Man O' War

Man O' War

Cigar Name: Man O' War

Strength: 4/5
Size: Robusto (5.5 x 50)
Origin: Nicaragua
Price (local): $7.50 (plus tax)
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Flavor Text:

Unhand the Opus, my good man.

Man O’ War is carefully blended and hand-crafted by Abdel "AJ" Fernandez in Esteli, Nicaragua. Born in Cuba, AJ began working with tobacco at a very young age, studying under some of the industry's most legendary minds. After years absorbing knowledge, Abdel moved to Nicaragua 6 years ago and began building what is now emerging as one of the finest boutique makers in the country.

Of all the cigars made in his factory – ITC 10th Anniversary, Padilla Habano, Rocky Patel Fusion – Abdel considers the Man O’ War his finest creation. Each expertly made cigar is a sight to behold. The dark Habano Ecuador wrapper is beautiful...thick, smooth, and covered with natural oils. This thing is stunning, positively gorgeous. But underneath the velvet glove is a hammer, a robust medium-full recipe of aged Cuban-seed Nicaraguan long-fillers which unleashes a bold bouquet for the senses. The opening is robust, with heavy spice and wood undertones, developing a chewy, velvety-smooth core of oak and earth which coats the palate, leaving behind a sweet array of spices. A variety of understated nuances come and go throughout the burn, including coffee, cocoa bean, and a touch of vanilla. Man O' War is simply incredible. I mean it.

The packaging for Man O’ War is suitably impressive, a presentation to match the quality of the cigar itself. 22 Man O' War cigars snugly packed in a unique, heavy cedar chest.

I tried this Man O' War Robusto after a long day of pretty stressful work. I grabbed this one in a Sampler Pack I bought of exclusively AJ Fernandez cigar blends, and it was one that I was looking forward to smoking. I tried a similar cigar a few days ago, the Man O' War Ruination, and I was pleased with the body and flavor of that cigar. It was a bit strong for a morning smoke, but I recognized that it was pretty potent and a well-rounded, flavorful smoke. I wouldn't call it spectacular, but for what it was, it was good. My experience with this standard Man O' War was very similar.

This cigar was rather small and took about 45 minutes to smoke. The most noticeable thing about this one was the aromatic smoke - it was wonderfully aromatic and it smelled quite toasty. That is something that I have started to notice more and more about AJ cigars - they leave a great aroma behind and the blends seem to be constructed with that trait in mind to provide a more complete cigar experience. This cigar did not offer me the blast of flavor that I was expecting, and with some attention I got some spice and earthiness. It was not a cigar for those looking for a huge amount of noticeable flavor that usually comes from the chocolate-tasting cigars of the world, but it did it's job and provided me with some nice subtlety that was not too overpowering or overbearing.

The burn on this cgar was sometimes uneven, and it required som touching up with a lighter when it started to boat a little bit. It smoked very quick, and ash hung onto the cigar until I was ready to tap it and continue. This cigar, overall, was an average cigar to me. Nothing that blew me away, and I find many cigars from Man O' War to be just a touch better. For those unfamiliar with Man O' War, this is a great starting point before diving into a cigar that would be considered even more full-body than this one. It is a good introduction to Man O' War cigars, but nothing extra. I would smoke one again if I had a half of an hour, but I compare this one best to Oliva G. Oliva G is a great smoke for a similar price and I'd truthfully just defer to Oliva G if you had an option between the two. It's an average smoke, and not one I'd ask you to rush out and try.

Happy smoking!

CB