A single hectare of AJ Fernandez's own tobacco, wrapped in the darkest San Andrés and rested four years.
Mexican Chocolate is Release No. 153 from the Limited Cigar Association, arriving October 2026 through Privada Cigar Club. It comes out of Tabacalera Annex, the joint factory built around AJ Fernandez on a simple premise: work with tobaccos that exist in quantities too small to support a national release. Since 2020 the Annex has been the home for those odd lots, tiny harvests, and one-off experiments.
The Binder Nobody Else Could Use
AJ had been talking up a binder he grew himself — and there was exactly one hectare of it. Nowhere near enough for one of his national lines, so it went to the Annex instead. That rare Estelí leaf sits at the center of this blend, wrapped in an extremely dark Mexican San Andrés and filled with Estelí tobacco from AJ's arsenal, then box pressed into a 6 x 54.
It has been resting ever since. Four years of age before release, and it shows up right on time for the season.
Blend Information
- Release: Limited Cigar Association No. 153, October 2026 (Privada Cigar Club)
- Vitola: 6 x 54 Box Press
- Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés
- Binder: Estelí, Nicaragua — AJ grown, single hectare
- Filler: Estelí, Nicaragua
- Body/Strength: Full
- Aging: 4 years before release
- Factory: Tabacalera Annex
Tasting Profile
Before you light it, the cigar gives up sweet molasses and baking spices. The foot reads as espresso bitterness threaded with chocolate sweetness, and the cold draw turns to cocoa with red pepper and spice.
Tasting notes:
- Sweet molasses
- Cocoa
- Red pepper
- Cedar
- Espresso
Full-bodied and genuinely dessert-like — the name is not marketing. Chocolate and molasses sweetness up front, pepper and cedar keeping it from ever turning cloying, espresso bitterness underneath the whole thing.
Pairing Notes
A mocha stout, aged rum, or actual Mexican hot chocolate. For the season it was built for: classic Halloween soundtracks or dark jazz.
Available at Tinder Box as a single or a 20-count box.
