Wrapper: Unknown (Maduro)
Binder: Unknown
Filler: Unknown
Size: 6.75 x 47 (Just guessing on the ring gauge)
Body: Full
Price: $3.99
Today we take a look at the Ezra Zion Blending Sessions Liga 7.
I’ve smoked two of the blends and had no idea what I was smoking. The blends are a company secret. And they were two of the best cigars I’ve smoked.
These cigars are so phenomenal that I used the fee from one of my sponsors to buy a 20 pack this morning. This means it limits any future reviews of new cigars but I’d rather have 20 great personal cigars than five new $15.00 cigars.
I couldn’t have talked my wife into just buying cigars for review when our medical bills are way out of hand. I convinced her that I was in the midst of genius blending. She sees how excited I get and how I talk about Ezra Zion. She couldn’t deny me.
I don’t expect these cigars to be around that long. Although, I do hope they keep pumping them out.
Several of the cigars are extremely funky looking. Imperfections. I even had to glue some errant wrappers and then put them back in my humidor.
And the best thing? Two days of dry boxing and they are ready to boogie. No extended humidor time required. Jackpot!
So far, well over 125 readers have clicked on the Ezra Zion Store link I provided in a post. I hope they purchased at least a 5 pack.
BACKGROUND:
From the Ezra Zion web site:
“If you’ve ever wanted to know what we smoke in our off time, now you know. We smoke samples from the hundreds of blends we’ve created over the years. In fact, if you came over for a BBQ, these are what we’d smoke all day!
“We thought it would be the coolest thing ever to pull back the curtain–or in this case open the door to the Ezra Zion Humidor Vault–and share these cigars with you.
“These are blending session cigars not regular production cigars. They haven’t been in a cigar press as long. They are done on the fly to taste the tobacco combinations and flavors. A few may have a wavy burn or an open draw. Some might even have a rough cap or foot. It happens when you’re down and dirty in the throes of blending. Just smoke it. You’ll like it. It’s not about ascetics; it’s about the tobacco!
“We have Corojo, San Andres Maduro, Habano, Connecticut wrappers, and a lot more. Cigars of all shapes and sizes. These are the ultimate mystery sampler–much like blending is. That’s the fun of it to us. You get to smoke something that will never be available again!”
Note: I will try to keep the number of my photos to a minimum. I’m self-conscious now. Unless I tie my tremor laden hands with a rope, I can see no other way of taking photos.
DESCRIPTION:
Nice looking stick. An oily, dark coffee bean brown wrapper. Tight seams. Few veins. Perfectly applied triple cap. Solid with no give.
PRICES:
5 pack: $24.95
10 Pack: $44.95
20 Pack: 79.95
Shipping: $3.99-$6.99 (Depending on cigar count)
Available at the Ezra Zion Store.
AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
The shaft smells of a fruity sweetness, spice, dark baking cocoa, wood, and earthy tobacco notes.
The clipped cap and the foot smell of fruity sweetness, cocoa, spice, and wood.
The cold draw presents flavors of spice, allspice, chocolate, cedar, cinnamon, and a toasty nuttiness.
FIRST THIRD:
The draw is excellent. Lots of smoke fills the room around me.
First flavors: Spice, smoky meat, malt, creaminess, nuts, mushroom, cocoa, cedar, and an extra earthy tobacco element. And this came from the first 90 seconds of the smoke.
Strength is almost immediately medium/full. I do believe we are heading towards a very full bodied blend.
Complexity hits the 10 ring within a couple of minutes. Balance is nice. Long finish.
There is other stuff going on as well: strong wood, honey, Maris-Otter Malt, Mild Ale Malt, Rye Malt, Toasted Malt, (See Malt Chart), and sweet, smoky BBQ sauce.
The red pepper escalates. It is still leading the pack and very good but not interfering with the flavors…like yesterday’s review of the RP Super Ligero. That spice bomb was good but you needed a tether to keep you from hitting the ceiling and exploding.
This is a very slow smoke. The smoky meat element is so good. Combine the spiciness and BBQ sauce and it tastes like good homemade beef jerky. Ever have really good homemade jerky? I’m sure we all have and it beats the hell out of that liquor store crap.
I’m having a hard time reconciling this as a $3.99 cigar. You could have a helluva herf party with just the EZ Blending Sessions. You don’t need anything else.
The maduro sweetness moves up the list. Very sweet and creamy. The cocoa fades a bit and is replaced by strong espresso.
Transitions. This is what moves any cigar from good to great. And the Ezra Zion Blending Sessions Liga 7 is becoming a great cigar.
I smoked the funkiest cigar I could find in the package yesterday. I had to glue some of the wrapper back together. And then I was totally blown away. A great cigar. Once the wrapper was glued, it stayed in place and gave me no other problems. Even the char line was perfect.
The Ezra Zion Blending Sessions Liga 7 is turning into a very unique blend. It is so complex that it may be overwhelming to some smokers. It zigs when you expect it to zag.
The flavor profile keeps building in strength. The strength hits full body.
I’m smacking my chops like a dog trying to urge every flavor I can muster from each puff. I do believe this is one of those blends so complex, that I…the Katman, is struggling to pin down every flavor.
The Ezra Zion Blending Sessions Liga 7 is unlike any EZ cigar blend I’ve smoked. And I’ve smoked them all.
Clearly, this was an experiment with some different tobaccos not usually used in EZ blends.
Since I have a 10 pack heading my way, I intend to review some of the lighter wrapper sticks as well. Not just the Maduros. Oh wait. The logical choice is the Liga 8. See photo.
You need to get an idea of how great this deal is. And I’m not being paid to say this. I tell the truth. You know that. If the cigars were drek, I would politely apologize and then go on to rip the cigar review to shreds and give it a rating of 65.
SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 35 minutes.
The char line is dead nuts perfect. No touch ups required yet.
The Ezra Zion Blending Sessions Liga 7 continues to blossom like a slow blossoming exotic orchid.
I am having so much fun. Really. This is the best part of the day for me especially when I get to review a killer blend.
The sweet BBQ sauce transfers to steak sauce. Worcestershire sauce. I can taste: molasses, onions, garlic, tamarind, and cloves.
But the other flavors flourish as well: Creaminess, spiciness, wood, raisins, cinnamon, malts, espresso, smoky meat, nuts, and cedar. Wow.
I was not expecting this.
Kyle and Chris might want to take this blend seriously in terms of expanding their blend profiles. I can’t remember a cigar blend that tastes like the Ezra Zion Blending Sessions Liga 7. But then, I can’t remember anything. LOL.
Pure manna from the gods.
The spiciness has taken the fork in the road. It is not merely red pepper. Rather, it is a combo of different peppers: Red, Habanero, Black, and Poblano. I’m a huge Mexican food junkie. Had to be growing up in So. Cal. While my mother was ill, we had a live in housekeeper who knew how to cook. Her chile rellenos were the best I’ve ever had.
HALFWAY POINT:
Smoke time is 45 minutes.
Such a delicious blend. Flavors wash over my palate like taking a barrel over Niagara Falls. I’m totally drenched in brilliant blending.
Not a single flavor has dissipated.
No construction issues. No char line problems.
I’m just letting the Ezra Zion Blending Sessions Liga 7 wash over me…not writing…just enjoying.
Now you must remember that the cigar I am reviewing is by no means a guarantee that you will get this cigar. It is merely a sampling review to disseminate the quality of what EZ considers Seconds. But so far, I’ve not gotten a clunker.
A new flavor element: Pine. Mixed with smoky meat and steak sauce and the creaminess and malts, and boy oh boy.
LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is 55 minutes.
The Ezra Zion Blending Sessions Liga 7 is super smooth. Not a hint of nicotine.
The spiciness has exploded. So has the creaminess, and sweet factors. Steak sauce and smoky meat prevail. There is a heavy raisin element.
The pine has moved to the back of the line.
We’ve all smoked Seconds at one time or another. For the most part, they are drek. And aren’t anything like the original blend. I swear they just sweep the floor and stick the stuff in a cigar press.
Not in Ezra Zion’s case. These are truly high premium blends. The only issue is the way they look. Funky. This is what the online stores tell you. It is just the way they look. B.S.
I haven’t smoked a Blending Session cigar that isn’t worth $9.00-$10.00 if the cosmetics were better.
Another thing I want to mention. I haven’t yet conversed with Chris Kelly. But I’ve done so with Kyle Hoover. This guy is so down to earth and grounded that you want to have a cigar and a beer with him and just laugh a lot.
I deal with a lot of manufacturers. Do you know how many of them are like Kyle? I can count them on three fingers.
Oh lawdy. The Ezra Zion Blending Sessions Liga 7 just made a major leap in flavor. Holy crap! With 1-1/2” to go, it explodes and now I have to take a shower.
Chocolate enters for the first time. The multi-layered spice is going nuts. The creaminess is like clotted cream on scones.
I cannot think of a single full bodied cigar that nicotine didn’t tag along. How they prevented this from happening is beyond me.
I’ve fawned over, promoted, and seemingly shilled for the Blending Sessions. But you know me. I don’t do this unless it is the real deal. I’m not afraid of dissing a bad cigar. I have plenty of reviews to prove it.
Snag some before it’s too late.
Final smoke time is one hour and 15 minutes.
I’m going to review the natural wrappered Liga 8 in a few days. A gorgeous box press with no cosmetic issues.
RATING: 93
PRICE POINT:
LOL! Ridiculously inexpensive. No excuse for at least purchasing a 5 pack.
SUMMATION:
Over the years, I’ve worked with a lot of boutique manufacturers. And just a few of them were worth my time. Ezra Zion is one of those companies that deserve every bit of my promotion that I can muster. Why? Because they put out an incredible product. And they don’t charge $17 a stick.
The prices coming out of the 2015 IPCPR trade show make me ill. 90% of these new blends start at $15.00…and go up from there. I’m sorry. But when these guys take a $9.00 cigar and add another $6-$8 on top of that, well…I think they are thieves and are taking advantage of smokers. And really taking advantage of reviewers like me who have to buy them to keep in style with the Big Guys.
If you don’t take advantage of this deal from Ezra Zion, you’re nuts. I don’t have the money to spend on cigars. But there is no way I am going to cry in my beer because I let the opportunity fly by me on the Ezra Zion Blending Sessions. Screw my doctors. I’m tired of putting their kids through college…and driving there in a new Porsche.
Go to the Ezra Zion Store and tell Kyle and Chris the Katman sent you.
Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Cigar Reviews by Phil 'Katman' Kohn 
Leave a Reply