Emilio LJZ Cigar Review – 70 Years in the Making

If you read our article,  Seed to Palate , you appreciate what it takes and how long it takes to bring that cigar you are smoking to market. We are talking years between the time to plant the seed, grow the plants, cultivate, dry, ferment, roll, age, and package. Patience and care are the key to the best. If you ask Scott Zucca, owner of Emilio Cigars he will tell you the Emilio LJZ has been in the making for 70 years. In the press release earlier this year, Scott explains

“1947, my family started LJ Zucca from my grandfather’s front porch and it’s grown into the regional distribution company it is today…The LJZ cigar is a tribute not only to them and its many employees, but also to the hard work, character, and entrepreneurial spirit that makes this country great. I believe it’s our best Emilio cigar release yet.”

70 years is a lot of patience and determination in the cigar business. While some have fallen, Zucca’s family has persevered over the years. They have weathered the storms along with the many ebbs and tides in the business. Scott Zucca now has the product that represents those years of hard work.

The Emilio LJZ cigar is a special blend of Ecuadorian and Nicaragua leaf which is described as:

• Wrapper – Ecuadorian Habano
• Binder – Ecuadorian Habano Seco
• Filler – Nicaraguan

Scott has teamed up with James Browns’s Fabrica Oveja Negra in Estelí, Nicaragua to produce the LJZ. It is being offered in 2 vitolas and packaged in 20-count boxes:

• LJZ Robusto (5 x 52) – MSRP $9.00
• LJZ Toro (6 x 50) – MSRP $11.00

For this review I sampled the Emilio LJZ Robusto, which I received from the company, for the purpose of reviewing on Stogie Press.

Pre-Light Examination

The Emilio LJZ is a minimally veined, medium brown cigar that exudes a sweet fermented leaf bouquet along the barrel and notes of wood, earth and pepper off the foot. Looking closer, you might notice the wrapper has a reddish-orange hue to it.

It is finished with a simple cap and adorned with 2 bands. The Primary band is the old Emilio trademark artwork and the secondary footer band declares this in bold white on gloss black as the L.J.Z. As a note, the L.J.Z. stands for and is a tribute to the company founder Louis J. Zucca.

Once cut, the Emilio LJZ has a lightly restricted cold draw with notes of earth and pepper.

It was now time to see what 70 years of experience offers.

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Cigar Review Notes

• Pepper kicks in to start
• Sweet cinnamon spice quickly follows
• White pepper hits the throat
• White ash evolves on a medium char line
• Solid even burn
• Sweetness lies on the palate
• Smoke is quite smooth after an inch
• Some oiling occurring on the wrapper
• Sweet creamy coffee notes enter in the second third
• Cinnamon spice, though mild, maintains through the burn
• Cedar enters in final third
• Syrupy and nut aroma filled the lounge
• Ash is amazing
• Sweetness continues with a hint of pepper on the lips down to the nub
• Medium Strength
• Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 15 minutes

Overall, the Emilio LJZ was an enjoyable cigar with long-lasting natural sweetness that graced the palate throughout. Though not overly complex, this medium strength cigar delivered excellent flavor transitions and aroma though a solid burn and long ash. It most certainly is one I would pair with a cup of espresso.

The Emilio LJZ it is being distributed by Scott Zucca;s cigar distribution company, Boutiques Unified.

If you are curious about the book in the below picture, it is a book of cigar related poems that was written by a good friend of mine Christopher Robin Adams. If interested you can order this at www.spanishcedarbook.com