Zino Platinum Scepter Series Grand Master

Founded by the late Zino Davidoff, Davidoff cigars are the epitome of pleasure and the good life, and the Zino Platinum Scepter Series is both. Handmade with the utmost care in the Dominican Republic, the Scepter Series is a truly handsome cigar wrapped with a shiny, golden brown Connecticut wrapper from Ecuador. Underneath is a Dominican binder and a delicious blend of long-fillers from Peru and the Dominican Republic that have been patiently aged for over 4 years. Don’t let the mild-bodied profile fool you, this bad boy is full of assertive and bold flavors of cream, coffee, cedar, and nuts with hints of white pepper. Cigar Aficionado gave this stogie a well-deserved 91 rating and our panel loved it just as much. They suggested paring it with a cappuccino.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.