Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

At the 2018 IPCPR Trade Show, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust introduced a new extension to its Todos Las Dias line known as the Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale. While this cigar introduces a 6 x 46 size into the Todos Las Dias line, it actually is a modification of the original blend. According to Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust owner Steve Saka, when he was developing the Todos Las Dias line, he had two blends consisting of the same core tobaccos but with different proportions. Ultimately he went with one blend. However, when it came to adding the Thick Lonsdale, Saka said he inadvertently gave the second blend to the factory. This blend was a stronger blend known as Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte. The cigars went into production and Saka has said he didn’t know it was the wrong blend until he smoked it. Ultimately, he went ahead and released the cigar as the Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale. Today we take a closer look at that cigar.

While Saka has said the blend is a mistake, he has been known to have alternate blends in his core lines. For his Sobremesa line, there are the some tweaks known as “poco mas intensa” that were done for the Short Churchill and the Elegante en Cedros size which were a little smaller. There were several blend tweaks done during his time at Drew Estate to the core Liga Privada blends which eventually resulted in the Liga Privada Unico Serie.

In terms of the origins of the Todos Las Dias, Saka provided some context just before he original line was released at the 2017 IPCPR Trade Show.

“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.”

Saka also told how the Todos Las Dias name came about. The name traces back to 2001 when Estello Padron, late brother of Jose Padron of Padron Cigars fame, gave him a very strong cigar.

“The nicotine in it was blowing me away even though at this point I was a very seasoned cigar smoker. In hindsight, I think he gave me the cigar as a bit of a joke, knowing it was likely I would nearly choke on it… Anyhow, I asked, ‘You really smoke these?!?!?!’ To which he replied, “Todos los dias Saka, todos los dias.” This translates to ‘Every day Saka, every day.’ ….So I always wanted to name a super strong cigar “Todos Las Dias.” What? Wait… you said he said “Todos Los Dias!” Yes, he did, but for nearly 15 years I thought he said LAS not LOS. Anyone that knows me is aware of how shamefully pathetic my Spanish is, particularly given how much time I have spent working in Latin America…. Anyhow, I have been saying “Todos Las Dias” for years and no one has ever corrected me. So the name of the product is self-deprecating as it acknowledges my poor Spanish.”

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale and see what this cigar brings to the table.

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

As mentioned, Saka has said the Mas Fuerte blend has the same tobaccos as the original line. Saka hasn’t gotten specific on those tobaccos other than stating they are Nicaraguan in origin. Like the original Todos Las Dias line, the Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale is produced at the Joya de Nicaragua factory.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, S.A.

Vitolas Offered

As mentioned, the Mas Fuerte blend comes in only one size – the Thick Lonsdale, which essentially is a Corona Gorda. Like the original line, the Thick Lonsdale is packaged in 10-count boxes.

Mas Fuerte

Thick Lonsdale: 6 x 46

For completeness, we include the four sizes of the original Todos Las Dias blend:

Original Blend

Half Churchill: 4 3/4 x 48
Robusto: 5 x 52
Toro: 6 x 52
Double Wide Belicoso: 4 3/4 x 60

Appearance

The Nicaraguan wrapper of the Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale had a medium to dark color with a Colorado-red tint to it. While it’s a smooth wrapper with a light coating of oil on it, there were some thin visible veins and thin visible wrapper seams. the cigar is finished with a pig-tail on the thicker side.

The Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte has the same banding design as the original line. It consists of two bands that have a black and silver color scheme. The primary band features a diamond shape with a black background and silver trim. On the diamond are the letters “TDL” in silver on it (with the D larger than the other two letters). The remainder of the band has black and silver adornments on it.

The secondary band sits on the footer and has the text “Todos Las Dias” in silver cursive font on a black background. The top and bottom of the band features silver trim.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw

As opposed to pulling off the pig-tail of the cap of the Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale, a straight cut was used to remove the cap and pig-tail simultaneously. Once removed, it was time to commence the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of cocoa, wood, and assorted pepper. This was a satisfying pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to remove the footer band, light up the Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale and move on into the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale opened up with notes of natural tobacco, citrus, cocoa, and the signature chili pepper note that was present on the original Todos Las Dias line. It took a little while for a dominant note, but by the middle of the first third, the natural tobacco moved into the forefront. The natural fruit note had a dark fruit quality to it. Meanwhile the cocoa, citrus, and chili pepper moved into the background. The chili pepper was also prominent on the retro-hale.

Later in the first third, the cocoa started to increase. There was a bittersweet quality to the cocoa as it moved through the second third. Meanwhile, the chili pepper notes in the background varied in intensity. By the time the midway point was reached, the cocoa notes had a little more in the way of sweetness and joined the natural tobacco in the forefront. Meanwhile, the citrus notes were present in the more distant background.

Later in the second third, there was an increase in the chili pepper notes. By the last third, the pepper joined the natural tobacco and cocoa notes. There also still were touches of citrus in the background. This is the way the Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

The Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale scored very nicely when it came to its burn. This cigar had little problem maintaining a straight burn path and keeping a relatively straight burn line. The resulting ash had a salt and pepper color scheme to it. The ash was on the firmer side. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

Burn of the Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale

Draw

The Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale also scored nicely on the draw. There was an ideal amount of resistance on the draw. At the same time, this was a low maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

In terms of strength and body, I found the Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale started out with medium to full. By the second half of the smoking experience both attributes progressed into full territory. During the second half, both attributes continued to increase in intensity. In terms of strength versus body, both attributes balanced each other very nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

There are going to be obvious comparisons to the original Todos Las Dias line. With the Mas Fuerte, I didn’t find it to be much stronger than the original blend.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

While I didn’t find much of a difference in terms of the intensity level of the Todos Las Dias Mas Fuerte Thick Lonsdale versus the original line, I did find there were some differences in the flavors produced. While the flavors of the Mas Fuerte was in the wheelhouse of the original line, this was a cigar that still told its own story. I consider Todos Las Dias to be some of Saka’s finest work. The Mas Fuerte is an excellent offshoot of the original blend, but I’d still give a nod to the original blend. Given this is still quite a bold smoking experience, I’d steer this cigar to a more experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, I plan to smoke this cigar again – and it garners box worthy consideration.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Chili Pepper, Cocoa, Citrus, Dark Fruit
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium to High
Strength: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half)
Finish: Good