The next chapter of Ezra Zion's Blessed Leaf series — a 6 × 52 belicoso prensado dressed in a 12-year-aged Corojo 99 wrapper, built as the natural sibling to Jesus Is King and Thy Kingdom Come.
If the Blessed Leaf line has become one of Ezra Zion's most recognizable patterns — long-aged wrappers, scripturally rooted naming, blends that don't apologize for their intensity — The First & The Last leans into every one of those elements. Rolled as a box-press belicoso and finished with Corojo 99 leaf given more than a decade to settle, this release slots into the series as a direct successor to the Jesus Is King and Thy Kingdom Come releases that came before it. If either of those earned a spot in your rotation, The First & The Last was built for you.
The First & The Last is a 6 × 52 belicoso prensado under a pristine 12-year-aged Corojo 99 wrapper. The binder and filler recipe stays a Blessed Leaf secret — but every leaf in the blend has been aged between 4 and 14 years. That depth of aging is what carries full body and medium-to-full strength through a long smoke without ever tipping into harshness.
Blend Information
- Vitola: Belicoso Prensado (6 × 52 box-press)
- Wrapper: 12-year-aged Corojo 99
- Binder: Closely guarded secret
- Filler: Closely guarded secret
- Body: Full
- Strength: Medium / Full
- Aging: All tobaccos aged 4–14 years
- Series: Blessed Leaf (follows Jesus Is King and Thy Kingdom Come)
Tasting Journey
First Light: A revelation. Milk chocolate, raw cane sugar, espresso, and vanilla bean instantly begin. Hints of macadamia nuts, aged leather, and cardamom follow immediately. The finish is long, adding a rich custard note. The retrohale brings a warming pepper burn.
As It Progresses: Dark chocolate, sugar cone, and raw honey emerge. Additional hints of cashew, graham crackers, and cedar appear.
Halfway: The strength increases along with the richness. Caramel, café latte, candied almond, and maple wood are added to the mix. Hints of chocolate chips, bourbon, and cream linger on the palate.
Last Third: Flavor of Biblical proportions. Cacao nibs, coffee beans, and nutmeg are added to the mix. Big creamy notes of egg nog and nougat appear out of nowhere. The flavors intensify all the way to the nub of the nub. A complete masterpiece in every way.
The First & The Last is a limited Blessed Leaf release. Available at Tinder Box as a single or a 5-pack while allocation lasts.
