I am offering up yet another sample from the House of Emilio today.  I have been trying to do them in batches so today I am aiming at the second Ezra Zion item I had on hand.  The Eminence.  I won't bore you with words....let's get right to it.

Construction: There is a nice rustic feel to this cigar.  Something I can attribute to the San Andres wrapper leaf.  Almost black with plenty of tooth and very few veins, the Eminence has the look that a well constructed cigar should have.  Contrasting the rustic feel is the ever impressive Ezra Zion band.  As a professional designer, I nod my head in appreciation of the beauty and elegance the band provides to their product.

Pre-light Aroma and Draw: Out of the cellophane there are some heavy duty aromas coming from this cigar.  I get Raisin, barnyard, and a sweet black cherry on the nose.  You can really tell this cigar contains some killer tobacco.  The draw is absolutely perfect as well.

Light and Burn: The burn from start to finish is well done.  I did have a couple of small issues with the burn line as the cigar smoked down but nothing to blemish my regard for this cigar.

Tasting: The Eminence starts off with a nice peppery blast filled with cocoa and dark roast coffee.  The first third is quite powerful, showing strong notes of black pepper, rich earth, and black cherry.  The smoke is copious and aromatic too.  As the segment closes, I get a nice note of dark chocolate that passes me in the the second third.  The earth note dries out a bit in the middle while still holding onto the dark chocolate flavor.  I get a yeast-like bread note that made me do a double take.  Overall a terrific cigar so far.  As I finish her up, I get a nice transition to espresso, roasted nuts, and some cedar wood spice.  Yeah, the Eminence is terrific, folks.  Very well balanced and constructed.

Value: The Eminence is not a cheap cigar - rightly so if you ask me.  At $12.50 plus, I think it qualifies as a special occasion smoke but it doesn't price itself out of the market. 

Final Thoughts: I would smoke these often if I had a pile of them somewhere.  They are an excellent choice when you want to treat yourself (or friends) to something quite special.  Oh sure, you could smoke a Padron Anniversary or an OpusX, but the Eminence is cheaper and equal or...and I am sure to get flamed for this...better than either of those highly touted cigars.  I highly recommend this lovingly crafted and beautiful cigar.

Wrapper: mexican San Andres Maduro
Binder: Cuban Seed Nicaraguan
Filler: Grade AA Nicaraguan Tobaccos Aged 5 to 7 Years

Strength: Full

Size: 5 X 58

I really love the look of Ezra Zion's products.

There is a decent view of the band. The black and gray with chrome silver is a killer look and the change up from silver to gold and black to other colors on different releases is a stroke of genius.  Would love to see one in red/gold or red/silver someday.