Cigar Review: Tantrum PA by Ezra Zion Cigars

Vitola: Lonsdale
Size: 6.5” x 44 ring gauge
MSRP $9.95
Purchased at Silo Cigars

Background

Ezra Zion released the original Tantrum to much acclaim in 2013. It was their first real limited edition and the first cigar that they deleted from their product list…at least in that original 4.44” x 44 ring gauge vitola. Not wanting to repeat themselves exactly, but wanting to capitalize a bit on the good name of the Tantrum, in 2014, the EZ guys released the Tantrum 2014, also known as the Tantrum PA (for Passive Aggressive). They kept the 44 ring gauge, but added about 2 inches in length for this vitola, which should make those who paid $9.50 for the short first version happy, since this one retails for just $.50 more. They also cut production of this second vitola by about 2/3, from 1500 boxes to 600 boxes, which should make them that much harder to come by. (I took some of the expository information here from halfwheel.com’s story)

I picked up a single Tantrum PA from Silo before 2014 ended, but it’s taken me a bit of time to get to the actual smoking and reviewing of it. Like the original, it is a Nicaraguan puro, with a mix of Corojo and Criollo fillers, a Corojo binder, and a Corojo 99 wrapper.

Prelight

The Tantrum has the classic Ezra Zion appearance, with the Ark of the Covenant angels on the band and the foot band declaring the actual line of the cigar. Tantrum bands are rendered in silver and black (some of their other bands have the same look in gold and black). It’s still a classy look, although I have to say, I’m looking forward to them branching out in appearance one of these days. The cigar itself was box-pressed very cleanly, with semi-sharp corners. The wrapper leaf was a medium-dark brown with plenty of red tones to it, and a few visible veins, although they appear to have been flattened before rolling as they weren’t easy to feel. I got a strong earth and cedar aroma from the wrapper; the foot was more earth and some sweetness. The prelight draw was excellent and had note of cedar and sweet tobacco.

Flavor

The Tantrum PA opened up with a strong cedar flavor. Under that I got some chili pepper and earth and a bit of dark fruit. The retrohale was fairly intense in its peppery notes. The cigar started off fairly strong and full of body. Getting the wrapper to burn evenly was tricky at the beginning…when you have to make corrections after less than 5 minutes, it doesn’t bode particularly well, but we’ll see.

The second third saw more cedar, but also the introduction of some milder bread notes in the mix, which definitely kept the interest level up. There was still some pepper, but it was muted.

The pepper did come back more in the last third, but the dominant flavor was just of well-aged natural tobacco. There was still some cedar hanging around, but that’s common in Corojo blends.

Construction

I had to touch up the burn line several times in the first third, but then it settled down and flew right. The draw was great throughout and the ask was pretty solid.

Value

The original Tantrum was a little pricey at $9.50, but at just $10, this one represents a solid value.

Conclusions

I really enjoyed the Tantrum PA. It didn’t seem as full-on strong as the original release, allowing for more enjoyment of the way the cigar progressed from one third to another. I would definitely like to see this line see more life, even if it was just an annual release with a slightly different vitola…although there’s nothing wrong with this size. This is a limited release, so put this on your “grab it if you see it” list.

By-The-Numbers

Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9/10