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Ezra Zion Cigars House Blend | Cigar Reviews by the Katman

By The Katman on October 9, 2016 • ( 1 )

Wrapper: Corojo Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5 x 52 Robusto
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $6.79 (5 Pack), $6.59 (10 Pack) $6.50 (20 Pack)
Humidor Time: 3 Weeks
Number of cigars smoked prior to review: 1

Photo courtesy of Ezra Zion:

Today we take a look at the Ezra Zion Cigars House Blend
Thanks to Eric C. for sending me the sticks.

BACKGROUND:
From the Ezra Zion Store web site:
“Our goal was simple…
Make the best “house blend” ever for the good folks of the #EzraZionNation!
“We thought… it’s gotta be so good that when you look in your humi for something to smoke you think “Dang! I’m reaching for one of those EZ House Blends again! Man I’m smoking those everyday!”

“This blend was code named “Baby Bear’s Porridge”. It couldn’t be too cold, it couldn’t be too hot. It had to be just right to find that sweet spot among all the cigar palate preferences. Heck, we even made multiple vitolas!

“House Blend is gorgeous Corojo Rosado wrapped cigar draped over a mix of Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo. Medium in strength and full bodied.

“At the light, big flavors of cream, nougat and toasted nuts rush over the palate. The luscious sweetness is perfectly balanced with cedar and warm cinnamon on the retrohale.

“As the cigar progresses, the cream develops into a thick caramel note. Blasts of clove and hay accentuate the core flavors. The retrohale gains a beautiful black pepper burn.

“It finishes strong with a crescendo of flavors in the final third. To borrow from a recent FB post: “It’s so good that when your (sic) done, you’ll want to call your mom and tell her you love her.”
“House Blend is so smooth, so sweet…ah, I need to go call my mom!”

SIZES AND PRICING:
Specific sizes are not shown on the Ezra Zion Store web site.
Robusto: $6.50-$6.79
Toro: $6.70-$7.00
Belicoso: $6.70-$7.00
Churchill: $6.70-$7.00

DESCRIPTION:
The wrapper looks like one of those clear Lucite or glass ashtrays with a “real” tobacco leaf inside. The oily, gingerbread/reddish/cinnamon/tawny color is quite beautiful. Almost a claro in color and transparency.
There are plenty of veins but in this case they look like a Jackson Pollack painting. Seams are tight but not invisible. One cigar looks like it has a double cap and the other; a triple cap.
The cigar band is hilarious. It is very tiny and the absorbent paper makes the stamp of information bleed to the point that you can’t read it.

The stick is inconsistent as far as how hard it is in some places and soft in others. I hope it doesn’t affect the draw.

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW NOTES:
From the shaft, I smell floral notes, caramel, spice, smoked almonds, and cedar.
From the clipped cap and the foot, I smell strong black pepper, sweetness, floral notes, caramel, cedar, milk chocolate, and cream.
The cold draw presents flavors of black pepper, big dollop of creaminess, cloves, nutmeg, and cedar.

FIRST THIRD:
I’ve got a plug right around the cigar band. I will need to use my cigar awl.
But flavors start right away and impress the shit out of me….black pepper, creaminess, smoked almonds, sweetness, nutmeg, bitter sweet chocolate, cedar, and cinnamon. Damn. I should have allowed the EZ description act as my review. So far, spot on.
Strength is medium body.

Nice thing about EZ blends is that they rarely need a lot of humidor time. I’ve found a hard and fast rule about the way Kyle and Chris blend is that a few weeks is all that is needed to enjoy the fruits of the boys’ labor. More time is good but 3 weeks…you’re off and running.

For the second time in 8 years of reviewing cigars, I met with a reader who lives nearby. Larry R. and I spent some time in a dive/bar smoking cigars and talking about life. I had a great time and Larry is a cool Moon Doggie. I look forward to hanging out again.

It is early and I hit the play button on the 2005 Crossroads Guitar Festival that I recorded last week. I’d crank it but Charlotte is still sleeping. Still, good background.

The char line is on the money. No touch ups required. In fact, I got within one quarter of an inch of the start of the second third before the ash fell off.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 25 minutes.

The complexity is slow going. Transitions are not bold, but rather, subtle. Subtle is nice.
But with that being said, this is an exemplary cigar for the price. There are thousands of catalog cigars going for $6 that are boring and don’t come close to the flavor profile and character of the Ezra Zion Cigars House Blend.

Smoking boutique brands can really snob you up. Most are very good. Some, not so much. I could list the ones I don’t care for but I don’t want to be on anyone’s death list.

Up until the FDA swung its might axe, boutique brands and blends were a great place for new, and old, cigar makers to show off their wares. Unfortunately, way too many of these guys should stick to catalog cigar blending. OK…here are two examples: Lost & Found (Impromptu) and Caldwell.

In a surge of bold flavors: creaminess, caramel, Three Musketeers bar, chocolate, peanuts, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cedar swing for the fences. This is the sweet spot.

Complexity is raging now. Transitions are rapid and promiscuous.
The robusto is a tease. I would love to try the Churchill. I normally go for the smaller sticks for their intense character but the Ezra Zion Cigars House Blend is so damn fine, I want more than 5”. Wait…I think I remember Charlotte saying that to me on our wedding night.
I reach the halfway point in 40 minutes. The issues with hard spots and soft spots dissolved into nothing.
This is a very pleasant slow roll.

Strength hits medium/full.
The black pepper has moved up several notches.
Speaking of the best blend they ever made, I was gifted some of their new Rookie Cards sticks. Just got them so it will be a while til I get to them. But as the limited production of only 500 cigars sold out in less than an hour, I’m not sure why I intend to review them other than to mark their existence. That and my desire to review anything new that comes into my possession.

The Ezra Zion Cigars House Blend is a great knock around cigar.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour five minutes.
Nutmeg is very strong now along with the red hot cinnamon. Creaminess and caramel make for a perfect Crème Caramel dessert.

There is a tincture of chocolate in the background along with a bit of coffee and that mousse you find in the U-No bars from back in the day.

Ezra Zion has the House Blend cigars in stock at the Ezra Zion Store. When you consider what you get for $6-$7 from the catalog stores, this is a great deal.
Construction has been near perfect. A few minor touch ups required for the burn line but nothing serious.
I’ve got an inch left and I’m not ready for it to end. So I will use my funky cigar roach clip to finish it.

I can highly recommend the Ezra Zion Cigars House Blend. It is one of the few house blends that exceeds the value of its price point.
The cigar remains clean and without a lick of harshness right to the end.
Final smoke time is one hour 15 minutes.

RATING: 90