Left Hand High Maka Maka by Ohana Nui

Cigar companies are confusing as hell sometimes, especially when they predate your experience as a smoker. Ohana Nui is a company that was formed in 2022 when Ohana and 262 Cigars returned to the market, and their respective owners decided to merge operations while retaining their personal brands. Left Hand Cigars is a company also owned by Ryan Rodriguez of Ohana Cigars but is being treated like a sub-brand. Either way, they all fall under the Ohana Nui banner.

"High Maka Maka" (or haimakamaka) is a Hawaiian Pidgin term meaning stuck-up, pretentious, or arrogant, describing someone who thinks they're better than others. So the "High Maka Maka" isn't a gesture done with the left hand; it's a cigar by Left Hand Cigars of Ohana Nui. The explanation on why this cigar is called the "High Maka Maka" is because it's one of the most expensive cigars offered by Ohana because of its high-grade wrapper. Now that that's settled...

BRAND / CO:  Ohana
CIGAR:  Left Hand High Maka Maka
VITOLA:  Toro - 6" x 52
STRENGTH:  Medium - Full
WRAPPER:  Connecticut Broadleaf, Maduro
BINDER:  Ecuador (Habano) / Nicaragua (Jalapa)
FILLER:  Nicaragua (Condega, Jalapa, Ometepe)
ORIGIN:  Nicaragua, Tabacalera Pichardo (D’Hatuey Tabacos S.A. / TacaNicsa)

APPEARANCE & CONSTRUCTION:   Good
Referring to my intro, the first thing you might notice is the band with the two skeleton hands gesturing. The "High Maka Maka" isn't a hand gesture; the hands are actually spelling out "LH" for Left Hand Cigars. But then the next thing you'll notice is the gorgeous Maduro Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Oily, heavily mottled, toothy, it's just a gorgeous wrapper. It's a gorgeous roll with tight seams and a super clean cap. It even has a modified pigtail with a fan and closed foot. The roll is super firm on this one, not a hint of give. The bands are a nice quality though I do wish they were the same color rather than one being copper and the other silver.

DRAW & BURN:   Average / Poor
The draw is tight until the foot has completely burned through, then it opens up nicely. The burn is uneven and dragging on one side, so I'll see if it self-corrects or needs a correction. The ash is a medium gray with widely spaced striations that are quickly flaking off in big chunks.  This could get messy.  But my cigar starts canoeing badly so I dump and apply a heavy correction after just the first inch has burned.  This isn't off to a great start!

And this is why I'm not a huge fan of the closed foot; getting a really good toasted foot can be tough and lead to burn issues. After the relight, it's still a very wavy and slightly uneven burn, but far better controlled for a moment. The burn is unfortunately a continual point of frustration. Uneven, wavy, multiple relights, and the draw is closing up. I think this one was rolled too tightly, and all of these burn issues are distracting from focusing on the blend.

FLAVOR PROFILE:   Excellent
Immediate pepper blasts out the gate.  As the closed foot burns off that spice pulls back into tolerable levels. Then earth, charred oak, coffee, raisin sweet, some rye bread, and light coffee all appear. It has a nice balance and level of complexity, but the pepper is numbing my tongue and back of the throat. What's frustrating is the burn is so bad, it's keeping me from really focusing on the blend, and I'm already getting to the halfway point. And this is a pretty good blend so far.

The second half keeps up with the heavy charred earth, and strong spice that's dominant with pepper and supported by baking spice. There's still a strong raisin-like fruitiness, coffee, and dark chocolate note that brings in some bitterness and light anise. It has a moderately creamy finish that's a little musty and develops a buttery sweetness in the final third. But there's no harshness, just that delightful peppery burn. Mild roasted peanut nuttiness appears in the final third, and the cigar is definitely finishing on a high note.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:   Good
I'm hoping the burn issues on this cigar are a one-off. Because otherwise, it has a really nice, complex, and balanced profile that improved throughout the burn. It would've been a stunner if the final third was representative of the entire cigar, but the first two thirds were still great. I'll be sure to revisit this cigar sooner than later to see if that's the case because the shit burn really dragged this example down.

Purchase singles or by the Box HERE

Reviewed by Sean McCloskey of The Collective