Ezra Zion Eminence

Several weeks ago Kyle Hoover from the Ezra Zion Cigar Company asked  me to review some of their products. I have wanted to try out the Ezra Zion line for some time so I gladly accepted the offer. When the cigars first arrived I was impressed by their appearance. The black and silver double band really stood out against the dark maduro wrapper. Looking at the cigar through the cellophane it was also apparent that the construction of this cigar was top-of-the-line. After letting the cigars acclimate in my humidor for a couple of weeks it's time to give the first stick a go.

Quick Details

• Cigar Size: 5 1/4 x 50
• Wrapper:  Mexican San Andres Maduro
• Binder: Double, Cuban Seed Nicaraguan
• Filler: Grade AA Nicaraguan Tobaccos Aged 5 to 7 Years
• Price: $11.50 - Sample provided by Ezra Zion Cigar Company

After removing the cigar from the cellophane wrapper the high quality construction really showed itself. Visually inspecting the cigar, the Mexican San Andres maduro wrapper was rolled on with virtually no visible seams, there were only the finest of veins present and it contained a fair amount of tooth. Feeling down the body of the cigar it was firm, almost hard, and well packed the entire length. Checking for pre-light aroma and flavor notes I found a woody chocolate aroma from the wrapper and the foot, while the firm but free cold draw contained enough espresso and chocolate flavor to get me very excited about this cigar.

With the all the preliminaries out of the way it was time to light this baby up. Once the Ezra Zion Eminence was toasted and burning I noticed two things right of the bat. First the maduro wrapper left and nice sweetness on my lips and second, the first two draws were a perfect mix of espresso and chocolate. A very tasty combination in my opinion. As the burn progressed the flavor notes rapidly changed. One draw would contain a mild splash of pepper, the next, brown sugar, then chocolate, oak, earth and one draw even had a touch of cinnamon. The retro hale had the brown sugar notes with raisin mixed in. This constantly changing flavor mix continued into the last third where espresso and chocolate to over giving the cigar a nice, long, tasty finish.

There were a few other items of interest that developed as I smoked the Eminence. The cigar produced a nice volume of smoke with a great aroma that I can only describe as woody, caramelized brown sugar. The burn line was a bit wavy but no where near being a problem and it left behind a light gray/black mottled ash that hung on until the mid point.

Overall this Ezra Zion Eminence was a fantastic cigar that gave me the flavor mix I look for in a maduro cigar and is defiantly going to be one of my top five cigars smoked this year. If you like maduro wrapped cigars like I do, this would be a great addition to your humidor.

Appearance and construction: 19.5
Flavor: 19.5
Smoking characteristics: 19
Overall experience: 19.5
Purchased Price: 17
Total: 94.5