AJ Fernandez San Lotano Oval Torpedo Review | Habano del Podcasto

So I’ve decided to write this review surrounded by the guys. I am already slightly annoyed at this decision I made. Budget Jamie and Adham are talking about which mouse is best. The electronic kind. Omar is sat on the side, slowly losing the will to live. Some shitty jazz music in the background. God Adham can drone on about his fruity gaming habits. I’m excited for this one actually. AJ’s OG cigar. Vintage band. Ecuadorian wrapper. Let’s get stuck in. I’ve loved this brand for a while, and this was a stick that George from the Leaf Master told me about. That guy reminds me of that robot bartender in that space movie with that actress from the hunger games. Sorry I’m bad with names. You ask him any cigar question, and he answers you in a warm, yet slightly robotic way that you appreciate, like the way Claude talks to you. But the fact that I am smoking this stick, in Dubai, in 2026, is fucking special. I’m a big AJ fan, his cigar lines are almost flawless, and this is the stick he first went solo with.

Cold Nose and Feel.

Milk chocolate on this one. Slight barnyard at the head. The shape is gorgeous on this one. The slight oily sheen and the bouncy feel when you put a bit of pressure on the stick… you know the kind. You know you are in for a good stick when it feels like that. Also a dark sweetness on the nose, hint of dried fruit.

Initial Notes.

Cedar and clean, earthy tobacco. Slight hint of pepper on the finish. The draw is slightly tight in a good way. Smoke is creamy smooth.

First Third. 15 minutes in.

Now we get a nice nutty sweetness opening up. What a stick. Coats your whole palate with cashew-y chewiness. Man this is a nice smoke. I'm not gonna do this again, try to write a review smoking a stick in a social setting. What was I thinking? It needs to be a solo ritual. Just me, the cigar, laptop, and a book or something to fill in the time between thirds. Lately I've been going to this Scottish bar to do these write-ups, but now with the world cup going on, it definitely won't be that sleepy bar with the 2 guys that are always there. This baby has a nice long finish. There’s a sweetness I can’t place, a light chocolate earthy sweetness.

Second Third. 55 minutes in.

Nuttiness still there. More earth now. Body is a nice medium full. I feel like I’m getting sick. That itchy feeling in your chest telling you it’s gonna be rough night. One of the hazards of having a toddler in nursery. Always after the holiday period, some kid that goes to an exotic place comes back and spreads germs they caught fondling a turtle in the Maldives. Burn got a bit wonky, but fixed itself right up. I’m really enjoying this stick.

Last Third. 1 hour 40 minutes in.

I watched the Rafael Nadal documentary the other night, very much quite randomly. I have never watched tennis in my life, nor had anything resembling an interest in the sport. Fast forward two weeks, and I’m half way into the 2007 Roland Garros final. That Federer one handed back hand is something else. He really doesn’t look like an athlete. He gives high school teacher vibes to be honest. Anyways I digress. This has been a wonderful stick. I know that it’s been discontinued, specifically this one with the old band on it. This thing got discontinued back in 2018. AJ pulled the Oval to stop it clashing with his Requiem line, and it basically vanished. What's left went exclusive, scattered, hard to find. So this stick, old band and all, has been out of production for the better part of a decade. Whatever's left is sitting in places like Leaf Master. No idea how long this one's been resting, could be years,  but you can taste that it's had time to mellow. Everything is ramping up now, the earth, spice, cream. All going at 100 miles an hour. I won’t be able to take this down to the nub, even though I’d want to. I think we are lucky to have this stick here in Dubai, and you should grab it before it disappears from the shelves forever. 8.5/10 All day