Although I am reviewing both the Zino Shorty and Pudge, the 3 ½ star rating applies only to the Pudge, as the Shorty deserves only a couple of stars, if even that. Both of these cigars are small in size, but they are a world apart in the way they taste. The Shorty measures 4 ½ inches long with a ring gauge of 43 , and the Pudge measures 4 inches long with a ring gauge of 50. Both cigars are from Zino's Platinum Scepter series, and are made with Dominican and Peruvian filler tobaccos and Ecuadorian wrappers.
Flavor
Both cigars are medium in flavor and strength, but that's where the similarity ends. The Shorty started off harsh, with a very bitter or sour flavor. After about ten minutes, the cigar was not quite as bitter, but the taste was still far from great. I had the same experience after smoking two of these cigars, and you certainly do not want to wait ten minutes for a small cigar to improve when it takes only 20 to 25 minutes to smoke the entire cigar. On the other hand, the Pudge offered a more enjoyable taste that was not harsh nor bitter. This could be an example of a cigar with a larger ring gauge smoking better and cooler than a narrower cigar, or it could be the proportion of filler tobaccos in blend were not consistent among sizes (although they both use the same tobaccos). Also, in some factories, some cigar rollers only hand-roll certain sizes (the human factor). Whatever the case, both of these cigars did not taste the same (and both spent four months in my humidor).Draw and Construction
Both cigars were well constructed, burned evenly, had great draws, and did not require any relights. Because of its larger ring gauge, it did take a while longer to light up the Pudge, but this is to be expected and did not pose a serious problem. Both cigars took about 20 to 25 minutes to smoke down to two inches, but I continued smoking the Pudge for an extra five-ten minutes down to about 1 ½ inches.Value
The Zino Pudge costs about $7 per stick if purchased in a 3-pack, while the Shorty costs a couple of bucks more per 3-pack (about $7.66 per stick). Both cigars are overpriced in my opinion, but the Shorty is not worth even a couple of bucks per stick. If you are looking for a short smoke for when time is short, you may want to try a Zino Pudge, but I do not recommend buying more than a three pack unless you've had them before and enjoyed the experience.
