Country of origin: Nicaragua
Color: Maduro
Length: 6"
Ring gauge: 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan; Pennsylvania Ligero
Rating: ★★★★ (very good)
Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of posting my review of the Emilio AF1 Robusto (click Smokeasy Review - Emilio AF1 Robusto and check it out). I finally had the opportunity to smoke the Emilio AF2 Toro, which had also been sitting in my humidor for over 2 months - and like the AF1, it did not disappoint.
Interestingly, the cigar has an oscuro wrapper, but is lighter in color than the AF1 - the wrapper has a very nice dark brown color, like rich milk chocolate. The wrapper is also oily and very silky to the touch, with rather thick veins. The cigar appears to be constructed with excellence, and has a smooth and almost seamless appearing wrapper with a double cap. The stick is nice and supple throughout with no areas of tightness. What really stood out was the high intensity of aromas, from the wrapper and the foot, of heavy tobacco, leather, and mulch. I wonder if the ligero in the filler was the source of the intense aroma. After taking some time to enjoy the pungency of the cigar, I applied a guillotine cut to the cap and took a good amount of cold draws which provided quite heavy spicy flavor, but wonderful flavors of leather and cedar wood.
The cigar lit very easily and had an even burn throughout the smoke - there was no need to touch-up or re-light at all. I smoked this cigar while taking a stroll on a very windy night, and despite the gusts, the burn remained even and the cigar kept a long, tight ash. The draw was very smooth and the mouthfuls of smoke were quite plentiful. The AF2 has great flavor, but much milder than I anticipated. The first third provided some spice-tinged flavors of mulch and cedar; however, with some interesting grassy notes. The flavors had a rather raw earthiness to it. Based on the cold draws, I anticipated some heavy spiciness, but this cigar is far from spicy - the zing is relatively subtle.
The second third of the cigar lost its earthiness and took on some buttery, rich, sweet dark chocolate flavors. The remainder of the cigar remained consistent with these flavors, but did finish with some notable bitterness (which was not nearly enough to deter me from finishing the smoke). Like the AF1 Robusto, it is a very slow-burning stick with a burn time of about 1 hour 25 minutes. Although unfair to compare, the AF2 Toro is not as exciting as the AF1 Robusto, but very enjoyable and still quite flavorful nevertheless. Another great cigar from the House of Emilio that I would definitely smoke again!
According to the House of Emilio website (www.emiliocigars.com), the Emilio AF2 is the second series produced and blended by AJ Fernandez. In addition to the Toro, the AF2 is available in 3 other sizes: Robusto (5" x 50); Torpedo (6" x 52); and BMF (6" x 58).