AJ Fernandez Año Viejo 2023 and his Subterraneo cigars

Anyone who has enjoyed cigars has probably heard the name AJ Fernandez. One of the most prolific blenders in the industry, AJ crafts full-flavored, full-bodied cigars from his own core line to many commissioned projects for other companies. One of the more colorful OGT favorites he produced in 2022 is the Privadas and LCA Subterraneo series. Crafting fourteen different blends for the entire series, the Subbertaneo line consists of various sizes and inflections of Nicaraguan binder and fillers under variants of the Habano leaf. Aside from the inventive way these cigars were released, the cigars themselves have been absolutely amazing, with tasting notes expressing myriad flavors. AJ, using some of his stockpiled tobacco never before put into blends, presented wrapper leaves from Habano, Sun Grown, Maduro, and even Hybrid seeds.

Along with his small batch Subterraneo release, to kick off the 2023 year, AJ and the Limited Cigar Association dropped the most limited LCA cigar to date, the Año Viejo 2023. Featuring a dark San Andres wrapper from Mexico and binder and fillers from Nicaragua, the Año Viejo 2023 falls right into that Subterrneo category of rich Nicaraguan blends. However, with the Viejo being so limited, getting your hands on the cigar proved difficult. Here at OGT, we hope to remedy that situation with our short run feature of the Año Viejo 2023 and five different Subterrano blends in one sampler pack.

This lineup is meant to showcase the talents of AJ, the creativity of the LCA, and the complexity of Nicaraguan Tobacco. Capturing the true spirit of a Nicaraguan cigar, Subterraneo, and Año Viejo are quintessential examples of the quality produced from last year to 2023. With the success of last year’s cigar releases, I think 2023 will even be better. And with AJ producing small batch runs like Año Viejo, I think we are already in the midst of it.