Vitola: Gran Robusto- 5” x 60 ring gauge
- MSRP $25.00
- Purchased at Burns Tobacconist
Background
Davidoff’s Zino Platinum brand is the latest line to undergo a rebranding, following the Camacho and Avo brands. Unlike Camacho which was a massive change or Avo which was a significant change, although one that would be easy for occasional smokers to miss, this ZP rebranding seemed to me to be more of a “what exactly did they change?” rebranding effort. Around the beginning of October of 2020, they released a 2020 Limited Edition for the line… “a cigar fit for royalty, that only a true master blender can crease. A blend fit to excite the most sophisticated palate.”
I, of course, was curious and looked forward to trying these from the first time I heard about them…they didn’t start calling me “Davidoff Jones” for nothing! It took close to two months for them to show up in my local shop, though, so I almost had time to forget about them. Now that they are here, I’m glad I didn’t. This Zino Platinum LE 2020 uses Honduran and Dominican San Vicente Ligero fillers, a Honduran binder, and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that was grown exclusively for this blend. Oddly for a luxury brand—but not quite that odd considering some of the ZP brand’s previous releases—it comes only in a single size that is a large ring gauge…60 ring, to be precise. I’ve come to (mostly) trust that the blenders for Davidoff’s various brands know what they are doing when it comes to larger ring cigars…if anyone can do them right, these gentlemen can!
I bought (so far) 3 of this release at Burns Tobacconist in Chattanooga. This review is based on the third time I’ve smoked it. If your local shop doesn’t carry Zino Platinum, you can find them on our sponsor’s website: Small Batch Cigar.
Prelight
The metal box that this release comes in is a beautiful shade of burgundy, with the black and silver “Z” emblem in the middle of it. The band uses the same emblem in the main band, which is mostly silver, with black artwork and a gold crown above the Z. The secondary band uses the red from the box and states “Limited Edition 2020.” It’s all a very attractive high-end look.
The wrapper on this cigar was a medium brown with a little red in it, slightly oily to the touch, and exuding an aroma of earth and cedar. The foot had more cedar, along with lots of grassy aromas and a little earthiness.
Once clipped, the prelight draw was excellent and there were flavors of berries, cedar, anise, and earth.
Flavor
I got the large ring cigar fired up surprisingly easy and was rewarded with tons of cedar, backed up with slightly sweet fruit, citrus zing, unsweetened cocoa powder, and earth. There was a touch of red pepper on the finish, while the retrohale had a powerful coffee note followed by black pepper.
Getting into the second third, the flavor of cedar still led the way with increased citrus and pepper following closely behind. There was an underlying current of sweetness and dark chocolate that was really nice.
The last third had earth coming on strong, along with notes of coffee and wood. The sweetness slipped into the background along with the ever-present slight sweetness.
Construction
I had a great draw and solid ash. The burn line was pretty straight up needed some minor touch-ups from time-to-time.
Value
Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Also, yes.
Conclusions
After taking some time off while revamping other lines, the Zino Platinum LE came roaring back for 2020. I found this to be a rich, complex, and somewhat strong cigar, while never being over medium-to-full in body. The cedar notes played well with the constant sweetness lying just beneath the surface making for a great interplay of flavors.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 9.5/10