Named for Mt. Ararat, located in the Eastern Anatolia region of Türkiye near Armenia, Aramas follows Ozgener Family Bosphorus, the company’s debut release. “Aramas” is actually a combination of two words, Ararat and Masis, which is the other popular name for the mountain. Ozgener Family Cigars founder, Tim Ozgener, calls Aramas “an homage” to his late father and C.A.O. Cigars founder, Cano A. Ozgener who had roots in both Türkiye and Armenia. It’s also a nod to his work ethic and the many friends Cano made during his years in Europe. Master blender, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo, collaborated with Tim on the blend and also manufactured the four cigar selection.
Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza – Santiago, Dom. Rep.
Size: 5½”x 55
Body & Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Maduro
Binder: Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican, and U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf
Presented in boxes of 20
The Aramas A55 is seamlessly rolled in a thick, even-colored wrapper with a fine tooth and a dark reddish sheen. The triple seam cap was textbook, and after cutting issued a perfect draw with notes of nuts, light spices, sweet tobacco. Once lit, the cigar began smoothly with a mix of sweet and lightly spicy notes. Shortly thereafter, the cigar coalesced into a woody, nutty, and sweet-spicy smoke with a medium body. Baking spices lingered on the finish. Retrohales were smooth and a little nutty early on, but more peppery in the latter half.
By the midsection the cigar was now medium-plus, while the strength held firmly at medium. Notes of dark roasted coffee entered the mix and the cigar continued to develop a rich, chewy, and full-flavored expression with a spicy finish.
The cigar turns darker in the final inches turning a bit more aggressive as the body held at medium-full. Some baking spices survived, but the sweetness faded leaving mostly spice and charred wood notes on the finish at the nub.
Like a Turkish warrior, the Ozgener Aramas A55 was one tough, top performer. Well-balanced with plenty of dark zesty flavors and thick chewy smoke, this oversized Robusto served up a fair amount of complexity and provided plenty of body without overshooting the mark. The Mexican San Andrés Maduro wrapper on the Aramas A55 really stood up to the elements, too. With that, I’d say Ernesto Perez-Carrillo filled Mr. Ozgener’s prescription perfectly.
I would compare the Aramas A55 to beefier cigars like the La Gloria Serie S Robusto Gordo, or the EPC La Historia El Senador, So, if you’ve liked those, or even the Bosphorus, then I think you’ll like the Aramas. It might be a little much for new cigar smokers and the retail price is a bit above average, but it’s clear Tim and Ernesto didn’t skimp on anything, so I’m confident smokers will find it justified.
If you’ve had an experience with this cigar please share your thoughts with a comment.
Executive Editor
Gary Korb has been writing and editing content for CigarAdvisor.com since its debut in 2008. An avid cigar smoker for over 30 years, he has worked on the marketing side of the premium cigar business as a Sr. Copywriter, blogger, and Executive Editor of Cigar Advisor. A graduate of the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, prior to his career in the cigar business, Gary worked in the music and video industry as a marketer and a publicist.
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