In spring of 2025, AJ Fernandez surprised the cigar world by announcing a cigar that he did not blend. With the intention of expanding the AJF Cigars brand beyond their signature Nicaraguan flavor profiles, he enlisted the aid of none other than Eladio Díaz, former Davidoff Master Blender and now proprietor of his own cigar factory in the Dominican Republic. Of course, I jumped all over this news since I’m a big fan of Señor Diaz and the amazing blends he’s been responsible for through the years…but it was a while before the cigars finally made their way into stores. I’ll say right now: they were worth the wait.
The Enclave Eladio Díaz features Dominican fillers, an Ecuadorian binder, and an Ecuadorian Criollo 99 wrapper leaf. The price tags hover around the $10 mark, depending on vitola, which makes them a steal, in my opinion. The Criollo wrapper was oily and smooth, with aromas of cedar and hay, while the foot of the cigar gave off notes of hay, earth, and yeasty bread. The cold draw was clean and almost minty.
Once fired up, the Enclave by Eladio Díaz had a strong woody flavor, highlights of cedar and a bit of oak coming through, with hay and white pepper following on both palate and nose. Some of that breadiness that I associate with many Dominican cigars came through on subsequent puffs. At this point I’ve only been able to get my hands on the Toro size, although the Robusto with a slightly smaller ring gauge does interest me, as well. I find the Toro to be a nice cigar with a decent amount of complexity and end-to-end enjoyment. I’ve said before that it reminds me in some ways of the Davidoff Millennium Blend, although without the signature “Davidoff Funk”…I’m guessing that comes from the use of the Ecuadorian leaves in the blend. Don’t mistake me…this will not supplant the Millennium in terms of complexity, but it is also half the price.
