Zlatno Sonce Cigar Review – Jas Sum Kral Offers a Blonde to Remember

We have all come to know Riste Risteski, the large Macedonian man, that took the cigar world by storm with his Jas Sum Kral brand. His inaugural Red Knight cigar certainly set the bar for him and his young company. Many wondered if such a young company could survive in the post FDA regulation era, but Riste has proven he is determined to be the King of the boutique cigar world. It is no joke that he uses the tag line “Boutique as Fuck” in his marketing material.

Enter 2017 and Riste is at it again, releasing two new blends to the Jas Sum Kral lineup; the CRNA NOK and the Zlatno Sonce. Today I am pleased to introduced you to the Zlatno Sonce which is described by our friends over at IRobusto and repeated on the Jas Sum Kral site as:

The Jas Sum Kral Zlatno Sonce plays the masked man in the Connecticut-wrapped cigar world. It looks calm and tame, but this beast will slay you with a full force of power. It’s an extremely bold cigar offering delicious flavors that blend well with its own explosive strength and body. “IRobusto” Fuck Your Fathers Connecticut

This should come as no surprise as Riste does not cut corners with his creations and for this latest gem he has continued his partnership with Noel Rojas and his New Order of the Ages Tobacalera NOA in Esteli, Nicaragua.

The Zlatno Sonce blend is partially secret but the company has provided some of the blend information which is described as:

Capa (Wrapper)- A Butterscotch Ecuadorian Connecticut Wrapper
Banda (Binder) – Not Disclosed
Fillers – Some Ligero’s , a pinch of Corojos’s and ???

Please note the “Some Ligero’s” as this will kick your ass if you are not careful, and I warn you now, eat something hearty before you light this feisty blonde up. Hell, I smoked three of these so far and I still have not tamed it.

Jas Sum Kral offers the Zlatno Sonce in two different packages – a 20-count box and a gorgeous 5-pack cardboard box package.

They are available in 3 vitolas:

Zlatno Sonce Toro – MSRP $10.60
Zlatno Sonce Robusto – MSRP $9.60
Zlatno Sonce Lancero – MSRP $9.50

I think anything larger will have your head spinning and looking for a toilet to toss-up in. Yes, that “some ligero” is going to get you. This is not a morning blonde to play with.

By the way, I did a little research and I think the words Zlatno Sonce translate to Golden Sun. I will let Riste comment on that.

Pre-Light Examination

The Zlatno Sonce is a beautiful specimen of a cigar, wrapped in a medium tan, or as Riste describes it, Butterscotch Ecuadorian Connecticut Wrapper. It is very light on veins and finished with a closed foot and a triple cap. The seams are noticeable but not something that impacted the cigar. With the closed foot it was difficult to get a full appreciation of the aroma but what I detected was a hint of sweet fruit and touch of pepper.

I opened the Zlatno Sonce two different ways, one time I sliced the cap and the other two times I used a punch. I think the punch had a better draw, but that is more of a preference. Either way the draw had a light restriction to it and offered pre-light notes of fruit and pepper. Rolling it around a bit more, before lighting it up, the pepper grew on the lips.

The Zlatno Sonce is adorned with a complex white marble and gold band design. The predominant images are two lions embracing the Jas Sum Kral logo contained in a circular border. There is a lot going on in the band design including the word Nicaragua right of the center and the letter “R”centered under the logo.

The 5-pack box has the white marble design on it with a golden Jas Sum Kral logo centered along with the golden words Zlatno Sonce below. The sides of the box note that these are “Boutique as Fuck” in case you did not already know that. I only wonder what will happen to such a beautiful box design when the FDA warning labels are required to be applied to it. I guess being cellophane wrapped will help with that.

Well, let’s get to the review shall we? For this review I sampled 3 Zlatno Sonce Toros.

Cigar Review Notes

Jas Sum Kral Zlatno Sonce

Thick creamy peppery smoke to start
Smoke smooths out after a solid inch of pearly white ash
Ash has is bit flaky but solid
Medium char line
Mild citrus component entering
Spicy floral aroma
Perfect burn cone
Aroma shifts to a nut
Sweetness develops
A touch of spice joins the profile just before the band
Spice evolves to more of a cinnamon
Strength is medium to full half way
Had to put it down for a bit to drink some water as the nicups started
Citrus moves back in near the end of the second third
Spice and sweetness carry through the end with a long nut finish on the palate
Off the chart full strength at the end!
Total Smoking time was 1 hour and 15 minutes

Overall, the Jas Sum Kral Zlatno Sonce is a magnificent cigar that offered a complex flavor profile delivered through creamy and full strength smoke. This is certainly a cigar that an experienced palate will enjoy, but if you are a newbie, you want to tread lightly smoking it as this blonde will kick your ass. Known for full body cigars, Riste hits it out of the park with this blonde, proving blondes can be more fun, when talking cigars.

Does this make the Stogie Press top cigars for 2017? For sure!! I would pair this with a fine highland malt scotch or if you want to try something different pair it with some Drambuie to bring out the sweetness.

Jas Sum Kral Zlatno Sonce

And now for a little extra

The first time I enjoyed the Zlatno Sonce was on my vacation in Paris earlier this month. The trip was really a second honeymoon with my wife, but she knows I had to enjoy some cigar while there. We visited the Jewish sector one day and enjoyed a terrific lunch at the renowned L’as Du Fallafel restaurant. This place was amazing, and for lunch I had a lamb shwarma which was huge and filled my hunger spot for sure. It was a prefect time to fire up the Zlatno Sonce as we walked around taking in the sites. Even with that full belly, the Zlatno Sonce still lit me up.

I was hoping to connect with some JSK fans over in Paris but that did not happen, so here are some shots from Paris – and oh yea, that macaroon paired well with Zlatno Sonce.