Review Notes: The Zen is a 5X50 Robusto, I believe the Data Base has the Karma and the Zen switched and I see a couple of reviews for the Zen under the Karma. Anyway, I was disappointed in the Zen. I was led to believe it was something like a Drew Estate. The only comparison might be the aroma which is very floral. I liked the understated band and with the veiny wrapper, it gave the cigar character, at least in appearance. However, the burn was not good, every time I ashed this cigar, I had to touch it up with the torch as it was burning inside without burning the wrapper, I believe this is called tunneling. The taste was intriguing for the first half, but soon I realized it was not for me. In short, it's a nice looking stick, with construction problems and a not too agreeable flavor. I certainly can't recommend these. The Bahia Trinidad robusto by Tony B. is a much better cigar.

Review Notes: This sample is the Zen model a 5x50 robusto purchased in Nov 2006. As with all of Borhani's products the cigar is attractive with a very nice looking band. I personally prefer the gold line bands, but the Deseo band is simple and attractive while still looking expensive. The wrapper is a dark brown oily and slightly veiny product of Ecuador. The bunching is very firm which would lead you to think a tight draw is coming, however that is not the case. The prelight aroma is musty and not overly pleasant. The draw is acceptable, slightly firm but not hard at all. Smoke volume is average, it could be better but it is satisfactory. The initial flavors are deep heavy musty\mushroom like but are accompanied by a strong spiciness. This stick feels high in octane and you can almost taste the nicotine strength overpowering the flavor. There are similarities to an El Rico Habano, but not quite as strong or peppery. This cigar is a medium-full bodied, med-full strength smoke. The aroma is stingy and peppery and the cigar produced a solid medium-light grey ash. The cigar burned fairly straight the whole way through, but the wrapper did crack in a couple of places. This could be attributed to a humidity issue as the wrapper did not appear overly fragile. Overall, this smoke is stronger than the Trinidad or Blu line, however I prefer both of those to the flavor of the Deseo. A good smoke, but nothing to write home about. The ERH give more power and pepper, whereas the Bahia Blu more flavor but less strength.