Zino Platinum Ten Toro X by Davidoff

Prior to the 2012 IPCPR Convention, Davidoff of Geneva announced a new blend being added to its Zino line.  This cigar is meant to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Zino line.  The cigar has been dubbed the Zino Platinum Ten.   The cigar is intended to be a limited edition, and will also keep to the Zino line’s tradition innovative packaging.  I recently had an opportunity to sample the Zino Platinum Ten Toro X – one of two vitolas being released in this line.  I found this to be a very good cigar experience and one that should satisfy large ring gauge cigar enthusiasts.

Zino Platinum line was established nearly ten years ago to go after
the new, younger market that had resulted from the cigar boom of the
1990s.  The packaging of the Zino Platinum line is a big part of this marketing play.  The Zino Platinum Ten Toro X will feature modern contemporary New York City
graffiti style art-work on the boxes.  Each box will house ten cigars..  This art work is entitled “The Make” and was done by a team called UR New York.  As for the Salomones, these cigars will be packaged in a 64 count acrylic cube.

Let’s break down the Zino Platinum Ten Toro X and see what this cigar brings to the table.  As a disclaimer, this cigar experience was based on a single smoke.  This cigar was a pre-release cigar, so as always we will default to a pre-review to share some thoughts and perspectives on the smoking experience.  After the cigar makes its way to the retailers, we will revisit and provide a formal assessment rating and score.

Blend Profile

The cigar features tobaccos from three countries.  The filler features Peruvian tobacco which is something becoming more common in Davidoff blends.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Peruvian, Dominican

Vitolas Available

Here are the particulars of the two vitolas in the Zino Platinum Ten line:

Toro X: 5 1/2 x 60
Salomones: 7 1/4 x 57

Appearance

As mentioned in the title of this article, the Zino Platinum Ten Toro X is the vitola of choice for this assessment.  The Zino Platinum Ten Toro X features a light brown wrapper.  The wrapper is best described as a shade darker from what an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper looks like.  The wrapper has a bit of a rougher feel, but I would not categorize the wrapper as bumpy.   The wrapper has very few visible veins and the wrapper seams are well-hidden.  There is a slight barnyard aroma from the foot.

The band features a blue, silver, and black color scheme.  There is a silver Zino Platinum “Z” prominently in the center of a black shield.  The shield has a silver trim around it.  The shield sits on a blue background with black design trim around it.   Going clockwise (from the top) around the front of the band in a circular fashion is the text (in silver font): “Zino Platinum”, “10 Years”, “Toro X”, and “10 Years”.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For my smoke of the Zino Platinum Ten Toro X, I went with my usual straight cut into the cap.   While I almost almost always go with a straight cut, with a large ring gauge cigar this is a default.  When I started with the pre-light draw I was treated to notes of wood with hints of pepper and natural tobacco sweetness.  The initial dry draws were very woody, but when the pepper and natural tobacco surfaced, it made the pre-light draw more interesting.  At this point, it was time to light up my Zino Platinum Ten Toro X and see what the cigar experience would bring to the table.

Flavor Profile

The initial flavors of the Zino Platinum Ten Toro X started out with a bolder version of the pre-light draw flavors.  I also detected some notes of toast in the background.  The wood and natural tobacco flavors gave way to a nice caramel sweetness.  The caramel notes moved into the forefront with the pepper and toast notes in the background.  The pepper could also be felt on the after-draw and through the nostrils.

In the second third, the caramel notes diminished slightly, and the pepper notes increased.  The pepper notes at times almost had a cedar spice quality to it.  The pepper and caramel were now the primary flavors for the remainder of the cigar experience.

The close to the smoking experience had the sweetness and spice that was prominent for most of the cigar experience.  While the resulting nub was warmer and firmer than I preferred, there was no harshness on the flavors at the end.

Burn and Draw

From a burn standpoint, the Zino Platinum Ten Toro X was good, but not great.  I did have to perform several touch-ups to keep the burn going straight.  As the Toro X burned, the ash was more on the flaky side.  While the burn rate was ideal, the burn temperature was a little warmer than I preferred on the second half of this cigar.  I still wouldn’t classify the burn as being terrible – just higher maintenance than I prefer.

There were no issues on the draw.   I did ease up on the draw in the second half as I detected the cigar might be burning a little warmer than I preferred.

Strength and Body

For the most part, the Zino Platinum Ten Toro X is not going to overwhelm you with nicotine.  I assessed this cigar to be medium in strength.  From a depth of flavors standpoint, the Zino Platinum Ten Toro starts out as a medium-bodied cigar.  As the smoking experience progresses, the flavors move to medium to full-bodied in the second half.  By the end of the cigar, there is just enough depth of the flavors to be full-bodied.   While the strength and body are pretty even to start, it is in the second half the body has an edge over the strength.

Final Thoughts

Except for a little more maintenance on the burn than I preferred, I found the Zino Platinum Ten Toro X to deliver a nice smoking experience.  I’m curious to see how the Salomones smokes as I think the experience will be very different  than on the Toro Ten X.  This cigar is one I can recommend to a novice enthusiast as it will not overcome the new cigar smoker with strength, but deliver a nice dose of flavor.  Experienced cigar enthusiasts should appreciate the depth in flavors the Zino Platinum Ten Toro X provides.  As someone who likes a big ring gauge, I can definitely see myself smoking this again.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium (progresses to Medium to Full in 2nd half, Full toward end)
Finish: Good

Source: The cigars for this assessment was given to me by
an authorized representative of Davidoff Cigars.  Cigar Coop is appreciative
for the sample, but
in no way does this
influence this review.