If I never saw any of the BS hype that CI/CCom give this guy, I would probably think he was a pretty good blender, since there are a few of his cigars that I think are pretty darn good (Diesel UC, MOW, and MOW Ruination), but there is just so much bargain basement bin junk that he makes, for various brands, and especially the CI/CCom exclusive stuff... that just sucks. Am I underwhelmed, eh... no, but that's because I've learned to take the CI marketing for what it is.
A single cigar taught me a valuable lesson about CI - Devil's Weed.
I bought their bundle of 24 for $24.99, back when I was just starting to smoke, and they pimped it out as some ridiculous, amazing deal on SUPER PREMIUM CIGARS that you'll never see again in your life and if you pass it up you'll regret it so much you'll probably burn your house down with you inside it.
And man...those cigars are
ass. They're ugly, burn terribly, and taste like burnt toast and grass.
So yeah...CI is certainly deceptive in that they just want to sell you anything you'll buy - every single cigar in their catalogue is "scrumptious" or "delectable"
That being said, they do have some good prices, and I've got some GREAT deals from the Jam.
But back to the topic at hand - AJ - I definitely think his Diesel and Man o' War labels are his crowning achievements. And that's nothing to bat an eye at, because they're great smokes.