Zino Platinum Scepter Grand Master by Davidoff - Cigar Reviews by HB Cigars

Who hasn't wanted to smoke a cigar named after a medieval weapon that costs more than your monthly Netflix subscription? Nobody, that's who. After a two-week vacation where I questioned all my life choices, we're back with another review that'll probably make you rethink yours too. Today we're tackling the Zino Platinum Sceptor Grand Master - a name so pretentious it makes artisanal toast seem humble.

🔥 THE VITALS 🔥

Cigar: Zino Platinum Sceptor Grand Master

Master Blender: Eladio Diaz

Size: 5.5" x 52 (Robusto disguised as a "Grand Master" - fancy!)

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade

Binder: Connecticut USA

Filler: Dominican and Peruvian blend (exotic, right?)

Price: let's just say it's offensive

Aging: 4 years

🚀 WE ARE LIT!

Construction? This thing is looser than your mom after four years at State College. What? Yeah, I said it. This is one of the loosest draw cigars I've ever encountered - like sucking exhaust through a tailpipe with zero resistance. Mixed filler strikes again. If you take draws less than 90 seconds apart, this baby overheats faster than a laptop running Cyberpunk 2077.

🎯 FLAVOR JOURNEY

FIRST THIRD: The False Hope

We're getting nutty cashew notes, some sweet hay, and cedar on the retrohale. Pretty nice cream cigar, though not a whole lot of cream happening. It's a fairly good but completely generic Connecticut shade experience. The draw is absolutely killing me though - this thing requires the patience of a monk on meditation retreat. Short finish, smoky texture, and honestly? Pretty disappointing for the price of admission.

SECOND THIRD: The Slight Redemption

Light cream makes an appearance along with peanut notes, which I actually dig in Connecticut shades. Love me some nuts (the flavor, people). Getting hay and slight pepper on the retro that adds some interesting spice to this mild-plus body situation. I've smoked other cigars with Peruvian tobacco and honestly can't tell much difference - maybe my mid-palate just isn't sophisticated enough for this exotic leaf action.

FINAL THIRD: The Burned Disappointment

Charred cedar, some nuts, and burnt caramel finish this mediocre journey. The loose draw completely killed any potential this cigar had. Smoke time was about 60 minutes, but only because I had to smoke this thing slower than government bureaucracy to prevent overheating.

🏆 THE VERDICT:

C- TIER

Here's the deal with these mixed filler cigars - they're hit or miss, and this one's a definite miss. Sometimes you get one that's perfectly constructed and tastes amazing for the price. Sometimes you get this loose disaster that makes you question why you didn't just buy three decent cigars instead. The construction is terrible, the price is offensive, and for what you pay, you deserve perfection.

💨 BOTTOM LINE

Taking into account flavor (eh), construction (awful), availability (everywhere), and price (highway robbery), this gets a solid C-. It really grinds my gears that the cigar industry thinks it's acceptable to sell bad cigars at premium prices. Imagine buying a $20 bottle of alcohol that tastes terrible - that's exactly what this is. Mixed filler can work, but not when the draw is looser than airport security pre-9/11. Save your money and buy something that actually works properly. As always, if you like getting disappointed by overpriced tobacco, this one's for you!

TLDR: Pass. You'll have a better time at Medieval Times.