Just prior to the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show Ohana Cigars announced its fourth line, the Ohana Pulse. Ohana is a brand produced by Familia Rodriguez Tobaccos. Owned by Ryan Rodriguez and his father Frank, Familia Rodriguez Tobaccos focuses on small batch production. With the Ohana Pulse, there were two blends announced – an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper version and a box-pressed maduro. Today we take a closer look at the Ohana Pulse Habano blend in the Toro size. Since Familia Rodriguez Tobaccos launched in 2014, the company has steadily built a loyal following. With a solid release like the
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
The name “Ohana” is Hawaiian for family and Pulse keeps to the brand’s theme. In a press release announcing the Pulse, Ryan Rodriguez explained, “Ohana is about family and friends and Pulse carries on with this belief. With every heartbeat, every pulse, our family and friends are the lifeblood of our existence. We are deeply humbled and honored by the support we have received in these first two years and now we honor you with Pulse.” For the Ohana Pulse line, Rodriguez partners with Tabacalera NOA (New Order of the Ages), the facility owned by Noel Rojas and Brandon Hayes.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Factory: Tabacalera NOA
Blender: Ryan Rodriguez
Number of reviewers: 5 – Mickey T.(irratebass) John A.(John A.) Dave W. (mdwest) Ryan H.(Ryan H.) Adam B.(Bushboy)
Price: $9.00
Age: 1 year
Release Date: July 2016
Contributed by: Ohana Cigar
Initial Impressions
Appearance: 93
“A seamless medium brown beauty that has a piggy tail top and closed foot bottom ( One of the best examples I have seen).” –John A. (John A.)
Aroma: 91
“Coffee with barnyard on the shaft, and mostly manure on the closed foot.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Blind Cigar Review: Ohana | Pulse Toro
First Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“On the cold draw I get a damp musty type of flavor. Right away after lighting up I’m getting spice with some sweet tobacco flavors and some coffee. Half wa through the first third and the spice is all but gone, the cigar is a medium strength at best. I detect a bit of cinnamon with coffee on the regular draw, and walnuts on the retro. This cigar has a very long finish that just lingers on.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“I can tell after only just a few puffs that this is going to be a cigar I am going to like. The smoke is smooth and creamy with no harshness to it at all. Flavors include herbal and floral notes that are bold and well defined.” –Dave W. (mdwest)
Blind Cigar Review: Ohana | Pulse Toro
Second Third
Flavor: 89
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“This is turning into a very nice smoke for me. No real flavor change, but a couple of times on the retro I got that damp/musty flavor again…..what is that???? As soon as I typed that I got a real nice sweet tobacco that overpowered everything!” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“A sort of strange sweet finish makes its way into the second third. This makes for a bit of an odd combination with the herbal and floral notes that have been present since the first few puffs, but is pleasant and adds an interesting twist to the cigar.” –Dave W. (mdwest)
Blind Cigar Review: Ohana | Pulse Toro
Final Third
Flavor: 87
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Coffee has returned and mixed in with the sweetness, which was a nice surprise. Getting lots of walnut on the retro now. At the very end of this cigar it stayed with the sweet tobacco flavors.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“Some sweetness is trying to punch through but remains unidentifiable.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 91
“I tore the pigtail off instead of cutting it, and the draw was great. Plenty of smoke output, never got hot by any means. Was very smooth throughout the entire smoke.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Burn: 85
“The burn line was never quite straight, but the cigar continued to self correct and needed no maintenance.” –Dave W. (mdwest)
Construction: 90
“The cigar was fully packed, but the draw wasn’t snug by any means. I was really surprised by the closed foot & pig tail.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 93
“I really enjoyed this cigar, it burned slow and cool. There was enough transitions to keep me satisfied with coffee, sweet tobacco, and walnuts. There was some musty/damp flavors that I still can’t pinpoint yet. Curious what this was, and would like to add some to my humidor.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“I was eager to begin smoking the cigar after admiring the aroma and construction prelight. However the lack of complexity and burn issues that ensued quickly diminished my experience and expectations. At the very end the cigar virtually blew up from cracks that began forming as it swelled.” –John A. (John A.)
“Overall a very nice cigar. Assuming the price point is reasonable I’ll be buying a box shortly after the reveal.” –Dave W. (mdwest)
“Although the cigar didn’t change much throughout the experience, it did have an ok flavor that would pair well with coffee. It wasn’t a bad cigar at all maybe a little boring but still worth smoking” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)
“Good cigar, but had several issues that left something to be desired. From past experience this cigar compared directly to those i have had with Drew Estate products. Tons of smoke, and either you love or hate the flavors. Definitely had tons of character from the initial inspection, but the smoking experience left me wanting more from this stick.” –Adam B. (Bushboy)
