Cigar Review: Zino Platinum Scepter Series

Grand Master, 5.5" x 52 ring gauge / approx. $13

I believe in being honest in my reviews, so I have to get this out of the way first: I have never had a cigar with the Zino brand name on it that I enjoyed. I had received Classic and Platinum varieties at the Big Smoke Las Vegas in previous years, but always found them to be fairly bland. I have heard good things about some of their other cigars that are way out of my regular price range, but based on the other cigars with the Zino name, why would I want to spend $30 on a cigar just to see if it breaks from what I've known a company to produce? Needless to say, with that experience, I did not break down and purchase this cigar...it was part of my CigarFest package. What better opportunity, I thought, to see if this one struck me differently than others I've had? The Scepter Series was introduced in 2003 and is distinguied by the "Smokin' Dawgs" motif in advertising. This Grand Master is a Robusto by any other name and is represented by a bulldog. The Zino website describes it as "an incredible combination of gentleness, taste and aroma" and says it is for the smoker who wants "an intense taste without having to battle formidable strength." It features filler from Peru and the Dominican Republic, a Connecticut binder, and an Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut wrapper.

First impression out the cellophane was "People pay $13 for this?" The wrapper was curled on the seam, puckered in other places and had some discoloration, too. Now what I would expect in a "super-premium." Other than those issues, construction appeared tight and well-done, though. I got an aroma of hay and sweet tobacco from the wrapper and some barnyardy scents on the foot. Feeling along the length I encountered several softer spots--also not something I welcomed at this price. There was a slight oily sheen but no oiliness to the touch. The prelight draw was very good; I got an interesting flavor set including caramel and a little spice, as well as classic "mild cigar" flavors of hay and honey. It was a hot, humid and sunny day and I decided to pair this cigar with some iced coffee.

Initial puffs featured a smoke that was creamy and smooth on the palate, but with a peppery bit on the retrohale. Notes of cedar and hay were the most upfront at this point. Soon I was also getting a sweet tobacco flavor as well as some nice mild coffee notes--and this was before my first sip of iced coffee. The one problem I was getting was little bits of tobacco in my mouth from the cut end--almost like this was a mixed filler stick and not something I expected (am I beginning to repeat myself?) in a cigar of this price range. The first third went by pretty quickly and the ash held on for almost an inch before I tapped off.

In the second third the flavors changed fairly abruptly to cedar, with a considerable bitterness and a peppery finish. Although it started as a mild smoke, it had rapidly progressed to medium-bodied. When this phase of the cigar started I will admit I was not thrilled with the flavor, but after the bitterness mellowed a bit it turned out to be very nice and my iced coffee was a very nice accompaniment. I got another spike of bitterness the second time I tapped ash, with a corresponding mellowing a few minutes later. This led me to believe that the flavors here are extremely susceptible to heat changes and that it is best to ash this one as infrequently as you can manage.

The third time I tapped off I let it rest for a minute before puffing and this helped curtail the bitterness to some extent. The flavors had changed slowly to that of roasted nuts in front with touches of caramel and coffee in the background. In all, I have admit that I rather enjoyed this cigar, even with its strange little flavor changes. Because of those, the loosely packed leaf and the oddities I found upon initial inspection, I cannot call this an unqualified success in my mind, but I did like it overall. It is a nice medium-bodied smoke that I would be delighted to pay $7 to 8 for...since they are asking about double that, I do not see them appearing in my humidor anytime soon, though. To me, the price and experience of this cigar reflect that it is a "status symbol" cigar more than anything else. For those on a budget, like myself, I can recommend at least a half-dozen other medium-bodied cigars that cost little more than half the price and deliver all the flavor if not more.

Body: 5/10

Strength: 6/10

Complexity: 7/10

AFP Scale:

Prelight: 1/2

Construction: 1.5/2

Flavor: 4/5

Value: .5/1

Total: 7/10