Zino Nicaragua by Davidoff

Hey team, Don José here back with another review.

Today we have the

Zino Nicaragua

by Davidoff

If this is your first time here, my reviews rate each cigar on 10 factors and each factor gets a rating out of 10 giving me an overall out of 100. The 10 factors are: Construction, Draw, Burn, Flavour, 1/3 overall, 2/3 overall, 3/3 overall, Journey (how well it flows), Complexity & Value for money.

Overview

There has always been (at least in the span of our lifetimes) a Zino in the line of Davidoff cigars, taking its name from Zino Davidoff who played a major part in developing the Davidoff brand.

The relaunched Zino line, which is called the Zino Nicaragua, leans fairly heavily on that country for its blend, though it’s not a puro. The wrapper is an Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf, while the binder is a Semilla 56 seco leaf from Nicaragua.

The filler comes from Honduras, specifically the Olancho and Jamastran regions, along with visus from Nicaragua’s Ometepe region, and Dominican San Vicente and San Vicente Mejorado secos. And while the cigars say Nicaragua on the bands and boxes, they are made in Honduras at the company’s Diadema Cigars de Honduras S.A. factory.

Details:

Factory: Diadema Cigars de Honduras S.A
Size: 5x54 Robusto
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf
Binder: Semilla 56 seco
Fillers: Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican

Zino was born to a Jewish family in Novhorod-Siverskyi, which in 1906 was part of the Russian Empire but is now in Ukraine. His father had a tobacco business in Kiev but in 1911 the family migrated to Geneva, where they opened a small tobacco shop.

In 1924 Zino Davidoff travelled in Argentina, Brazil and Cuba, where he spent two years gaining experience of the cigar trade. He returned to Switzerland taking control of the family shop about 1930.

Notibly, Zino is credited with inventing a desktop humidifier in which cigars could be kept at the same degree of humidity and temperature as in Cuba. His business expanded during the Second World War where, when trade of all kinds was disrupted, he provided one of the few channels through which leaders on both sides of the conflict could obtain quality cigars.

In 1970 the business was taken over by the Max Oettinger company, established in 1875 which had first imported Havana cigars into Europe of Havana cigars, but Zino Davidoff remained as ambassador. The company had been approached in 1968 by the state tobacco monopoly established in Cuba by Fidel Castro’s government, and terms were agreed on which Davidoff imported cigars made at the factory that produced those that Castro himself smoked. For some years this proved a profitable partnership and new lines and brands appeared year by year, but in 1989 the relationship with the monopoly broke down, and Davidoff cigars were thereafter sourced from the Dominican Republic.

The company was acquired by Imperial Tobacco in 2006, and still produces a range of products under the Davidoff brand, including not just cigars but pipes, humidors and male fragrances.

About the wrapper.

Connecticut Shade is essentially a hybrid of Asian Sumatra and Cuban leaf that was obtained long before the embargo. Blocking the sun creates a thinner, more elastic leaf. The flavour is generally mild.

let's get into the review.

First thoughts

Its a very 'bright' cigar, the Connecticut wrapper's lightness almost intensified by the orangy-yellow band.

Fairly basic on the cold draw, mostly natural tobacco.

Construction

Construction is great, its a little softer than many, but thats no issue.

Burn & Draw Burn is near-perfect tho maybe a little fast, draw is great giving pleanty of smoke.

Flavour & Complexity It's surprisingly more complex than expected, tho there is a fair number of tobaccos involved. Flavours are smooth and hard to pin-point but mostly wood, pepper and dough

Strength 74% - Mid-full

Enjoyment / Journey Im always super happy when I smoke a cigar that doesn't look like the type of cigar I normally enjoy, but then delivers way beyond expectations. This is one of those.

Overall The Zino Nica is a must try.

I rate this cigar 91 points!

Get some here!

A look at the numbers.

Construction -- 9/10

Burn -- 9/10

Draw -- 10/10

Flavour -- 8/10

Complexity -- 9/10

First 1/3 -- 9/10

Second 1/3 -- 9/10

Third 1/3 -- 10/10