Aramas A55 by Oz Family Cigars

Today, we review the Aramas in the A55 (Robusto grande) size from Oz Family Cigars. The “Oz” stands for Ozgener; if the name sounds familiar, it’s the same family that owned CAO Cigars. Tim Ozgener founded Oz Family Cigars. Tim worked alongside his father, the late Cano Ozgener. Eventually, the Ozgeners sold CAO to the Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG). Once CAO was assimilated into the STG portfolio in 2010, Tim departed the cigar industry. He stayed away 12 years until 2022 when it was announced he was forming his own company, Ozgener Family Cigars. This past year, Ozgener Family Cigars became Oz Family Cigars.

Aramas is the second regular production line to come from Oz Family Cigars. It would introduce a Mexican San Andres Maduro offering into the Oz lineup. As far as I know, this is the first Mexican San Andres-wrapped cigar involving an Ozgener.

The cigar’s name fits in with the theme of all of the Oz Family Cigars’ releases. So far, each Oz Family release has paid homage to either Ozgener’s family or heritage. Ozgener is proud of his Armenian heritage on his father’s side and his Turkish heritage from his mother. In Turkey, a mountain known as Mount Ararat is significant to Armenian and Turkish culture. The Armenians have also called the mountain Masis. The plan was to name the cigar Ararat or Masis. After a series of potential trademark issues around using those names, Ozgener created his own name – Aramas.

Aramas A55 by Oz Family Cigars – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to the Mexican San Andres wrapper, the Aramas line uses an Ecuadorian Sumatra binder and a combination of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf fillers. Production for the Aramas fillers comes from Casa Carrillo (the factory formerly known as Tabacalera La Alianza) in the Dominican Republic, the main production partner for Oz Family Cigars.

Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, U.S. (Connecticut Broadleaf)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: Casa Carrillo

Vitolas Offered

The Aramas is available in four rounded sizes, each in a 20-count box. The cigars are all named for their ring gauge and are prefixed with the letter “A.” This was Oz Family Cigars’ first regular production line to use a rounded format. Oz Family Cigars’ first release, Bosphorus, was a box-pressed line.

A52: 5 x 52
A55: 5 1/2 x 55
A60: 6 x 60
A54: 6 1/4 x 54 (Torpedo)

Appearance

The Mexican San Andres wrapper of the Aramas A55 was the color of a milk chocolate bar. There was a light amount of oil on the surface. The surface had some mottling and a slight amount of toothiness. This was a bumpy wrapper with a slightly rugged look. The wrapper had both visible seams and visible veins. It’s also worth noting that the Aramas A55 seemed like a densely (but not overpacked) packed cigar.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

A straight cut was used to remove the cap and commence the cigar experience of the Aramas A55. Once the cap was removed, it was on to the pre-light draw phase. The cold draw was straightforward with notes of bittersweet chocolate. Interestingly enough, there was a pleasant bittersweet chocolate aroma from the footer. This wasn’t an artificial flavor and aroma but very much in the wheelhouse of a tobacco foundation in terms of flavor. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Aramas A55 and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Tasting Notes

The Aramas A55 opened with notes of mocha. Mocha is a term I use to describe a potent fusion of coffee and chocolate. Concurrently, there were some notes of baker’s spice. Early on, the mocha notes became primary. You could detect the coffee and chocolate notes with maybe a slight edge to the coffee. Meanwhile, the baker’s spice settled in the background. A layer of black pepper was on the retro-hale with touches of baker’s spice.

The second third opened with the mocha notes still in control. The baker’s spice remained in the background and was joined by some pepper notes on the tongue. There was a slight increase in the pepper and baker’s spice. Toward the end of the second third, the fusion of the mocha notes happened, with the coffee component staying in the forefront and the chocolate component moving into the background.

The last third didn’t see much change. The coffee notes were primary, with pepper, baker’s spice, and chocolate as secondary notes. This is how the Aramas A55 came to a close. The cigar finished with a cool, firm nub.

Burn

The Aramas A55 did not require much maintenance. The cigar maintained a straight burn path and a straight burn line with minimal touch-ups. The resulting ash was firm and silver-gray. The burn rate and burn temperature both maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the Aramas A55

Draw

The draw to the Aramas A55 also performed exceptionally well. This was a cigar that had a touch of resistance to it. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

The Aramas A55 was a medium-strong, medium-bodied smoke from start to finish. There was a nominal increase in strength along the way, but the cigar was never close to getting out of the medium range. In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES

Oz Family Cigars has taken some unfair criticism for the bands. Many have said the bands are “too busy.” The brand has done an excellent job telling the family story through its regular production line brands. The problem with the bands is that the Bosphorus, Aramas, and Firsat all have bands that look too similar. There needs to be better delineation. I don’t think you need to reinvent the wheel with the band’s framework, but I would change the color scheme more.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Oz Family Cigars’ Aramas A55 wasone of the revelations of 2023 in terms of cigar releases. While I wouldn’t describe this as a complex cigar in terms of flavor transitions and flavor nuances, it is a cigar that has rich flavors. The mocha-forward profile works well and has a very natural taste. Add some excellent construction and the Aramas A55 is a winner. This is a cigar I would recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, it’s a cigar I would buy and smoke again. Coming in at 90 points, the Aramas A55 earns a Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence.

Summary

Key Flavors: Mocha (Coffee/Chocolate), Baker’s Spice, Black Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low to Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent