PCA 2023: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

When we started to compile our “Cigar Big Board” for the 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) of what new products are being showcased and launched, one of the first companies to make their announcements was Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. At that time, the company announced seven different products it would be introducing to market. What’s interesting is there is quite a wide range of products – from the $7.95 mixed filler Polpettas to the new $100.00 ultra-premium Unicorns. It was no surprise that the Dunbarton booth was bustling with activity. Despite being a very busy booth, owner Steve Saka has been quite generous with his time, as he gave us a 36-minute interview at PCA. We also used this interview to present Saka with the 2022 #2 Cigar Coop Cigar of the Year for Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka and a special award by Bear Duplisea for the “most watched Take” on El Oso Fumar in 2022.

First up, the Mi Querida Black gets its first line extension with a 5 5/8 x 46 Corona Gorda known as PapaSaka. Last year, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust introduced the Mi Querida Black line. Produced at the NACSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, the Mi Querida Black features a Connecticut Broadleaf No. 1 Dark wrapper, a San Andres binder, and a combination of Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Dominican fillers. The blend is described as limited production, which is why last year it was only released in one size – a 7 1/4 x 54 parejo known as SakaKhan. Like SakaKhan, PapaSaka will be released in one size – presented in ten-count boxes. Pricing is set at SRP $15.95/cigar. These cigars have started to ship at press time.

One of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s most anticipated releases is finally ready to hit the shelves – the Muestra de Saka Krakatoa. Krakatoa is a volcano in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in the Indonesian province of Lampung. The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa is one of the largest and deadliest volcanic events in modern history. Word of Krakatoa first surfaced in 2021, but the project was put on hold as Saka wanted more time to tweak the blend. The cigar was showcased at TPE, and pre-orders were taken earlier this year – however, Krakatoa was still showcased at PCA 2023.

While this is an extension of Muestra de Saka, this is an all-new blend for the series. The blend consists of a Grade A1 Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a Nicaraguan sun-grown binder, and fillers that include Nicaraguan Grown Broadleaf, Cuban Seed Criollo, and what is described as a potent Corojo Ligero. Like all Muestra de Saka ligas except the Unicorn, the Krakatoas are packed in individual cedar coffins in a seven-count box and pricing is $145.25 per box. Production is handled at Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, S.A. in Esteli, Nicaragua. There will be approximately 3,000 boxes released on the initial drop. For those keeping score, this is the seventh installment of the Muestra de Saka series. These cigars are anticipated for a September shipment.

Polpetta, which was Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s event cigar, is now becoming a regular production cigar. Polpetta, Italian for meatball, is a Cuban sandwich cigar. The Polpetta consists of seven leftover tobaccos used on DTT cigars produced at the NACSA factory and finished with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The cigar comes in one size – a 4 x 48 parejo. When it was an event cigar, Polpetta was packaged in bundles, but now the cigar is packaged in 25-count elegant boxes. These cigars are expected to ship in late summer/early fall and are priced at SRP $7.30/cigar.

Red Meat Lovers, a cigar that was a store exclusive with Smoke Inn being done in collaboration with the Red Meat Lovers Club social group, is now becoming a national line. While Red Meat Lovers Club will own the brand, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust will handle the production and will now distribute and sell the cigar. The blend is highlighted by a Connecticut Broadleaf No. 1 Dark wrapper. The binder used is a San Andres Negro leaf from Mexico. The fillers come from Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. Red Meat Lovers Club will be offered in four sizes, bringing back two of the Smoke Inn sizes and introducing two new sizes. All will be presented in ten-count boxes with wood resembling a carving board. The original 2019 size is not a part of the national release. Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust was planning on a summer release, but this has been pushed to the fall.

Beef Stick: 6 x 48 (Parejo, 2022 Smoke Inn release) – SRP $15.45/cigar
Ribeye: 6 x 52 Prensado (Previously the Meat Box Pressed Smoke Inn offering, 2020 release) – SRP $15.45/cigar
Filet Mignon: 5 x 54 Prensado (New Vitola) – SRP $14.95/cigar
Porterhouse: 6 x 60 Prensado (New Vitola) – SRP $16.45/cigar

Last year, StillWell Star introduced a limited edition cigar known as StillWell Star Holiday Y2022 release. This year, there is the StillWell Star Y2023 release. StillWell Star is a line of cigars in the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust portfolio that incorporate pipe tobacco into the blend. Like the Y2022 release, the Y2023 release corporates mild, aromatic “holiday” seasonal pipe tobaccos in the blend. This is also intended to be a limited release. The Y2023 comes in one size – a 6 x 52 Toro that is presented in ten-count boxes. Pricing is set at SRP $15.95/cigar. These cigars are expected to ship in the upcoming weeks.

Finally, the Unicorn line – which represents the most premium offering in the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust portfolio, is getting two limited edition releases. The Unicorn is a 6 1/4 x 60 Diadema that is an offering in the Muestra de Saka line. For the Muestra de Saka Unicorn, Saka took on the challenge of a project where he would spend as much money as possible to make a cigar. This would involve finding high-quality tobacco and working with two of the best toreadors to roll a labor-intensive Diadema size. The result was the $100.00 Muestra de Saka Unicorn. Now Saka is bringing the Unicorn concept to his Sobremesa Brûlée Blue and Mi Querida Black lines – and guess what? These will also be priced at $100.00.

The genesis for the Sobremesa Brûlée Blue and Mi Querida Black came when the winners of a charity auction requested Unicorns in the two ligas as special production cigars. Now they are being released as a limited release. Saka is saying there will be a maximum of 200 cabinets produced. What is a little different about this release is the coffins are packaged in ten-count boxes for the Sobremesa Brûlée Blue and Mi Querida Black. The Muestra de Saka coffins are presented in ten-count boxes. These cigars are expected to ship in the upcoming weeks.