About AG Cigars
Alejandro González Arias, aka Alex Glez, founded AG Cigars in 2013. However, his passion for tobacco began much earlier. He fell in love with cigars at La Casa Del Habano in Marina Hemingway, Havana. There, Andrea Calunga, the torcedor, encouraged him to learn to roll cigars. Motivated by this encouragement, Alex enrolled in El Laguito’s class and graduated as one of only 3% of applicants who passed. He spent a few years working at El Laguito, then became the torcedor at La Casa del Tabaco La Escogida in the Hotel Comodoro. After a decade at Hotel Comodoro, Alex left Cuba for Nicaragua, where he started his own brand, AG Cigars.
Blend Details
The GAOTU (or Grand Architect Of The Universe) debuted in December of 2020. The blend comes in four sizes: a 5 x 52 Robusto “Apprentice”, a 6 x 46 Corona Gorda “Fellowcraft”, a 7 x 60 Gordo “Master”, and a 7.5 x 40 Lancero. Their names and the term GAOTU are borrowed from freemasonry’s terminology and hierarchy. The blend consists of a Nicaraguan Habano 2000 wrapper, with binder and filler leaves from Nicaragua. These cigars are rolled at Raul Reyner’s Mi Havana factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.
Visual Inspection & Pre-Light
The wrapper looks rustic, mottled, and dark brown. This cigar is very nicely finished, sporting a triple cap and a neatly tied pigtail. Rich aromas of dark wood and earth mark the foot and wrapper, while the draw is snug and offers pronounced cedar notes.
First Third
As I begin smoking, the output starts at medium. I’m picking up on tones of whole wheat toast, dry earth, toasted cedar, and almond on the palate. The retrohale flavors are of cocoa powder, espresso, pecan, and muted black pepper. The strength of flavor is medium, and the finish is soft with notes of cocoa and cedar. The overall profile is toasty, nutty, and mildly sweet. While the flavors are perceptively dark and bold, the delivery is much softer than the notes imply. The ash is perfect, with a tight burn line and a slightly tight draw.
Second Third
Into the next portion, the tones on the palate are of oak, toasted cedar, damp earth, and cocoa. The retrohale is showing mocha, pecan, leather, and muted black pepper. The strength of flavor remains medium as the smoke output increases to medium-plus. The finish is light with notes of leather and oak. The overall profile is uniquely light on the palate, especially given the tasting notes. The burn line got slightly wavy before self-correcting, but the construction has been impressive so far.
Final Third
As we enter the final third, the palate offers oak, toasted cedar, and damp earth. The retrohale presents mocha, leather, pecan, and a touch of muted white pepper. Flavor strength and smoke output remain steady. The finish is soft, with earthy and cedar notes, and the core grows sweeter. Ash, burn, and construction are consistently outstanding, with flavors staying steady past the band. I finish with about an inch left.
Conclusions
Alex Glez, one of Cuba’s top torcedors, blends AG cigars to capture the “Cuban experience.” The GAOTU flavors of earth, wheat, nuts, and coffee were dark, but the delivery was very light. The finish on the palate was soft, and the spice levels were never aggressive. The GAOTU felt less like it was trying to replicate a Cuban flavor profile and more like a Nicaraguan puro blended for the Cuban smoker’s palate. While the flavors and construction were excellent, I would have loved to see Alex push the richness just a bit further. AG prices their lanceros at $12, which I feel is the sweet spot for boutique brands. If you prefer lighter cigars, or if you predominantly smoke Cubans, I think you’d really enjoy the GAOTU, especially if you’re looking to try something with some more oomph. Personally, I’m looking forward to trying more from AG and will keep an eye out for their upcoming releases.
