual cigar logo in it and the second with just the name. The first band features a “LL” word as the cigar’s logo, elegantly written in cursive and gold font color. The logo is in the middle of a rectangular shape with a white backdrop.
The rectangle shape for the logo has a thick black border that matches the band very well too. The words “La Gran” is written on the top border while the “Llave” is written below.
For the second band, the brand name “Fernandez” is written in the same color palette, white and gold, with a little bit of black lining on its border. Despite the cigar wrapper having a light chocolate border, the band still stands out, complementing the overall appearance.
Smoking Experience
During my first third of smoking the AJ Fernandez La Gran Llave Connecticut Toro cigar, the dominant flavor on this one is cedar, accompanied by roast nuts and a little bit of sweetness at the back. There’s also a hint of spice, and the pepper on this one is kind of mellow. The pepper is not too much; it’s like white pepper. It’s not overpowering; it lingers but doesn’t have a kick, which I find pleasing. As for the construction, this cigar has a really great draw. On a negative note, it doesn’t burn evenly. The burn line is starting to slant, and the smoke output is not too much. Meanwhile, the ash is holding on pretty well, so it’s a plus.
For my second third of smoking the AJ Fernandez La Gran Llave Connecticut Toro cigar, the flavors are still the same except that the sweetness turned into vanilla, and it’s still placed in the back. Despite the flavor profile being the same as the first third, they are all developing and slowly becoming rich. The flavors are all light-bodied, but the strength is starting to become medium; it makes my throat dry a little bit. The draw on this one is still good; the burn is starting to get even, which is good, but the smoke output is still the same. The ash, however, is beginning to fall at this point, which is considerable, knowing how bad this one burns during the first third and only gets slowly good. Also, the ash gradually falls off bit by bit during the first third, so I expected this one to fall at this point.
For my final third of smoking the AJ Fernandez La Gran Llave Connecticut Toro cigar, the cedar note became a wood note, and a leather note now accompanies it. The vanilla sweetness is still there, but it milled down a little bit when the leather note started to emerge. The spice became a little too strong on this part, as well as the pepper; from white pepper, it became black pepper, and it has a little bit of kick that is surprisingly not too overpowering, considering that the two combined most of the time. This cigar is still making my throat dry at the very end, especially when the wood flavor starts to join the palette, but the vanilla sweetness is still there, and it’s much greater than how mellow it was during the first third. This one, indeed, has medium strength. For the construction, it continued to give an excellent performance, especially the burn on this one.
Overall
Overall, the AJ Fernandez La Gran Llave Connecticut Toro cigar is a great Connecticut cigar, and I can say that this one is indeed premium, and for the price point, you’re getting a great flavor profile. This one is great to smoke during an occasion, but I can’t really recommend this one as an everyday smoke considering its price point.
Also, the flavors on this one are great to savor when there’s a special occasion or during the holiday season. The AJ Fernandez La Gran Llave Connecticut Toro cigar has multiple flavor notes; some appeared during the second and final third, while the others stayed through from the first third up to the end.
On the other hand, despite the vanilla sweetness being there to make the overall flavor profile balance, it’s not enough not to make this cigar dry on the throat. This cigar made my throat really dry, which I considered the only downside. So if you’re a cigar aficionado who doesn’t like cigars that will make your throat dry, then this won’t be for you.
On the brighter side, I would still purchase this cigar in the future, something I will smoke when there’s an occasion or event to celebrate. The flavor notes are interesting enough to keep going, and the strength is also great; this cigar has medium strength. If you haven’t tried smoking something from the AJ Fernandez cigars, then the AJ Fernandez La Gran Llave Connecticut Toro cigar, then maybe it’s time for you to try one.
