Ohana Pulse Maduro 10

Ohana means family, and Ohana Nui means big family. I'm not sure what precipitated Ohana cigars briefly leaving the market, before they returned with Ohana Nui. The Pulse Maduro 10 was recently released, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Pulse Maduro, which originally debuted in 2016. My understanding is this is a reblend of the original cigar, which was rolled at Noel Rojas's NOA factory and is now made by Raymond Pages.

BRAND / CO:  Ohana
CIGAR:  Pulse Maduro 10
VITOLA:  Toro (Box Press) - 6" x 52
STRENGTH:  Medium - Full
WRAPPER:  Mexican San Andrés, Maduro
BINDER:  Nicaragua
FILLER:  Nicaragua
ORIGIN:  Nicaragua, Tabacalera Pages de Nicaragua S.A.

APPEARANCE & CONSTRUCTION:   Good
Another nice wrapper from Pulse, this MSA is a dark chocolatey brown, with a light sheen and minor mottling. There's a number of very thin veins running through it, and they're all pressed in with the aggressive box press, giving it a candy bar shape. It only has a single cap finished with a pigtail, but triple bands in a bright red and gold that set the cigar off. It has a good feel that's on the firmer side and a semi-closed foot.

DRAW & BURN:   Great 
The draw is good, and while it takes extra effort to light, the burn starts off nicely. The burn is fairly even side to side, but a little wavy to start. I find that box-pressed cigars can be a little bit more challenging to get a clean burn, but we'll see how this does. By the end of the first inch, it's nearly perfect with a razor-sharp and flat burn line. The ash is a light to medium gray with fairly tight striations, but the ash is fragile, falling just after the first inch and requiring an immediate relight. Fragileness aside, it's a beautiful burn.

FLAVOR PROFILE:   Average
Immediate espresso, dark chocolate, and pepper hit on light up. There's a mix of musty earth, charred oak, and dark rye breadiness with a minor nuttiness and caramel sweetness. I feel like this has Ometepe tobacco in it even though the blend's regions aren't fully disclosed.  As I get through the first inch, there's a growing dark fruit quality to the sweetness, and it's moving away from caramel. Overall, it's a dark, musty, and earthy blend to start, striking me as more medium than the full-bodied cigar it's advertised as.

In the second third, pepper isn't very strong, but I'm getting some mild harshness and bitter notes from the blend. It's also getting progressively more leathery, not in a good manner. It's like somebody's used bondage gear that hasn't been properly cleaned. Suffice to say, I'm halfway through and not really digging this cigar and looking to the exits.

But getting to the final third, the sweetness returns in force, and the blend starts to lose the funkiness. Why couldn't the entire cigar be like this? It's cherry-like, rich, and syrupy, layered over the dark chocolate and espresso. The spice is perfect with a dash of cinnamon and dark woodiness. But it's fleeting, and I'm back to the funkiness to close this cigar out. Bummer.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE:   
I think the problem is that this cigar leaves a funky aftertaste, even if it's just a little bit. It's hard to put my finger on what exactly I'm tasting, but it's very blech. Barnyard and earth can have good funk, but then there's nasty funk. And like Extreme once said, we need to get the funk out.  Maybe the next time I try this cigar, I'll get more of the good moments, but this one disappointed and was mediocre more often than not.

Purchase singles or by the Box HERE

Reviewed by Sean McCloskey of The Collective