Review: Oz Family Cigars - KARATOBA

Joe Murdie
Sep 12
3 min read

Hey team, Don José here back with another review.

Today we have the

Karatoba from Oz Family Cigars

If this is your first time here, my reviews rate each cigar on 10 factors and each factor gets a rating out of 10 giving me an overall out of 100. The 10 factors are: Construction, Draw, Burn, Flavour, 1/3 overall, 2/3 overall, 3/3 overall, Journey (how well it flows), Complexity & Value for money.

Overview

Recently released, the Karatoba is the latest in a small line up of cigars from Oz Family Cigars.

For those who don't know Oz Family Cigars, they were founded in 2022 by Tim Ozgener, who is the son of Cano Aret Ozgener. Cano was the founder of a small company that started out modifying meerschaum pipes. Around 1977 they expanded to include Cigars and Humidors. The brand took it's name from Cano's initials, CAO.

CAO was sold years ago, but Cano's son Tim has returned the family to the cigar industry with the new brand Oz Family Cigars.

I must say, this cigar has one of the most interesting and creative profile write ups ive seen:

"The OZ Family Cigars Karatoba is a medium-to-full-bodied experience that opens with a bold burst of savoury spices. As the smoke evolves, rich notes of stewed meat and slow-cooked red sauce emerge, evoking the essence of a hearty, well-seasoned bolognese sauce. Its Sumatra wrapper adds a touch of earthiness and subtle sweetness, perfectly balancing the complexity. Crafted with a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from both Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, this cigar delivers a luxurious , layered flavour journey from start to finish."

Stewed meat and Bolognese aye... unusual.

That said, I like the look of the blend, love me a good Sumatra wrapper and look forward to seeing what this stick delivers.

Details:

Size: K50 6½ x 50
Wrapper: Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua
Fillers: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic

About the Wrapper.

Sumatra Tobacco

Sumatra is a black tobacco leaf that was originally found in Indonesia, but the most popular version is Ecuador Sumatra. Used primarily as wrapper leaf, we love the colour, oil and spice found in this version.

The Karatoba wrapper is quite light coloured for a Sumatra leaf IMO.

let's get into the review.

First thoughts

I have always been a big fan of CAO, and although this cigar is realistically quite removed from CAO, I can't help but have some anticipation heading into this.

The wrapper is lighter than expected, and the roll is on the looser side - which is very different to CAO which are usually on the tighter side - The band is simple but effective.

The Cold Draw:

Lots of wood and natural tobacco on the cold draw

Construction

Construction is good, not perfect, but no complaints. It has a slight box-pressing which is nice and less common again now days it seems.

Burn & Draw Burn and Draw are fantastic, plenty of smoke, maybe slightly too much draw if i'm looking for flaws.

Flavour & Complexity So... Flavour aye... well I can't say I get Bolognese exactly, but I sort of see where they are coming from. There is a red meat tone there, and some depth - depth like you would find in a a stew of sorts I guess... but for me it's more black pepper, chocolate, oak and some earth.

Strength

Mid-Full, 70%

Enjoyment / Journey This was a great cigar and an enticing first smoke for me from Oz Family cigars.

Overall Well worth a try for both CAO fans and foes alike.

I rate this cigar 91 points

Get some while you can!

A look at the numbers.

Construction -- 9/10

Burn -- 9/10

Draw -- 9/10

Flavour -- 9/10

Complexity -- 8/10