StillWell Star Holiday Y2023 by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

Today, we review the StillWell Star Holiday Y2023 from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. Certainly! Here’s the revised text:

In 2021, Steve Saka introduced the StillWell Star line, which was notable for incorporating pipe tobaccos into the filler of its cigars. The line initially comprised four regular production lines. A year later, Saka launched a limited offshoot called the StillWell Star Holiday line. In the world of pipes, it’s common for pipe tobacco blenders to create special blends for the holiday season. Saka adopted a similar approach for StillWell Star by using pipe tobaccos from Cornell & Diehl. The release of the StillWell Star Holiday Y2022 came in 2022, and another blend would follow a year later with StillWell Star Holiday Y2023.

Initially, the Aromatic No. 1, English No. 27, Bayou No. 32, and Navy No. 1056 were the four regular production StillWell Star lines. Earlier this year, Saka decided to make Holiday Y2022 into regular production and branded it Aromatic No.22. Meanwhile, the Y2023 (which we are assessing today) is coming back again as the Y2024 release.

Aromatic No. 1 (Black Cavendish, Golden Virginia, Burley)
English No. 27 (Burley, Turkish Leaf, and Cypriot Latakia pressed cake)
Bayou No. 32 (Bright and Virginia Leaf, St. James Perique)
Navy No. 1056 (Red and Golden Virginias with a touch of “Naval Rations” combined with Orientals and Latakia).
StillWell Star Aromatic No. 22 (formerly Holiday Y2022 -Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia)
(Cavendish Burley, Golden Virginia, Red Virginia – with a Shade-grown Connecticut wrapper)
Holiday Y2024 (Same recipe as Y2023)

Without further ado, let’s examine the Holiday Y2023 and see what this cigar offers.

StillWell Star Holiday Y2023 by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

In addition to Burley and Virginia pipe tobaccos, the filler also contains Nicaraguan air-cured tobaccos traditionally used for cigars. The remainder of the blend also uses air-cured tobacco. This includes an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper and a San Andres Mexican binder. The Y2023 is the first StillWell Star release to utilize a Connecticut Shade wrapper.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade
Binder: San Andres Negro
Filler: Nicaraguan, Cavendish Burley, Golden Virginia, Red Virginia
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.

Vitolas Offered

Like the four regular production sizes of the StillWell Star, the Holiday Y2023 is available in one size – a 6 x 52 Toro. The Holiday Blend Y20232 is presented in 13-count boxes.

Appearance (*)

The Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper of the Holiday Y2023 was light brown. It didn’t have much of a weathered look. There was a slight sheen of oil on the surface of this wrapper. The surface of the wrapper had some prominent visible veins and some thin visible wrapper seams.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

Before I clipped the cap of the Holiday Y2023, I checked out the aromas. The footer of the cigar emitted warm baking spices and sweet fruit, with a “Christmas/Holiday” vibe.

After assessing the aromas, it was time to remove the cap of the Holiday Y2023. The dry draw delivered a mix of cedar, fruit, bread, and a slight pipe tobacco smokiness. This was a unique and excellent dry draw, and it made for a great pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to remove the footer band, toast up the Holiday Y2023, and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Holiday Y2023 opened with a potpourri of flavors. This included notes of cream, cedar, and a combination of fruit, baking spice, and smoky notes. The smoky notes definitely reminded me of pipe tobacco. Early on, the cedar and fruit notes moved to the forefront. The cream, baking spice, and smoky notes settled in the background. The retro-hale delivered an extra layer of fruit and cedar.

During the second third of Holiday Y2023, white pepper notes emerged before the midway point. Post-midway, the fruit notes receded, leaving the cedar notes in control. The fruit joined the white pepper, baking spice, and smoky notes. By this stage, the creamy notes had completely dissipated.

There wasn’t much change heading into the final third. The cedar notes added more distance to the fruit, baking spice, white pepper, and smoky secondary notes. This is how the Holiday Y2023 came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.

Burn

While the Holiday Y2023 maintained a straight burn path and had a relatively straight burn line, it did require touch-ups to do so. The touch-ups required were more frequent than I preferred. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firmer side. This was an ash that had a silver-gray complexion. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the StillWell Star Holiday Y2023

Draw

The Holiday Y2023’s draw was slightly resistant, making it ideal in my book. Concurrently, this cigar produced a decent amount of smoke.

Strength and Body

When it came to strength levels, the Holiday Y2023 was one of the mildest cigars I ever had from Saka. This cigar was pretty much mild in strength from start to finish. As for the body, this was a different story, as the flavors were medium-bodied. There wasn’t much variance in the intensity levels of the strength and body. In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained a significant edge.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

The Holiday Y2023 packaging is pretty much the same as the Holiday Y2022. The difference is the box and footer bands denoted Y2023. As I mentioned in the past, I like the use of the white bands on the StillWell limited edition. This helps the Holiday Y2023 stand out as a limited edition over the blue bands of the regular production StillWell Star offerings.

Packaging of the StillWell Star Holiday Y2023

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

The Holiday Y2023 is my favorite StillWell Star release to date. I found the Connecticut Shade wrapper and milder profile really worked in favor of this cigar. The first half of this cigar really allows for the pipe flavors to stand out. The second half lost a little edge because some cedar notes became more prominent. While I’m not sure I want a pipe tobacco experience in my cigar, I can say this was one of the more enjoyable ones. If someone wants that pipe tobacco experience, this is the cigar I would recommend. It’s a cigar that I would buy and smoke again.

Summary

Key Flavors: Cedar, Fruit, Pepper, Cream, Smoky Notes
Burn: Very Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Mild
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good