The Honor Series FHK was released as soon as the clock hit midnight on New Years Day, making it the first official release in 2014. House of Emilio’s website had this to say about the FHK, which seem to have come from Kyle Hoover, co-owner of Ezra Zion Cigar Company:

The name FHK stands for “Fathers of Hoover and Kelly”. Being history buffs we’ve researched our family heritage and were amazed at what we found: war heroes, ministers, statesman, and hardworking entrepreneurs. Chris had the idea to do a tribute to our forefathers who’ve made us who we are today. The idea seemed to click so we went with FHK as a cool way to pay homage to them.

FHK is the company’s most multi-national blend to date with a Mexican wrapper, Indonesian binder and fillers from Brazil and Nicaragua.

The Honor Series FHK is available in four vitolas: Inspired (5 ½ by 50), Truth (7 by 44), Stature (7 by 54), and Character (Belicoso 6 by 52). The Casas Fumando crew has reviewed a few of the other Ezra Zion cigars below:

• Eminence
• Honor Series Reagan
• Tantrum Edicion Limitada

The Facts

Samples Provided by House of Emilio
Price: $9.00
Vitola: Inspired
Size: 5 ½ by 50
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Brazilian and Nicaraguan
Drink: Water
Smoke Time: 1 Hour and 15 Minutes

Pre-light

When I first pulled the FHK from the cellophane, I was greeted with deep, strong notes of earth and manure. With the cigar resting out of the cellophane for fifteen minutes, I find that the manure aroma is not nearly as strong but still present and there is some woodsy notes. There is some spice on the foot, along with a smell of fresh cut cedar.

The wrapper leaf is consistent in its milk chocolate color. Mainly small veins web across this solidly filled cigar.  Upon clipping the triple cap, I find a near perfect draw that is showcasing cedar, cocoa, manure, and spice. The spice is already warming my mouth and leaving a tingle at the back of the throat.

First Third

Man, oh, man! This cigar is starting off unbelievable. First off, I am a huge fan of San Andres tobacco and this cigar is showcasing the leaf to its fullest. There has been a common complaint how San Andres tobacco can overshadow the rest of the blend. In this instance, it is really complimenting the blend. There is just the right amount of a syrupy, maybe caramel-like, sweetness that is rounding out the rest of the profile of spice, earth, and cedar. The ash is dark gray. The thick burn line is right on and the ash is firm.

Middle Third

As the cigar progresses, the smoke is becoming much richer. I could see a nice cup of java, or a number of libations,  pairing extremely well with the cigar to counter the richness. The spice has stepped up a notch, leaving behind a nice warmth in my mouth. The richness seems to be tied to the cedar flavor, as well as a newly found cinnamon. With the the boldness of flavors, I am pleased to find a clean finish and with a small sip of water my palate is ready for another puff.

Final Third

In the final third, the black pepper has intensified, the sweetness is coming and going, and a dusty cocoa has joined the mix. The finish is now much longer with black coffee. As soon as I think the rich cedar is gone, it bounces right back in. The cigar is producing an excellent amount of smoke that is coating all areas of my mouth. The spice warmth, which is still felt in my mouth, is now causing a tingle on my lips. At the close of the Ezra Zion Honor Series FHK, the flavors are full and the strength is at the full end of medium.

Wrap-up

This cigar was an absolute treat! The flavors were bold, balanced, and quite complex. The performance was spot on with an even burn and firm ash. What more could you want in a cigar? All for a price under $10. I HIGHLY recommend the Ezra Zion Cigar Company Honor Series FHK. Being only two months into the year, I think I may have found a contender for my 2014 Top 10 List.

The post Ezra Zion Cigar Company – Honor Series FHK appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

• Jamais Vu
• Honor Series (Check out Daniel’s review of the Honor Series Reagan here)
• Tantrum
• Eminence

Ezra Zion Cigar Company is owned by the same guys (Chris Kelly, Kyle Hoover, and Alan Fonseca “the Don”) who are behind cigarfederation.com, a social media site with the mission to “be the world’s greatest social website for cigar Connections, Information, & Entertainment”. The site also hosts two excellent podcasts/webcasts (Half Ashed and Cigar Chat) that I watch on a regular basis.

This week, I will be reviewing the Tantrum Edicion Limitada, which is produced at the Aganorsa factory in Nicaragua and is distributed by the House of Emilio. Kyle Hoover, co-owner of Ezra Zion, provided the following information on the Tantrum:

Ezra Zion Tantrum is 44 x 4.4 inch boxed pressed “Prensado Pequeno” and is presented in boxes of 28. It is a limited edition production of 1500 boxes annually and is made in one vitola. The retail price is $266.00 and retail individual price is $9.50. Tantrum pre-released in select retail locations beginning April 2013 and was released nationwide at the 2013 Annual IPCPR Convention.

The Facts

Samples Provided by Ezra Zion Cigar Company
Price: $9.50/single $266/box of 28
Vitola: Boxed Pressed Petit Corona – “Prensado Pequeño”
Size: 4.4 by 44
Wrapper: Vintage Nicaraguan 99 Corojo Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan 99 Criollo
Filler: 5-7 Year Aged Nicaraguan Ligero
Pairing: Water
Smoke: Just under an hour (I smoke slow)

Pre-light

The design on the primary band can be found on all of Ezra Zion cigar lines with a couple variations in color. There is an amazing story behind the band design and the company name “Ezra Zion”. You can hear the story here at the 16:47 mark. Also, as with the other lines, the foot band distinguishes the line. This one being the Tantrum. The Tantrum wears one rustic wrapper. Instantly, I think of a Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Natural Principe due to the size and the rugged wrapper leaf. And trust me, that is not a bad thing. Veins and bumps can be found across the entire stick.

The Corojo Rosado wrapper is medium brown with a slight reddish hue. The wrapper has velvety feel and the cigar is evenly packed with a slight bit of give. The wrapper aroma is unbelievable. Notes of sweet honey contrast a musty cedar in the background. The foot is nutty, followed by the honey and cedar aromas that I pulled off the wrapper.  A shallow clip has opened up a great draw that showcases rich tobacco, cedar, cinnamon, and a spice sting in the mouth and on the lips.

First Third

After sliding off the foot band with ease, I am ready to light this Tantrum Edicion Limitada up. I absolutely adore the size of this cigar and the box pressed format is just one more plus. From the first few puffs, I can tell this is going to be one powerhouse of a smoke. The Tantrum is delivering an incredible amount of spice that is stinging the back of my throat. The flavors are full with the pepper in the forefront followed by cedar and a slight sweetness, along with a heavy amount of spice, lingers on the finish of the smoke. Three quarters of an inch into the cigar, the spice has calmed but by no means is it gone. The richness of the cigar is more noticeable as sweet cedar arrives on my palate that is complementing the spicy profile. The burn line is thick leaving behind a light grey, layered ash.

Middle Third

As I burn into the second third, one side of the wrapper is having trouble burning. I am going to wait it out to see if it will correct itself. The retrohale, which was extremely sharp in the first third, has leveled out. The mixture of earth, cedar, and pepper makes the retrohale very enjoyable, but not recommended for a novice. A toastiness has joined the sweet cedar, as well as a mild cocoa and coffee. Each draw produces a copious amount of smoke. Sure enough, the burn has completely corrected itself. No touch-up was necessary. The strength is definitely full but not pushing me over the edge. Ash is flaky but still holding to ¾ inch.

Final Third

The band has been applied tightly around the cigar, so there is no way I can slide it off. However, the band comes unglued with ease. Another band for the collection! The spice is back in action. Almost a complete return to the start of the cigar.  Once again my lips and mouth have a tingling sensation from the spice. On top of the peppery spice, there is an added layer of cayenne pepper. The cigar remains toasty with earth and leather notes and, as I put the cigar to the close, a tad bit of cocoa is still noticeable on the finish.

Wrap-up

As I mentioned, this cigar packs a punch and is worthy of its slogan “a little baby powerhouse”. I could care less about strength if a cigar doesn’t deliver in the area of flavors and performance, so it is a good thing that this cigar delivered in both. No construction issues were experienced and the burn line was solid, except for the minor burn issue in the middle third that quickly corrected itself. The full, spicy flavors grabbed my attention from the beginning and took me on a wonderful journey. When I first saw the price tag of $9.50 for a petit corona, I was immediately turned off. However, upon smoking the Tantrum, I was extremely impressed and would dish out $9.50 anytime for this stick. I want to give a big “THANK YOU” to Ezra Zion Cigar Company for providing the samples. If you have smoked the Tantrum, let us know your thoughts.

The post Ezra Zion Cigar Company – Tantrum Edicion Limitada appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.