The Good Stuff:

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s Sin Compromiso has been a hit right out the gate. Years ago the founder of the brand, Steve Saka created and released the first portfolio line and has never looked back. This year he dropped the Seleccion No. 4. In the most Steve Saka of ways, he states that he was never quite happy with the Robusto format in the blend. He’s a perfectionist in the best/worst kind of ways, as the name Sin Compromiso suggests. This lead to him tweaking the blend a bit in order to achieve the experience he was looking for which in turn, produced the Seleccion No. 4. Offered in a single 5 x 54 prensado format, the blend features a Mexican San Andres negro “Cultivo Tonto” wrapper over an Ecuadorian Habano binder and fillers from Nicaragua. This regular production cigar comes packaged in boxes of 13 running $17.95 per cigar. huge thanks to the Dunbarton team for sending these our way for review.

• Size: 5 x 54
• Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Negro Cultivo Tonto
• Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $17.95

Prelight:

After removing the cedar sleeve the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Sleccion No. 4 reveals a brilliantly dark, consistent brown wrapper. The wrapper’s texture is very toothy and gritty with only a slight amount of oils coating it. The wrapper feels very dense, thick and hard while the cigar as a whole has some weight to it with no soft spots to be found. There are a few minor veins running their course through the cigar’s body leading up to a round, double-wrapped cap. I absolutely love the soft box-pressed format as it’s so comfortable in both hand and mouth. The cigar is polished off with the standard black and manilla Sin Compromiso crest.

The wrapper on the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Sleccion No. 4 gives off notes of cedar and musk while the foot of the cigar carries some nice spice over lots of natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean with a little extra effort due to the density of it. The cold draw produces mostly musky and earthy flavors over some nice tobacco and spice notes.

First Third:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Sleccion No. 4 starts out with some very slight pepper which fades instantly allowing the cigar to showcase some deep, dark chocolate flavors over earthiness, slightly charred wood, light coffee, and a bit of pine on the aftertaste. The draw is perfect as each little puff kicks out a massive amount of thick, white smoke that hangs out for a very long time before dissipating while the cigar releases a ton of stationary smoke while it rest in my ashtray. The burn line is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a beautiful trail of tightly compacted white ash which held on for almost an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Dry chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. That’s the dominating flavor in the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Sleccion No. 4. Backed by some nice musk and earthiness, light coffee, cardamom and a light floral aftertaste. The retrohale brings out a little spice that is buried underneath everything else. The cigar is still burning perfectly as I close out the second third with no nicotine hit.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Sleccion No. 4. and I am still really enjoy this flavor profile. Lots of dark chocolate still over notes of pecan, and earthy tobacco with lighter notes of cedar and pine. It took me an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub. I experienced no harshness, no heat, and no sap as the cigar burned like a champ from start to finish. I close out with only the lightest of nicotine hits.

Overview:

Let’s just get this out of the way. Steve Saka makes great cigars that I love. Bias? Whatever you want to make of that. I just feel a lot of his brands fit my personal preference very well and in the end, that’s what matters. This is why I liked it: First, the construction and burn was perfect from start to finish. I never had to mess with my torch. Second, the flavor profile was great. It’s not the most complex cigar and it didn’t need to be. I really enjoyed the flavor structure and consistency. Lastly the cigar has a ton of great body, but isn’t overpowered by strength. This mixture makes for a wonderful cigar that I would love to keep in my regular rotation.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Seleccion No. 4 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust doesn’t release a ton of cigars each year. Instead, founder Steve Saka, spends his time meticulously blending, then reblending, then reblending each release until they pass his inspection. This year, one of those releases is a blend update to the Umbagog, the Umbagog Bronzeback. Named after Umbagog Lake State Park, a favorite fishing spot of Saka’s, the Bronzeback features a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers just like the original release, and even carries a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper like the original. However, instead of the Medium/#1 Dark broadleaf, The Bronzeback utilizes a 2LS. Saka states that the 2LS comes from between the 1/3 and 1/2 of the tobacco stalk which is right beneath the mediums. He went on to note that this particular section of leaves produces a less-sweet, more peppery experience for the cigar smoker. The cigar is offered in a single 5 x 48 Rothschild format which comes packaged in soft packs of 10 running $9.75 per cigar. Huge thanks to Steve Saka and his team for sending these out way for review.

• Size: 5 x 48
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $9.75

Prelight:

The Umbagog Bronzeback starts off with a very rich, dark brown wrapper which is covered in darker splotches scattered throughout. The wrapper’s texture is very gritty and toothy with only a small amount of oil coating it. There are some larger veins running through the cigar’s body, but nothing too concerning. There are no soft spots to be found and the cigar feels packed perfectly with a little give in it. The cigar is rounded off with a double-wrapped cap and a green and bronze version of the Umbagog band.

the wrapper gives off notes of cedar and natural tobacco while the foot of the cigar is more earthy with a bit of spice and sweetness. The cap cut clean and easily on the Umbagog Bronzeback. The cold draw produces notes of oak, tobacco, and some natural sweetness.

First Third:

The Umbagog Bronzeback starts off with a small black pepper blast that quickly turns into a more herbal spice mixed with lots of woodsy/cedar notes over musk, bitter chocolate, pecan and earthiness. I am a bit surprised that the sweetness that I picked up on the cold draw isn’t coming through as the flavor profile is relatively dry at this point. The draw is great as each little puff kicks out huge clouds of thick white smoke which dissipates almost immediately while the cigar releases only a small amount of smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is incredibly even and razor sharp. This is a “burnline enthusiasts” dream. The ash left behind is incredibly tightly compacted and white in color. It held on for a little under an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Umbagog Bronzeback and the flavor profile still remains an awesome mixture of very dry flavors. The woodsy/musk flavors lead the charge backed by pecan, dark chocolate, and a nice earthiness. The flavors haven’t really changed up any, and I’m totally fine with that. The retrohale really brings out the pepper that I don’t get much in the standard experience at this point. I close out the second third with no signs of nicotine and the cigar has been burning like a dream.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Umbagog Bronzeback and the flavor profile still hasn’t really changed up much. And again, that’s totally ok. The wood and musky flavors along with the pecan dominate the profile backed by dark chocolate and earthiness. It’s not the more complex profile, and it doesn’t need to be. This is one of those great examples of a cigar that just delivers without having to hit you in the face with complexity. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke it down to the nub. There was no harshness, no extended heat, and it burned perfectly from start to finish. I close out with nothing really in terms of nicotine.

Overview:

I really enjoyed the original Umbagog, and it was a cigar that I found myself going back to quite often. It’s funny how something so simple as using tobacco leaves a few inches apart can transform a blend. While most of the flavors I enjoyed from the original release are still there, the Bronzeback offers a more drying offering with more focus on the subtleness of the flavors. Which did I like more? That’s personal preference. While both are killer I found that the sweetness from the OG suits my palate just a bit better, however the Bronzeback will absolutely find a home in my humidor on those days where I am craving something with less sweetness.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Steve Saka, founder of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust unveiled the third installment to the Mi Querida line, the Mi Querida black at last year’s PCA show with the SakaKhan which we reviewed later in the year. Produced at the NACSA factory in Nicaragua the blend features a US grown Connecticut Broadleaf No.1 darks wrapper over a Mexican San Andres Negro binder and fillers from Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.

“Black” is the third iteration of this style of blend within our Mi Querida family of puros. It retains the soul of our two other ligas within the line, however with the addition of a very select grade of Honduran grown Habano Seed tripa incorporated into the blend. Only the finest materials are utilized from the exhaustively “creamed” tripas, to the very best grade of dark Connecticut-grown Broadleaf capas with acute attention paid to their craftsmanship. Robust, rich, and decadently satisfying, the Limited Production Mi Querida Black is the apex of broadleaf cigars.

https://www.dunbartoncigars.com/marca/mi-querida-black/

This year’s release comes in a single 5 5/8 x 48 format packed in boxes of 10 with only 3,500 boxes being produced. Each cigar runs $15.95 per stick and we are extremely grateful to the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust team for sending a few of these our way to enjoy.

• Size: 5 5/8 x 48
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
• Binder: Mexican San Andres Negro
• Filler: Honduran, Dominican, and Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $15.95

Prelight:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka is very deep and dark in color with inconsistent areas of darker brown and a beautiful reddish brown. The wrapper’s texture is extremely toothy and gritty with a good amount of oils coating it which transfer onto my fingers as it’s handled. The wrapper itself feels extremely hard and dense while the cigar as a whole is packed nicely with absolutely no soft spots to be found. There is some extremely mild veining in the wrapper leaf as it’s laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigar’s round, double-wrapped cap. Polishing off the cigar is the standard, elegant Mi Querida band in black and silver with the crest embossed across the front.

The wrapper on the PapaSaka gives off really bold floral and sweet molasses aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more grainy with notes of plum over natural tobacco and earthiness. Due to the thickness of the wrapper leaf the cap took a bit of a convincing from my Xikar XO double bladed cutter to clip. Or it could just be a dull blade. The cold draw produces notes of raisin and spice over nighter notes of oak and earthiness.

First Third:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka starts out with a nice black pepper zing which while potent, faded almost instantly after the first few puffs allowing bold notes of raisin and oak to shine through accompanied by lighter notes of spice, molasses, and earthiness. There is also a really interesting piloncillo component that I pick up ever-so-lightly on the tail-end of the taste. The draw is absolutely beautiful. Each tiny puff kicks out huge clouds of thick, white smoke which hang around for quite a while considering the breeze under my patio while the cigar releases a good amount of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is perfectly even and razor sharp leaving a trail of tightly compacted white gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka and the raisin flavor is leading the charge backed back bold black cherry and molasses over creamy notes of spice and earthiness. The flavor profile up to this point is full, but very nicely balanced. The retrohale really brings out the spice from the profile and puts it on the front of the taste. While it’s not bold or overpowering, I quite enjoy the profile without the extra spice so I don’t find myself doing it often. The cigar is burning like a dream and I close out the second third with nothing in terms of a nicotine kick.

Finish:

The final third of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka has really showcased how to create a creamy palate without sacrificing bold, unique flavors. The profile carries bold raisin, molasses and an awesome little sassafras (like root beer) twang over creamy notes of spice and earthiness. This is a hell of a profile. The PapaSaka took me about and hour and a half to smoke it down to the nub. There was no harshness, and no extended heat. The cigar burned flawlessly without any additional help from my torch from start to finish and left me with only a mild nicotine hit.

Overview:

I loved the SakaKhan last year, and could wait for the PapaSaka release this year. I am happy to report that it completely lived up to my personal built-up hype. In fact, I may have even enjoyed this year more. The flavor profile is where this cigar really shines. Subjective, I know, but this is one of those cigars I feel were created for my own personal palate. The profile is extremely enjoyable, not overly complex, and one that I think would also appeal to quite a large amount of smokers who enjoy full-bodied cigars. A big plus here as that the bold flavors didn’t come at the cost of a stronger cigar as the PapaSaka fell comfortable in the lower medium-medium/full arena. The price is on par and likely even a bit lower that I’d expect to pay for an experience like this, however its a pretty limited run and will sell out very quickly.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Steak lovers rejoice! Steve Saka at Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust created Red Meat Lovers as a top-shelf offering blended specifically to be enjoyed after a heavy meal of steak or prime rib. Originally created as an annual single store exclusive release at the request of the Red Meat Lovers Club to smoke at their charity dinners, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust founder and Master Blender Steve Saka decided this year to make the Red Meat Lovers a full production line adding two new sizes, the Filet Minon and Porterhouse. Handcrafterd at the Nicaraguan American Cigar factory the Red Met Lovers features a US Grown Connecticut wrapper over a Mexican San Andres Negro binder and filler tobacco from Nicaragua and the US. The Red Meat Lovers is offered in four steak themed sizes: Beef Stick (6 x 48), Filet Minon (5 x 54), Ribeye (6 x 52), and the Porterhouse (6 x 60). Each format comes in a soft-box press format with the exception of the Beef Stick. Each comes package in boxes of 10 running between $14.95 and $16.45 per cigar. While I have purchased and smoked my share of the line, these particular cigars were sent my way from our friends at Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust.

• Size: 6 x 52
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
• Binder: San Andres Negro
• Filler: Nicaraguan and USA
• Body: Full
• Strength: Full
• Price: $15.45

Prelight:

The Red Meat Lovers Ribeye starts out with a gorgeous, consistent dark brown wrapper with only a few darker areas located around the cigar’s cap. The texture on the wrapper is very toothy and gritty with some slight oils coating the cigar. The wrapper feels very thick and dense. is laid seamlessly over itself. There are only tiny, little veins located thourhgout the cigar’s slender, soft-box pressed body leading up to the cigar’s round, stubby pigtail cap. Polishing of the cigar is a red and white band with a total butcher-style branding of the “Red Meat Lovers” crest in the front.

The wrapper on the Red Meat Lovers gives off note of musk and spice while the foot of the cigar carries a more earthy/peppery mixture of aromas over natural tobacco. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a fruity mixture of raisin on spice over mostly natural tobacco and musky flavors.

First Third:

The Red Meat Lovers Ribeye starts off with a milder blast of black pepper than I expected. The pepper faded very quickly after the first few puff which allowed the cigar to release some great musky cedar flavors mashed up with some great bold spice and raisin over milder notes of earthy tobacco, pecan and a really mild black cherry tartness. The flavors start right off in the full-body arena and it will be interesting to see how they develop over the experience. The draw is slightly tight, but nothing too fussy. After a starter puff or two the cigar pumps out huge clouds of very thick, dense smoke which takes quite some time to dissipate while the cigar releases almost no stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. I also really enjoy the comfort both in my hand and my mouth of the soft box press. The burnline is ridiculously sharp and very even leaving behind a trail of very tightly compacted white and dark gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Red Meat Lovers and the flavor profile has been mostly consistent. The full-bodied profile leads with a ton of musky cedar and spice over more raisin, earthy tobacco and also a great charred pretzel-like flavor. There is also this great little anise flavor that keeps poking its head in and out of the equation. The retrohale brings out a whole ton of spice and pepper which can be a bit overpowering so I don’t find myself doing it too often. The draw at this point has completely opened up and is now kicking out a ton of smoke with every little puff. I close out the second third with a decent little nicotine kick already.

Finish:

The Red Meat Lovers finishes with a very consistent profile as the rest of the cigar: bold musk, cedar and spice over raisin, earthiness, and a grainy/charry/biscuity mixture. It started in the full-bodied arena and ended just the same. It took me almost two hours to take this cigar down to the nub. It’s a stronger smoke so I took my time with it. I close out with no extended heat, no harshness, and no sap. It did however leave me with a pretty hefty nicotine kick. It’s time to break out some cookies to settle that out.

Overview:

It’s very easy to see how great the Red Meat Lovers would pair with a steak or even a heavy stout. The flavor profile is very bold and consistent which you’d be able to grasp even after the heaviest of meals. While it’s not the most complex profile, it didn’t need to be. You can also easily taste the quality of tobacco used in this blend very easily. The cigar performed as it should, is easily obtainable and while a bit higher priced it’s still not crazy expensive considering the tobacco used in the blend. This isn’t a cigar I’ll have a ton of on hand, but I will absolutely keep some in my humidor for those late night after dinner smokes, or a perfect pairing for my winter evening roasty stout pairings.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Red Meat Lovers Ribeye appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Bewitched was originally released last year to celebrate Owl Shop Tobacconists’ 75th anniversary as a store exclusive before joining the Muestra de Saka lineup earlier this year. While it’s not uncommon to see cigars created as shop exclusives eventually hit the market, the quick turnaround on The Bewitched caught my attention. In a press release Steve Saka, founder of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust stated that not only did the shop’s owner Zach Photakis give his blessing, but actually encouraged Saka to release the cigar as he felt it was too good not to share with other Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust accounts. The cigar is created at the Fabrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A. in Nicaragua the cigar is identical to the original release featuring an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Mexican San Andres Cultivo Tonto negro binder, and fillers from both the United States and Nicaragua. The Bewitched is offered in a single 6 5/8 x 48 box-pressed format. Each cigar comes packaged in single coffin boxes that then come packed in boxes of seven running $19.75 per cigar. This is a normal production line so unlike the original, will not be limited to a set number of boxes being produced. While Steve Sara’s team sent a few of these over in a media pack to review, this particular cigar and the previous ones I smoked for this review were purchased over from our friends at Cuenca Cigars who currently have them in stock for box and single purchases.

• Size: 6 5/8 x 48
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
• Binder: Mexican San Adres Cultivo Tonto Negro
• Filler: United States and Nicaragua
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $19.75
• Pairing: The Bruery Halftime Shuffle (Imperial Stout 9.9% ABV)

Prelight:

The Bewitched starts out with a deep, dark brown wrapper which is mostly consistent in color outside of a few lighter, orange-tinted areas scattered in a few areas. The wrapper’s texture is decently toothy and gritty with a good amount of oils coating it. The wrapper itself feels decently hard and dense with the entire cigar being packed perfectly as it carries no soft spots what so ever. The Bewitched features a nice, soft box-pressed format with a beautifully spiraled pig tail cap. The cigar is polished off with a simple, yet elegant yellow foot ribbon which comes on most of the Muestra de Saka releases, with the words “The Bewitched” printed in black in across the front.

Whoa, the wrapper on this cigar gives off such a unique aroma of fig, floral cologne and leather. The foot of the cigar is much more earthy with notes of musk, natural tobacco, and grain. The awesome wrapper aromas come through on the cold draw producing notes of fig, musk, and natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Muestra de Saka Bewitched starts out with a mild black pepper burst which fades very quickly allowing the cigar to release notes of deep oak, musk, fig, and tobacco over lighter notes of leather, pecan, and dark chocolate. The cologne/floral flavor that I picked up on the aroma pops its head into the experience every so often. The draw is perfect. Each and every puff kicks out a huge cloud of thick, white smoke which hangs around for a pretty long time before dissipating while the cigar releases a whole mess of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. Note, I really enjoy the comfort in both hand and mouth of the soft box-press format. The burn line is slightly choppy, but not concerning leaving behind a compacted trail of dark gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Muestra de Saka The Bewitched and this cigar is still just rolling with flavor. The bold musk and fig currently lead the charge backed by a good amount of tobacco and honey over lighter notes of pecan and leather. The floral flavor and dark chocolate seem to be exchanging blows as both kinda creep in and out of the flavor profile. The retrohale really brings that floral flavor out and I find myself doing it quite often. I close out the second third with noting in terms of a nicotine kick.

Finish:

Wow, the dark chocolate really ramped up into the final third of The Bewitched and now takes over the lead roll backed by pecan, fig and musk over lighter honey, leather, and cedar notes. The complexity and flavor profile on this cigar is both unique and enjoyable. It took me almost 2 hours to smoke this cigar down to the nub. I experienced no harshness, no extended heat, and never once had to reach for my torch to touchup or relight the cigar. It burned great from start to finish. I close out the cigar with only a minor nicotine hit putting in in the medium-full arena when it comes to strength.

Overview:

I think I have smoked most of if not all of the Muestra de Saka releases to date with the exception of the unicorn. I really look forward to these releases as they usually showcase the uniqueness of Saka’s craft. The Bewitched is probably my favorite release in this set so far. The flavor profile is very unique with that amazing fig over great floral / cologne and awesome backing flavors. It smoked perfect from start to finish, and the fact that this is regular production means no hunting. This is box worthy, especially at the 7 count box format and something I’ll keep around when I am craving a break from the norm.

Pairing:

The Bruery’s Halftime Shuffle is a 9.9% bourbon barrel aged imperial stout brewed with milk sugar, peanuts, cocoa power, waffle cone, and vanilla. The beer leads with sweet chocolate, peanut, malt and caramel with a very sticky mouthfeel before finishing even sweeter with more chocolate, peanut, and finally a dash of vanilla. After my very first experience smoking the Bewitched with water, I knew I needed to pair the cigar with something that had enough flavor to keep up with it. The Half Time Shuffle’s bold flavors with a sweet composure married up well with the Bewitched, but even then it quickly became outclassed. This is a perfect example of a cigar that needs absolutely nothing else other than itself. In fact, over the four that I smoked the best pairing was actually a simple, unsweetened black tea.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Muestra de Saka Bewitched appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Unveiled at this year’s PCA show Steve Saka of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust showcased the first release in the upcoming Mi Querida Black blend, the SakaKhan. The Mi Querida Black is destined to be released in 2023. As he told Halfwheel, he currently does not have enough tobacco to release it as a full-production release so look for a very limited run. Saka referenced the unique name on Facebook:

“It was the 80’s when Chaka Khan became known as an artist and I was getting certified to Con(n) as a JOOD Underway on my ship – the enlisted guys who worked the Bridge started calling me this… kinda funny as my middle name ‘Temujin’ is also the birth name of Ghengis Khan… so this is double dip when it comes to why this nickname stuck… my Dad obviously had some pretty lofty expectations.”

https://www.facebook.com/steve.saka.31/posts/10228672103328068?comment_id=821751955655115&reply_comment_id=578747967206896

Created at the Nicaragua American Cigars S.A in Esteli, Nicaragua the blend starts out with a Connecticut Broadleaf No. 1 wrapper over a Mexican San Andres Negro binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The cigar comes packaged in boxes of 10 and runs $14.95 a stick. I purchased mine over from our good friends at Cuenca Cigars who now offer mail order single cigars and the SakaKhan happens to be one of those current offerings.

• Size: 7 1/4 x 54
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf No. 1
• Binder: Mexican San Andres Negro
• Filler: Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan
• Body: Full
• Strength: Medium/Full
• Price: $14.95
• Pairing: The Bruery Mocha Wednesday 2021 (Imperial Stout 19.1% ABV)

Prelight:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida SakaKhan starts out with a beautiful, consistent, dark brown wrapper with only a few darker areas splotched around the foot of the cigar. The wrapper’s texture is incredibly toothy and just covered with rich oils. The wrapper itself feels very thick and very hard and the rest of the cigar is very heavy and tightly packed. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading up to the cigar’s round, double-wrapped cap which is finished off with a small little pigtail. The cigar is polished off with a black and silver version of the standard Mi Querida band. A band which I think is exceptionally elegant and beautiful.

The wrapper on the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida SakaKhan gives off a very nice mixture of perfume-like floral scents over chocolate and musk while the foot of the cigar carries a bit of that floral aroma over much more earth-forward musk and natural tobacco scents. The cap cut with a little extra effort from my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces notes of immediate notes of black cherry, chocolate, earthiness, and tobacco.

First Third:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida SakaKhan starts out with an awesome blast of that perfume-like floral flavor I picked up on the cold draw over notes of black cherry, dark chocolate, and oak over lighter notes of musk, coffee, and pecan. Despite being so tightly packed the draw on this cigar is flawless. Each little puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke which sticks around for quite some time before dissipating while the cigar releases a standard amount of stationary smoke while it rest in my ashtray. The burn line is slightly wavy, but nothing concerning as it leaves behind a very tightly trail of white ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida SakaKhan and the leading flavors are the floral mixture, spice, musk and chocolate over coffee, oak, and cinnamon. The retrohale really brings out the spice and cherry and I find myself doing it quite often. The cigar is now burning brilliantly as the burn line is completely solid and I close out the second third with only a minor nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida SakaKhan and the flavors are just pouring out at this point. the black cherry is shockingly still a potent player in the mix backed by strong spice, pecan, and chocolate with lighter notes of oak, coffee, and that awesome perfume-floral flavor that has hung on from start to finish. This cigar took me a two and a half hours to take down to the nub and despite the long burn time, I wasn’t ready for it to finish. I experienced no harshness, no extended heat, but the cigar did leave me with a decent little nicotine kick.

Overview:

I swear, Saka came out swinging when he released the first Mi Querida line and each release since has eclipsed the previous and if this is any indication of what to expected from the Mi Querida Black then count me in. The SakaKhan carries a unique, flavorful, and extremely enjoyable flavor profile at least by my personal palate’s standards. The gigantic cigar smoked perfectly from start to finish with no issues or extra attention needed. The price point is also pretty affordable considering the quality of the experience as well as how well and long this cigar performed. My only grip is, you guess it, availability since these will be a limited run. I’ll just have to make sure I get my share before they disappear.

Pairing:

A beast of a cigar calls for a beast of a beer. Bruery’s Mocha Wednesday is a 19.1% ABV Imperial Stout which utilizes Black Tuesday as the base, aged in bourbon barrels with TCHO cacao nibs and Mostra coffee. The beer leads with a nice tartness and dark berry from the Black Tuesday which is then smoothed out be notes of chocolate, coffee, malt, toffee, and pecan with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with more coffee, chocolate, berry and malt with a very nice lasting bourbon/berry aftertaste. What a great pairing with the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida SakaKhan as many of the flavors married up perfectly. I was also surprised with just how potent the flavors are in the cigar as it was able to not only keep up with such a bold beer, but actually compliment it from start to finish.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida SakaKhan appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Sin Compromiso has turned into a cigar household name as most cigar smokers are very aware of the blend yet over the past few years Steve Saka, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s founder, has been hoarding…err I mean smoking a special version of the blend for himself called the Paladin de Saka. The blend is almost identical as the standard Sin Compromiso which uses a Mexican San Andres Negro “Cultivo Tonto” wrapper over an Ecuadorian hybrid Habano wrapper, and Nicaraguan fillers except the Paladin de Saka includes Pennsylvanian Seedleaf added to the filler. That isn’t the only difference though. While the Sin Compromiso already uses extremely selective tobacco (hence the name), The Paladin de Saka is taken one step further by using even more selective tobacco including a “Cultivo Tonto” wrapper which refers to a certain way to grow tobacco similar to how people of Japan grow certain fruits. As the plant grows the bottom tobacco leaves are removed allowing the remaining leaves to absorb more nutrients. This leads to superior tobacco at the cost of lower yields which greatly affects the overall cost to produce at this level. The Paladin de Saka is offered in a single 7 x 50 soft box-pressed format. Like the other cigars in the Sin Compromiso line the cigars come packaged in boxes of 13 only the Paladin de Saka carries a hefty price tag of $29.75 per cigar. Big thanks goes out to Steve Saka for sending these our way for review.

• Size: 7 x 50
• Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Negro “Cultivo Tonto”
• Binder: Hybridized Ecuadorian Habano “Thin Ligero”
• Filler: Independent Plantation Grown Nicaraguan, Pennsylvania Seedleaf
• Body: Full
• Strength: Full
• Price: $29.75
• Pairing: Water

Prelight:

After removing the gigantic cedar cover from the cigar, the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka you can finally get a good look at the cigar. The cigar starts out with an incredibly dark brown, almost black wrapper that is very consistent in color with only a few lighter areas around the cigar’s cop. The wrapper’s texture is extremely gritty and toothy with a good amount of oils coating it. The wrapper feels very hard and dense while the cigar as a whole is extremely well-packed and heavy as hell. The Paladin de Saka’s wrapper is laid perfectly over itself while only a few minor veins are found in the leaf as it extends through the cigar’s long, soft-boxed pressed body to it’s round, pig-tail style cap. The cigar is then polished off with a silver and black “Sin Compromiso” crest embossed on the front of the band and the addition of the long cedar covering (which I have taken off at this point, obviously) with the words “Paladin de Saka” inked in the front long with the Dunmbarton Tobacco & Trust logo.

The wrapper on the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka gives off bold oak and musk aromas with a touch of cedar while the foot of the cigar carries light berry over more musk and natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produced a ton of bold oak, black cherry, and musky natural flavors.

First Third:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka starts out with a very mild black pepper blast that fades quickly after the first few puffs allowing the cigar to release large amounts of oak, black cherry and dark chocolate with minor notes of peat (think a heavily peated scotch), pecan, spice and a nice cedar aftertaste which starts to transition into a more grilled/smoked meat flavor. Weird comparison there, I know, but it’s the best way I can describe it. The draw is flawless. Each puff kicks out a huge cloud of thick, dark gray smoke which hangs around under my porch for quite some time before dissipating while the cigar unleashes huge amounts of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka and the flavor profile has switched up a bit. Oak and musk lead the charge alongside a great black tea flavor that has snuck in. The peaty flavors have ramped up significantly and the black cherry and dark chocolate are still hanging on. I don’t pick up a lot of sweetness or spice but whenever I retrohale the cigar the spice really picks up. I close out the second third with a decent little nicotine kick already. The burnline is still rocking without any help from my torch.

Finish:

The flavors in the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka are deep and complex. Leading the way is the peat, black tea, and oak. Musk, cocoa, pecan, and black cherry are all backing flavors. In the final third a crazy little cinnamon/gingerbread flavor peeked it’s head in and out pretty often. The cigar is much more full-bodied that I feel the standard Sin Compromiso is. In the end it took me almost 2 hours to smoke the cigar down to the nub. I never once had to reach for my torch to touch up or relight the cigar as it burned perfectly from start to finish. There was no harshness nor any extended heat. One note was in the final inch or so the pepper that I only picked up at the very start began to come through again. Interesting way to both start and close out the experience.

Overview:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka is an exceptional cigar. The profile is incredibly nuanced and complex. Anyone who knows Saka knows just how picky he is when it comes to his blends and I can’t imagine the work that was involved getting this one right where it is. Outside of the flavors the experience as a whole were flawless. No burn issues, no heat or sap. Just all around a great experience. While this cigar was excellent, the cost still feels a little steep for me. I know you can’t achieve the same experience without the high-level of production and selectivity, something that Steve Saka is known for, I just don’t know if I’d grab a full box of these. This is something I’d probably keep a few around for though when I am craving such a complex experience. Now if you’re a big Sin Compromiso fan and don’t mind paying a bit of extra coin for a next level version of the cigar I think you’ll be all over this one!

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The Good Stuff:

StillWell Star is the industry’s first luxury pipe tobacco cigar. You read that right, those rivers finally met. Created by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, StillWell Star is a 4-cigar release in which each cigar contains a different, unique blend of some of the finest pipe tobacco available. The project came to be when Steve Saka, founder of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust had a conversation with Jeremy Reeves, the head blender from to pipe tobacco Cornell & Diehl about how he occasionally incorporates some of his favorite pipe tobaccos into some of his blends from personal consumption. Reeves, a cigar smoker himself, was curious on what the result of blending these two types of tobaccos together and thus began the start of the SwillWell Star project.

Each cigar in the line comes packaged in boxes of 13 running $15.30 per cigar. Each cigar comes in the same 6 x 52 format. Each cigar carries the same Grade A Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Mexican San Andres Negro binder. But where each cigar differs is it’s unique blend of filler tobacco which each contain a different blend of pipe tobacco:

• Aromatic No. 1: Black Cavendish, Golden Virgina and Burley pipe tobacco added to a mild mixture of Nicaraguan tobaccos
• English No. 27: Burley and Turkish leaf with Cypriot Latakia pressed cake and Nicaraguan cigar tobaccos
• Bayou No: 32: Bright and Red Virginia with St. James Parish Perique with Nicaraguan cigar tobaccos
• Navy No. 1056: Stoved Red and Golden Virginias with a touch of “Naval Rations” combining with Orientals and Latakia and dark air-cured black cigar leaf

Today we focus on the Navy No. 1056. A big thanks goes out to Steve Saka for sending samples our way to review.

• Size: 6 x 52
• Wrapper: Gade A Ecuadorian Habano
• Binder: Mexican San Andres Negro
• Filler: Stoved Red and Golden Virginias with a touch of “Naval Rations” combing with Orientals and Latakia and dark air-cured black cigar leaf
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $15.30
• Pairing: Water

Prelight:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust StillWell Star Navy No. 1056 starts out with a beautiful and consistent dark brown wrapper which carries a slightly darker shade around the cap of the cigar. The wrapper’s texture is toothy and gritty with a good amount of oil. The wrapper itself feels very dense and hard while the cigar as a whole is packed evenly resulting in a pretty heavy cigar. The wrapper on the StillWell Star Navy No. 1056 showcases some medium veining and natural tobacco leaf as it’s laid seamlessly over itself leading up tot he cigar’s round double-wrapped cap. The cigar is polished off with a beautiful, military-styled royal blue and gold band with star on the front, as well as a secondary foot band with similar styling and the words “StillWell Navy No 1056” embossed across the front.

The wrapper in the StillWell Star Navy No. 1056 gives off mostly spice and natural tobacco aromas while the foot of the cigar releases a truly unique mixture of extremely smoked/roasted/charred tobacco over some musk and dirt aromas. This definitely smells like pipe tobacco. The cold draw carries a lot of the roasted tobacco but it’s much more mild allowing some flavors of sweet tobacco and dark berry to come through. I’m real excited to see how that translates to the flavor profile in the actual smoking experience.

First Third:

The StillWell Star Navy No. 1056 starts out with a beautiful mixture of black cherry, musk, and some bold floral flavors over softer flavors of vanilla, nutmeg, and some really light tartness. This was not nearly and smoky/roasty as I expected it to be, and I am loving the flavor the cigar is putting out right off the bat. I’ve smoked a decent amount of pipe tobacco and can absolutely taste the characteristics within the cigar, yet it still has the familiar flavors found in a cigar with similar binder/wrapper. The draw is absolutely perfect as each little puff kicks out massive clouds of gray smoke which dissipate very quickly as the cigar releases a good amount of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is solid and dead even leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of light gray has which held on for almost an inch before giving way.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the StillWell Star Navy No. 1056 and the flavor profile is still very similar to the first. The black cherry and musk lead the way backed by lots of floral flavors over vanilla, nutmeg, honey and oak. Most of the more roasted/char flavors have completely fallen off at this point. The retrohale brings out some great spice that I don’t necessarily get from the standard experience at this point so I find myself doing it quite often. I close out the second third with nothing in terms of nicotine.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Stillwell Star Navy No. 1056 and surprisingly, not a lot has changed. That’s not a bad thing at all as the cigar is just extremely consistent throughout the entire experience. The black cherry and musk as still in charge with bold vanilla and floral flavors over nutmeg honey and oak. I feel weird carrying an almost identical flavor profile from start to finish, but that’s exactly how it went. I close out the cigar after bout an hour and a half no harshness, no extended heat, and nothing in terms of a nicotine kick.

One thing I was curious about is how the burn would perform. Blenders know tobacco inside and out and are conscious about every aspect of the experience including how well the cigar burns. Pipe tobacco is the same, but both burn differently since the smoke is delivered differently. I am happy to report the burn experience was absolutely flawless from start to finish. I never once had to reach for my torch to touchup or relight the cigar. It also burned at a perfect speed. Not too long, not too slow.

Overview:

StillWell Star is such a unique approach to a cigar. I haven’t smoked each in the set yet but what I can say is that the Navy No. 1056 impressed me from every aspect. The construction and burn experience was top notch while the flavor profile was not only unique, but extremely tasty. While taste is subjective I do think that this cigar should be on everyone’s radar as it delivers such a different experience than that we are used to. While there may be a little bit of a sticker shock at $15.30 considering the tobacco that went into this blend, and the experience it delivered, I believe that the price is more than justified.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust StillWell Star Navy No. 1056 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Last year Dunbarton Tobacco & Trusts’ founder Steve Saka began shipping the Connecticut-wrapped Sobremesa Brûlée. This new line was made to create a bit of an old-school experience from cigars of the past. This year, Dunbarton added a new tweaked version of the Brûlée blend. Enter the Brûlée Blue. Released in a single 6 1/4 x 46 format this cigar features an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper over a Mexican binder and Nicaraguan fillers.

Within the Sobremsa line, there is quite a bit of controversy over if this cigars in fact, feature a sweetened cap or not. While it’s not clear which do, if any, in my humble opinion this particular cigar does in fact feature a sweetened cap. The cigars come packaged in boxes of 13 with only 1,000 boxes being produced. Each cigar runs $14.95 a stick and I purchased mine over from our fiends at Cigars Daily.

• Size: 6 1/4 x 46
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
• Binder: Mexican Matacapan negro de Temporal
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium/Full
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $14.95
• Pairing: Bottle Logic Ghost Proton (Imperial Stout 13.34% ABV)

Prelight:

The Sobremesa Brûlée Blue starts off with a very consistent, light yellowish-brown wrapper. The wrapper itself feels very thin and delicate as I carefully inspect it. The wrapper is very smooth with only light oils, very minor veins, and minor tobacco webbing in the leaf. The cigar as a whole is packed well and there are no soft spots whatsoever. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading from the foot up to the round, pig-tail style cap. The Brûlée Blue is polished off with a light blue and gold version of the crowned Sobremesa crest on the main band, and the addition of a similarly designed foot band with the words “Sobremesa” embossed on the front.

The wrapper on the Sobremsa Brûlée Blue gives off only slight cedar and dirt aromas while the foot of the cigar carries more sweetness, cedar, and earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces lots of cedar, earthiness and soft spice. I can taste the sweetness from the sweetened cap instantly when the cigar touches my tongue and lips.

First Third:

The Sobremsa Brûlée Blue starts out with a very mild black pepper punch which completely fades after the first draw leaving me with a ton of woody-cedar flavors over pecan, honey, soft spice, and a nice earthiness at the flavor’s base. Again, that sweetened cap is very evident and I know people have mixed feelings on it but I absolutely love it. Long after the draw I can still taste it on my lips. Outside of the sweetness on my lips though, it doesn’t really translate to the cigar’s actual flavor. The draw is absolutely flawless and each little puff kicks out clouds of thick, white smoke which really take some time to dissipate while the cigar itself releases very small amounts of stationary smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burnline is dead even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white and light gray ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sobremesa Brûlée Blue and the cedar and pecan have taken dominance over the flavor profile backed by honey, vanilla, earthiness and spice. I am really enjoying this profile and its a departure from cigars I have smoked recently. The retrohale really pumps out pecan and I find myself doing it quite often. The burnline is dead even and razor thin as I close out the second third with nothing in terms of a nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Sobremesa Brûlée Blue and the flavors haven’t changed up much from the second third, and I am totally ok with that. Lots of cedar and pecan over vanilla, honey, spice and earthiness. The cigar took me an hour and forty five minutes to smoke down to the nub and I enjoyed every second of it. I never once had to reach for my torch to touchup or relight the cigar, experienced absolutely no harshness nor any extended heat, and closed out with a very minor nicotine hit.

Overview:

It goes without saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar. And any Connecticut-wrapped cigar that can product enough flavor to be paired with a bold pastry stout without being overpowered by the beer demands attention. The flavors were incredible and a great change of pace for cigars I’ve smoked recently. They were complex enough, yet smooth and balanced. This is really a cigar for all occasions and something I would like to get quite a few more of before they are gone.

Pairing:

Today’s paring is a good one. Brewed at Bottle Logic Brewing, Ghost Proton is a 13.34% Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels brewed with jet puff marshmallows, cocoa nibs and graham crackers. The Ghost Proton leads with a whole mess of bold marshmallow sweetness over strong chocolate and caramel notes and a touch of cinnamon. The beer has a very heavy and sticky mouthfeel before finishing with more marshmallow and chocolate over toffee and soft cinnamon. The sweetness is what drew me to this pairing as it compliments the Brûlée Blue very well while adding quite a bit of complexity with the added pastry flavors.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sobremesa Brûlée Blue appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

A few years back Steve Saka, founder of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust took the cigar community by storm when he released the Mi Querida. You can read my review of that cigar here. This year Steve decided to follow up that release with an amped up version called the Mi Querida Triqui Traca. Aptly named after oversized Nicaraguan fireworks, this blend remains true to what we all have grown to love about the Mi Querida while adding more body resulting in the fullest cigar in the Dunbarton portfolio to date. The Triqui Traca uses the same style Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper only it utilizes a Dark Corona No 1 leaf over the standard Connecticut Broadleaf mediums in the standard release, Nicaraguan binder and filler along with an added ligero filler grown in the Dominican Republic. The cigars are offered in two sizes: No. 552 (5 x 52) and the No. 648 (6 x 48). Each come packaged in boxes of 20 ranging from $10.75 to $11.75 a stick. I purchased mine over from our friends at Two Guys Smoke Shop.

• Size: 6 x 48
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan / Dominican Ligero
• Body: Full
• Strength: Full
• Price: $11.75
• Pairing: Bottle Logic Ground State (Imperial Stout 12.89% ABV)

Prelight:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Triqui Traca starts out with a beautiful, dark brown wrapper that’s semi-consistent in color with a few areas of darker brown around the cap of the cigar and a few orangish-brown areas scattered around the foot of the cigar. The wrapper’s texture is incredibly toothy and gritty with a ton of oils coating the outside of the cigar. The wrapper feels very hard and dense while the cigar as a whole is very heavy with absolutely no soft spots. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself leading through the cigar’s slender body up to it’s round double-wrapped cap. The cigar is the polished off with that lovely, elegant “Mi Quireda” band we all love, only this time in a maroon and gold print.

The wrapper on the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Triqui Traca produces some bold cedar and cocoa aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more spice driven with some great natural tobacco aromas. The cap cut like butter while the cold draw kicks out a good amount of pepper and spice mixed in with cocoa, musk, and natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Triqui Traca starts out with a hefty cayenne pepper punch that left my lips and tongue tingling for a bit. After the first few draws the pepper completely faded away leaving me with loads of cocoa and coffee backed by oak, musk, black cherry, and a slight pecan finish. The draw is perfect as each tiny puff kicks out huge amounts of thick, white smoke that really hangs around for quite some time before dissipating while the cigar pumps out stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white ash which held on for about an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Triqui Traca and the cigar is still firing on all cylinders. The flavor profile still leads with bold cocoa and coffee with nice oak, spice, musk, earthiness, and vanilla. The retrohale really brings out the spice and oak and is quite sharp so I don’t find myself doing it too often. The burn line is still dead even and razor thin as I close out the second third with a light little nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Triqui Traca and this is where the already fantastic cigar begins to shine. The body and strength meet right in the middle for a perfectly dynamic mixture while the flavor profile in the cigar balances out with a great mixture of cocoa, vanilla, brown sugar, pecan, oak, musk, and natural tobacco flavors that I thoroughly enjoy. The cigar took me an hour and a forty five minutes to take down to the nub and I loved every second of it. The burn was flawless, I never once had to reach for my torch to touch up, or relight the cigar while I experience no harshness nor extended heat. The cigar did however leave me with a hefty little nicotine kick but nothing too bad.

Overview:

This is yet another fantastic addition to an already glowing Dunbarton portfolio. The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Triqui Traca carries a bold, complex, yet balanced profile without being too overpowered by strength. While subjective, the flavor profile is one that really hits all the marks for me. The construction and burn experience was flawless, and the price is right around where I’d expect this cigar to land. I can’t say for sure which one I liked more, but I think both blends easily find their way into my regular portfolio while the Triqui Traca is something I’ll be reaching for after dinner when I am craving a more full-bodied experience.

Pairing:

Ground State is an Imperial breakfast stout brewed by Bottle Logic with Vermont Maple Syrup that is still aged in Bourbon Barrels with cocoa nibs and coffee added. Coming in at 12.89% ABV, Ground state leads with loads of sweet, dark chocolate, vanilla, malt, and brown sugar with a nice little bourbon bite at the end. The maple is pretty well hidden and really only pops in during the finishing taste. Such a smooth, easy drinking ~13% beer. The chocolate, brown sugar, and sweetness really married up nicely with the existing flavors in the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Triqui Traca making for a great pairing.

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The Good Stuff:

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s Sin Compromiso is one of this year’s most highly anticipated / most sought after cigars. Making it’s debut at this year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas Sin Compromiso or “Without Compromise” consists of tobaccos that were specifically grown just for this blend. Everyone knows just how picky, and meticulous Steve Saka, founder of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust can be so to hear that he went through the trouble of carefully picking and growing specific tobaccos to create such a unique experience creates a considerable amount of anticipation. The cigar starts with Nicaraguan filler tobaccos covered with an Ecuadorian Habano binder, then wrapper with a special San Andres Negro wrapper which is grown by using a similar process Japanese fruit farmers use. As the tobacco plant grows workers remove the bottle leaves of the plant which causes more nutrients to be consumed by the tap of the plant resulting in a much bolder tobacco leaf. The end result to all the hard work results in what Saka calls the blest blend he has ever created. 

The Sin Compromiso comes in five sizes: Espada Estoque (7 x 44), Seleccion Intrepido (5 2/3 x 46), No. 2 Torpedo (6 x 52), No. 5 Parejo (6 x 54), and the No. 7 Parejo (7 x 56). All come packaged in boxes of 13 running between $15.95 and $18.45 a stick. I purchased a handful of these over form our friends at Cigar Hustler. 

Size: 5.63 x 46
Wrapper: San Andres Negro 
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Nicararaguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium / Full
Price: $15.95
Pairing: Evil Twin Liquid Double Fudge (Imperial stout 12% ABV)

Prelight:

The Dunbarton Sin Compromiso starts out with a gorgeous, consistent dark brown wrapper. The color is incredibly consistent minus some very minor darker brown splotches located around the natural webbing in the wrapper leaf. The texture on the cigar is semi-toothy with a good amount of oils while the wrapper itself feels even thick and durable. The cigar is a little softer around the foot than the rest of the cigar, but that shouldn’t cause any issues. As a whole the Sin Compromiso is packed tightly, with a good wither to it. The wrapper is laid seamlessly over itself showcasing only mild veining as it runs up the cigar’s slender, soft box-pressed body leading up to it’s round triple cap. The cigar is polished off with an elegant black and white band with a cross on the front as well as a cedar sleeve with the cigar’s “Sin Compromiso” printed along the front. 

The wrapper on the Sin Compromiso gives of little more than some faint dark chocolate and spice aromas while the foot of the cigar carries much more musk, spice, sweetness, and cedar. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The crowd draw produces really nice chocolate, nutmeg, cinnimon, musk, and cedar flavors which remind me a lot of Christmas. 

First Third:

The Sin Compromiso catches me off guard with a potent little cayenne pepper zing which lasted through the first few initial draws. After the pepper completes it’s exit I am greeted with some great rich dark chocolate flavors along with a mixture of cedar, musk, nutmeg and some really interesting floral undertones. The wrapper also leaves me with a bit of tartness on my lips. The draw is absolutely perfect pumping out gobs of thick white smoke with every little puff. I really love the soft box-press formats as they fit so comfortably in both my hand and mouth. The burn line is razor thin and very even leaving behind a trail of tightly compacted white ash which held on for just under an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso and the flavors are really mixing it up. The cigar now leads with a bold cedar and spice which wasn’t prominent at all at the start, backed by the great musk that I really enjoy, dark chocolate, and bold espresso. The retrohale is really bringing the spice out of the woodwork. The cigar is still burning perfectly and I close out the second third with only a very minor nicotine kick. 

Finish:

Into the final third of the Sin Compromiso and this is where the boldness really comes into play. The pepper has made it’s return, however its just enough to add an extra “umph” the profile that’s lead by cedar, dark chocolate, spice, musk and espresso backed by cinnamon and nutmeg. That’s right, those Christmas flavors I picked up in the cold draw have finally introduced themselves to the experience. It took my an hour and a half to smoke this cigar down to the nub and I experienced absolutely no harshness nor extended heat. 

Overview:

The Sin Compromiso delivers on all fronts. The cigar started out complex and the rapid changeups in the profile really kept me on my toes. The flavor profile was incredible and really fit my personal preference. The cigar burned like a dream from start to finish and I never once had to reach for my torch to relight, or touch up the cigar. The price is a bit steep but given the amount of work and preparation that went into this cigar I don’t think it’s as expensive as I would have expected and I would (and have) gladly drop the coin to enjoy this cigar. 

Pairing:

Today’s pairing comes from our favorite Gypsy brewers, Evil Twin Brewing. Liquid Double Fudge is a 12% Imperial stout brewed with a whole mess of chocolate. The beer starts off with a huge amount of bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, roasted malt, and caramel with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing off with more vanilla, sweet chocolate and malt. Its a pretty simple beer, but a great one. I chose this particular beer as I really enjoyed the chocolate and musk notes in the Sin Compromiso and wanted to pair it with something that focused on those, without adding much more to the mix. This was perfect. 

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Featured at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show, Todos Las Dias cigars by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust are manufactured in Esteli, Nicaragua at the Joya De Nicaragua, S.A. factory. Available vitolas include: Half Churchill (4 ¾ by 48), Robusto (5 by 52), Toro (6 by 52), and Double Wide Belicoso (4 ¾ by 60). They are sold in boxes of 10 ranging from $10.45 to $12.45 per cigar. According to Steve Saka, “This puro is an honest, robust cigar intended to be smoked by men who what it means to be a cigar smoker.”

THE FACTS

Price: $12.45
Vitola: Double Wide Belicoso
Size: 4 ¾ by 60
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Smoking Time: 1 Hour and 10 Minutes

PRE-LIGHT

Todos Las Dias is dressed in a very dark brown wrapper that has some even darker markings. Veins can be seen webbing down the leaf that is full of oils and sugar-like crystals. A pungent aroma is found on the wrapper of barnyard, meat spices, and a faint chocolate.

The foot aroma is a big chocolate smell that is very welcoming. The cap lines are clean. Once cut, cold draw flavors of rich cedar, that Canadian bacon flavor and Atomic Fireball cinnamon spice.

FIRST THIRD

The Todos Las Dias Double Wide Belicoso is right in my face with a spicy profile with full flavors that quickly settle. I am picking up flavors of crushed red pepper, pencil shavings, and cocoa. The smoke is thick in the mouth and a charred wood lingers on the finish. A sweetness is creeping up that seems to be tied to a yeast-like flavor. As I move the smoke through my nose, coffee and pepper are highlighted. There is only a minor wave with burn as a light gray, somewhat flaky ash forms.

MIDDLE THIRD

As I enter to the second third of the Todos Las Dias, I perform another cut on the cigar and there is great improvement on the draw. The charred flavor that was taking on a primary role has quickly diminished since the second cut. Richness is developing as the earlier flavors carry the cigar along. At the midway point, I am only picking up a hint of the earlier sweetness. Earth and charred wood join the other flavors, but now in a balanced fashion. The burn line is jagged and the ash is flaky. Closing out the second third, I am feeling a good nicotine hit. 

FINAL THIRD

The cigar settles even more bringing the cigar to the medium range in terms of flavor, and the strength is holding strong. While the spice remains on the retro-hale, the crushed red pepper flavor is no longer distinguishable. Leather and a mild sweetness make up the closing profile as charred wood continues on the finish.

WRAP-UP

Steve Saka’s in-depth knowledge of tobacco is met with his ability to create great cigars. I can’t think of one bad or even just good cigar that he has released. They all seem to be very good or even exceptional in my estimation. And I would place the Todos Las Dias in the very good category. The cigar provided some dark flavors with a nice crushed red pepper spice and balancing sweetness. The flavors started full and moved towards the medium range as the cigar progressed, but the strength moved exactly opposite. While the cigar didn’t leave me whoozy, it left me in a nice relaxed state after an hour of smoking. Even with a price tag of $12.45, the Todos Las Dias Double Wide Belicoso is a cigar to hunt down.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust – Todos Las Dias appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

The Nacatamale is the second vitola released in the Muestra de Saka line. There is said to be up to 7 more, but that hasn’t been confirmed as of yet. Muestra de Saka translates to “Sample of Saka” which is created to represent what the Master Cigar Maker Steve Saka’s unique flavors and exactly what he looks for in a cigar. Sound familiar? I guess in a way the Muestra de Saka is Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s version of the Liga Privada which Saka created during his tenure at Drew Estate as a cigar that was crafted for his own personal enjoyment and later released to the public.

The Nacatamale is a 6 x 48 cigar wrapped in an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder, and filler tobaccos coming from a single farm in Jalapa. Using this method is incredibly difficult as it focuses on the careful leaf processing, selection, and positioning within the bunch to tweak, and ultimately create the flavor profile Saka was looking for. For you beer buffs this is similar to a Brewery following the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516 only instead of limited to resources, the brewery would be limited to items found in their particular farms. The Muestra de Saka Nacatamale is a limited run which comes in a unique box count of 7 per, running $15.95 a stick. I purchased a box of these over from our good friends at Smoke Inn before Steve Saka himself sent a few our way to sample.

Size: 6 x 48
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $15.95
Pairing: Founders Brewing CBS (Imperial Stout 11.7% ABV)

Prelight:

The Dunbarton Muestra de Saka Nacatamale carries a very consistent, very dark brown wrapper with some slight darker splotches located around the cap. The cigar’s texture is very toothy and grainy with some slight oils seeping through. There are a few smaller veins running through the cigar’s body and as a whole the cigar is very, very firm and feels to be very tightly packed. The cigar’s slender body leads up to a beautiful, stubby pigtail cap. The cigar comes packaged in beautiful wooden coffins and carry only a yellow ribbon around the foot of the cigar containing the words “Muestra de Saka” in red and “Nacatamale” over it in black ink.

The wrapper on The Dunbarton Muestra de Saka Nacatamale  gives off some great oaty/earthy aromas with some slight vanilla while the foot of the cigar is much more sweetness driven with lots of chocolate and spice. The cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces some very sweet dark chocolate, cedar, and slight earthy flavors.

First Third:

The Dunbarton Muestra de Saka Nacatamale starts out with a nice little cayenne pepper zing that tickled my mouth and tongue through the first few puffs of the cigar. After the pepper faded I was greeted with lots of dark chocolate, black cherry, musk, and sweet almost Christmas-themed spice. Hoping that I don’t just have Christmas on my mind it seemed as though there was a bit of pine and espresso buried down in there as well. Despite being so firm and tightly packed the Nacatamale is burning like a dream. Each tiny puff kicks out just enough thick, white smoke which really sticks around white the cigar releases a small amount of stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a tightly compacted trail of medium to dark gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my lap as I was too busy enjoying the cigar rather than paying attention to the ash.

Second Third:

Into the second third of The Dunbarton Muestra de Saka Nacatamale and it’s still going strong. Lots of dark chocolate, musk, sweetness, cedar, and black cherry. There are still some slight hints of the pine ever now and again, but that’s almost gone. There are some notes of maple creeping in though. I know most may chalk that up to my pairing choice but I have it written down in my notes of smoking the cigar prior to sitting down and reviewing it as well. The retrohale really brings the pepper back in the mix, but at a tolerable level so I find myself retrohaling from time to time. The cigar is still burning perfectly. I close out the second third with a very mild nicotine kick.

Finish:

Into the final third of Muestra de Saka Nacatamale and I just can’t get enough of this cigar. The body has been in the full arena the entire time while the strength has hovered right around medium/full. The cigar is still leading with dark chocolate, musk, spice, and black cherry with some great sweetness, and vanilla with some soft maple. The pine has been removed for a while now. It took me 2 hours to take this cigar down to the nub and I almost burned my fingers off smoking it. There was no harshness, nor extended heat and the cigar burned flawlessly from start to finish without any help from my torch. I close out with only a minimal bit of nicotine.

Overview:

Hands down in my humble opinion the Muestra de Saka Nacatamale is my favorite cigar released from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust to date. Its meaty, its complex, its bold, and the flavor profile is something that I personally love. The price is a bit steep but in this case you get what you pay for and thats a cigar that delivers. These are limited, and the box count is small enough that even with the higher price this is something I will try to have stocked in my humidor for as long as I can.

Pairing:

Ah yes, Founders is at it again. We should all be familiar with their KBS by now. CBS is a similar beer as its an 11.7 % ABV imperial stout brewed with chocolate and vanilla aged in maple syrup – bourbon barrels. I was expecting it to be closer to KBS than it actually was. Much more drinkable and smooth. While you get the bite from the bourbon and acidity from the coffee on KBS the CBS is much, much sweeter. The maple really comes through especially as the beer warms. I didn’t get much bourbon until the beer was close to room temperature. Outside of the comparisons there are great notes of maple, dark chocolate, roasted malt, and coffee over some really light cinnamon, black cherry, and vanilla. In my opinion I liked this one much more than KBS. That being said it’s easy to see why I chose this pairing. Vanilla, chocolate, black cherry, maple and spice are all notes I picked up in the Muestra de Saka which made for an absolutely beast of a pairing. I think this beer could easily overpower most cigars but the Mustra de Saka held its own and in some cases actually dominated the beer.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Muestra de Saka Nacatamale appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Todo Las Dias is the newest offering from Steve Saka’s Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. It first made it’s debut at last year’s IPCPR show where it was released in very limited quantities, but wasn’t formally released to the general public until last week. Here is what Steve Saka himself has to say about the line:

“Todos Las Dias is my personal Spanglish translation meaning “All the Days.” The workers at Joya de Nicaragua often cringe at my casual butchering of their mother tongue, but in my opinion cigars are far more than a grammar lesson to abide, they are the physical manifestation of a feeling and of an experience. TLD embodies the classic bold flavors that represent the heart of their soil’s peppery tobaccos and the labor of their always working hands. For me, this spicy Nicaraguan puro reflects no pretentious airs or any of that ‘notes of pencil lead with a hint of fennel’ nonsense. It is an honest, hardworking cigar intended to be smoked by men who know what it means to be a cigar smoker and never give a damn about what others think.”

“It is a supple, sungrown Cuban Seed capa which encapsulates its intricate tripa recipe of rich Jalapa and Esteliano tobaccos. From the first puff, there is no doubt of the origin of this cigar or that it is intended solely for the seasoned cigar smoker. What I love about this liga is that it builds; so many stronger blends start off super peppery and robust only to mellow out as you smoke them. Whereas the Todos Las Dias does just the opposite; it begins smooth and then escalates in strength and body, it almost lulls you into false sense of security. It is a much heavier liga than you will have realized until you go to stand up afterwards.”

Thanks goes out to Cigar Coop for the info.

Todo Las Dias is a Nicaraguan puro line, meaning of course that the Wrapper, Binder, and Fillers are all from Nicaragua. The Todos Las Dias will come in four sizes: Short Churchill (4.75 x 48), Double Wide Belicoso (4.74 x 60), Robusto (5 x 50) and the Toro (6 x 52). Each format comes packaged in boxes of 10 running between $10.59 and $12.59 a stick. I purchased mine order from our friends at 2 Guys Smoke Shop.

Size: 4.75 x 48
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $10.59
Pairing: Prairie Artisan Ales Barrel Aged Bible Belt (Imperial Stout 13% ABV)

Prelight:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Todos Las Dias starts out with a stunning, very consistent dark brown wrapper. While the color is extremely consistent with it’s reddish-tinted dark brown color there are a few darker areas found through the natural webbing in the tobacco leaf. The wrapper’s texture is very toothy and gritty with a whole ton of oils that actually transfer onto my fingers a big as I inspect the cigar. The cigar’s wrapper is very dense, thick, and hard while the cigar as a whole is packed very tightly as it’s completely firm with no soft spots whatsoever. There are only a few smaller veins found running up the cigar’s slim body leading up to a very round double cap. The cigar is polished off with an elegant black and silver band with TLD, which stands for Todos Las Dias of course, embossed on the front and a smaller secondary foot band that carries the words “Todos Las Dias” across the front.

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Todos Las Dias’ wrapper gives off some subtle sweetness and spice while the foot of the cigar carries much more spice, pepper, with a bit of oak. The cigar’s cap cut clean and easily using my Xikar XO double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a whole mess of sweetness, spice and oak.

First Third:

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Todos Las Dias starts out with a quick blast of black pepper which quickly fades to reveal a good mixture of sweetness, oak, vanilla, spice, and dark chocolate. The draw is absolutely perfect. Each tiny little puff on the cigar kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke which hangs around for a pretty long time before dissipating while the cigar pours out smoke like a chimney as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is dead even and razor thin leaving behind a trail of very tightly compacted medium gray ash which held on for almost an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Todos Las Dias and I am loving this flavor profile. The oak and dark chocolate lead the charge backed by sweetness, brown sugar, musk, black cherry, and a good mixture of spice. The retrohale brings out a lot more of that spice and even a bit of the pepper that I picked up on my first few puffs on the cigar. The burn line is still flawless and I close out the second third with only a very minor hint of nicotine.

Finish:

I venture into the final third of The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Todos Las Dias wishing that it wasn’t so close to being over. The flavor profile in this cigar is amazing. The oak and dark chocolate are still the center of attention while vanilla, sweet brown sugar, musk, and a just a bit of berry back them up. The burn line has been dead even and razor thin the entire time. It never once required any touch up or relights while the cigar created absolutely no harshness or extra heat all they way down to the nub. For such a small cigar it took a long time to smoke clocking in at just a hair under 2 hours.

Overview:

As if it wasn’t already evident the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust hit it out of the park once again with the Todos Las Dias. This is an exceptional cigar with good construction, balance, and complexities all at a great price point. I always expect a lot when it comes to Steve Saka’s cigars, and seldom and I ever let down. This is box worthy for sure, especially since they come packaged in boxes of 10 which I wish more manufacturers would do. The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Todos Las Dias will please the seasoned cigar smoker while its a great jumping off point for those novice smokers looking to get into more premium cigars.

Pairing:

The first time I smoked The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Todos Las Dias I knew that I wanted to pair with with Prairie Artisan Ale’s Barrel Aged Bible Belt. Coming in at 13% ABV this imperial stout is basically Prairie’s standard Bible Belt aged in whiskey barrels. The beer leads with oaky barrel goodness, sickiness, malt, vanilla, cocoa, and brown sugar with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing with more booze, a bit of whiskey, cocoa, and malt. As the beer warms the cocoa and whiskey really take over. This was an amazing pairing. The vanilla, chocolate, barrel, and brown sugar went perfectly along side The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Todos Las Dias. Both the cigar and beer were full-bodied and neither overpowered each other which says a lot for the cigar as the Bible Belt can really run over most cigars.

Contest Winner:

Again, we can’t thank Fox Cigar Bar enough. They have been huge supporters of Casas Fumando since day one and continue to back us up as well as reward our readers. This week’s contest goes out to…

Tom Pinkowski

Congrats! Please send your address to me at casasfumando@gmail.com. And those of you who didn’t win, stayed tuned. We already have planned many more giveaways with Fox Cigar Bar. Also, keep up with our reviews here as we will be partnered up with them to give you guys straight access on how to get many of these newer/rarer cigars directly from them.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Todos Las Dias + Contest Winner appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The Good Stuff:

Umbagog is the first release we’ve seen from Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust this year. Named after a like on the New Hampshire-Maine border where brand owner Steve Saka enjoys fishing this “bundle” cigar is the first “value” priced cigar released by Dunbarton. While I don’t necessarily consider this a bundle cigar, Saka states that the cigar is just “too ugly” to join the ranks of his superior blends. This goes to show just how meticulous Saka is, something that surprises no one. Steve has always been known for perfection. In the case of the Umbagog Steve wanted to create a hefty, hard-working cigar that would be able to tolerate being thrown around a bit. Something that you could take on a fishing trip, camping expedition, or mountain hike without being worried about damage. Umbagog features a dense, Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, which Saka considered “too ugly” for the Mi Quireda line. The cigar comes in 10 count bundles featured in four different sizes: Corona Gorda (6 x 48), Robusto Plus (5 x 52), Toro Toro (6 x 52), and Gordo Gordo (6 x 56) modestly ranging between $6.45 and $7.45 a stick. I purchased these over from our good friends Ford on Fifth which is only a handful of retailers who currently have them in stock. They recently updated the site and you can now order directly from it, so get on it before these are gone.

Size: 6 x 48
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Medium/Full
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $6.45
Pairing: Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout 2017 (Imperial Stout 11.8% ABV)

Prelight:

The Dunbarton Umbagog starts out with a very meaty, rustic wrapper which is very dark brown with lots of splotches of lighter brown, and orange scattered throughout the leaf. The leaf also features a good amount of dark, natural webbing. The texture on the cigar is very rough and toothy with a decent amount of oil The wrapper is dense and hard as a rock while the cigar is general really does feels as if it can take a beating. The wrapper leaf is seamlessly laid over itself while the cigar showcases a few mild veins running the course of the cigar’s body leading up to it’s round, double cap. The cigar is polished off with a simple green and white band sporting the word “UMBAGOG” across the front.

The Umbagog wrapper gives off a good amount of tartness, natural tobacco, and musk while the foot of the cigar is much more spicy with some pepper and coffee aromas piled over some natural earthiness. The cap cut clean and easily using my Palio double bladed cutter. The cold draw features an overall sweet mixture of honey, cedar, musk, and natural tobacco.

First Third:

The Umbagog starts out with a nice bold cayenne pepper bang which hangs out for a decent amount of time before fading leaving behind some bold musk, molasses, cedar, tartness, and sweetness with a really natural/earthy overtone. Once the pepper subsides the Umbagog really creams out and is incredibly balanced. The draw is perfect. each tiny puff kicks out a massive cloud of thick, white smoke that hangs out for a while even on a windy day such as this one. The cigar pours out stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is razor thin and dead even leaving behind a brilliant trail of tightly compacted light, and dark gray ash which held on for an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Dunbarton Umbagog and the flavors are incredible. Again, they are really smooth and balanced making for a very creamy mixture of cocoa, musk, sweetness, coffee, and cedar with  subtle notes of tartness and even some soft clove. The retrohale is as smooth as it comes coating my nasal passage with a nice mixture of cedar, spice, and natural tobacco. This cigar reminds me of when I was young, and my uncle would light up his pipe. It smelled amazing and that smell, or what I understood it was at the time, translates almost identically until the flavor profile found in the Umbagog. The cigar is burning like a dream with no issues as I close out the second third with absolutely zilch in the nicotine department.

Finish:

The Dunbarton Umbagog was already shaping up to be a fantastic cigar, but it really takes off in the final third. The cedar has really stepped it’s game up along with the musk and some interesting floral flavors which really ramp up the body of the cigar. the backing flavors are cocoa, coffee, vanilla, clove, and spice with a good amount of sweetness thrown on top. The floral flavor doesn’t last long, but it was a nice little added touch to the experience. All in all it took me an hour and a half to smoke the Umbagog down to the nub and I enjoyed every second of it. I close out with no harshness, no extra heat, and only a very mild nicotine hit.

Overview:

The Umbagog isn’t a cigar you really need to worry about. This is a cigar you just kind of hang out with. You don’t have to pick apart flavors, or nuances, just enjoy it. Sure, I did in this case for the review, but I find the Umbagog such a solid, consistent offering that I could just smoke these all day. And that’s exactly what Saka was trying to achieve in my opinion. Add the modest price point and I can honestly say that the Umbagog will be finding it’s way not only in mine, but just about everyone else’s regular rotation here real quick.

Pairing:

It’s that time of the year again! Founders is set to release the 2017 version of its famous Kentucky Breakfast Stout. Coming in at 11.8% ABV this Bourbon Barrel Aged imperial Stout is one of America’s most sought after beers year after year. It seems this year’s KBS seems much more creamy and muted than past releases. Usually the beer leads with booze, bourbon, cocoa, and vanilla and this year I don’t really get any booze or bourbon. It tastes more like a creamy vanilla/chocolate milkshake. As the beer warms the bourbon finally starts to peek it’s head through while the vanilla, cocoa, espresso, oak really lead the charge. I’m not complaining though, this is a damn good beer and made for an absolutely incredible pairing with the Umbagog, this year’s KBS just seems a bit off.

The post Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.