Video review HERE.
Ezra Zion is another cigar from The House of Emilio and Gary Griffith. It has several blends in various sizes but this version, the Tantrum, is available in only one size and it's one that's easy to remember; 4.44x44. The actual size is called Prensado Pequeño. This is a Nicaraguan puro and in limited release. There were only 1500 boxes of 28 cigars released.
Wrapper: Limited 1999 Cuban Seed, Corojo
Binder: Grade AA Nicaraguan Tobaccos Aged 5 to 7 Years
Filler: Grade AA Nicaraguan Tobaccos Aged 5 to 7 Years
The cigar is box pressed and well made. Here is a shot of the foot.
After cutting the minimum from the cap the test draw was very good. The initial flavors at light up were a sweet cedar, roasted nuts, and a lot of black pepper. There are light nutmeg notes. The black pepper is rated at an 8. Right away you get a lot of sweet cedar and roasted nut flavors. I will be smoking this cigar slowly to get the best flavors.
About 1/2 inch the black pepper has changed to a red pepper. There is a sweet, thick cedar and nutmeg combination with the roasted nuts. The pepper is very good. The finish is a toasted cream with a nice lingering black pepper. Did you get that? There is a red pepper on the front end and a black pepper on the finish! The cigar is medium bodied and very close to medium to full bodied.
About one inch in the roasted nuts are faint but the sweet, rich cedar and nutmeg are dominant. The pepper is still very good but the lingering pepper on the palate is fantastic. There is also a base flavor of coffee on the front end. The two peppers make the cigar very interesting and enjoyable.
About 1 1/2 inches in the ash is dropping quite a bit! The flavors are now evening out. The sweet cedar, nutmeg, roasted nuts (which are back), and the coffee are very even in intensity. The flavors are smooth. The finish is a graham cracker flavor. The lingering pepper has ticked down just a notch. The cigar is now a little over medium to full bodied and approaching full bodied very quickly.
With about 1 1/2 inches left the nutmeg notes have tailed off. The sweet cedar is prominent and there is a lot of charred oak attached to the cedar. The coffee is still the base. The pepper seems to be transitioning over to a black pepper on the front end. The finish is still one of graham crackers. The lingering pepper on the finish has also tailed off a bit. The cigar is full bodied now. The cigar is slow burning and burns evenly when smoked slowly.
At the end the flavors were sweet cedar with a touch of richness and a brown sugar sweetness. There were charred oak notes. In the previous segment I stated that the red pepper seemed to be changing over to a black pepper on the front end. Here at the end I can taste both black and red pepper on the front end. Coffee remained the base. The finish remained one of graham cracker with a black pepper finish. The cigar ended up full bodied. This has been a fantastic cigar. I was totally impressed by the Tantrum. It would be nice if the cigar was available in a larger size as I hated for it to end!
Score: 93
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