Cigar Review: Umbagog Bronzeback Review

Today, we review the Umbagog Bronzeback from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust (DTT). Umbagog Bronzeback is a cigar that debuted at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. If you follow the career of Dunbarton’s Steve Saka, you will know he has an affinity for offshooting releases from his existing releases. Umbagog Bronzeback is an offshoot of Dunbarton’s value line, Umbagog. If you want to get technical, Umbagog is an indirect offshoot of Dunbarton’s Mi Querida line.

The story with Umbagog goes back to the production of Mi Querida. During the quality control process, Saka felt that some of the Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers he used were not aesthetically up to Mi Querida’s standards. While the wrapper wasn’t as pretty as Saka would like, the tobacco was still good. Rather than discard the wrapper, Saka decided to use it for another cigar. He chose to call it “Umbagog” and sell it at a lower price.

Bronzeback builds on the base Umbagog line. The difference is that it is finished with a “2LS” Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper using similar components to the original Umbagog. 2LS is a designation for the leaves typically situated between the 1/3 to 1/2 mark on the stalk. These leaves sit beneath what is called the “Mediums.” Saka says this leaf not only has a different hue but also a different flavor profile.

Umbagog is named after a lake in New Hampshire on which Saka enjoys fishing. The Bronzeback is a type of Smallmouth Bass. Saka got the inspiration for Umbagog Bronzeback from a brand from the 1980s/1990s that used the 2LS wrapper. It became a personal favorite of Saka’s and led him to bring this expression of Broadleaf back to the market.

Let’s break down the Bronzeback without further ado and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Umbagog Bronzeback by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

The 2LS Connecticut Broadleaf of Umbagog Bronzeback sits over an all-Nicaraguan blend. Production comes from the NACSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Wrapper: 2LS Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars S.A (NACSA)

Vitolas Offered

The Bronzeback comes in one size – a 5 x 48 parejo. The cigars come in ten-count bundles. This is a regular production addition.

Bundle of the Umbagog Bronzeback

Appearance (*)

The Bronzeback’s 2LS wrapper looks impressive. It is medium-roast coffee bean brown. Upon closer examination, some mottling was present, and there was a slight amount of toothiness on the surface. The wrapper’s surface also had a light sheen of oil. There were some visible veins and some minimally visible wrapper seams.

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Bronzeback. Once the cap was clipped off, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw experience. The cold draw delivered notes of chocolate, coffee, and wood. Sometimes, I get a “mocha” flavor on cigars where the chocolate and coffee are fused. This was not the case with the Bronzeback. Overall, the Bronzeback delivered a satisfactory pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast up the Broneback and move forward into the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Bronzeback opened with notes of coffee, chocolate, fruit, mixed pepper, and wood. The coffee notes quickly became primary. Meanwhile, the chocolate, fruit, red pepper, and wood notes were secondary. These were close secondary notes and significantly contributed to the flavor profile. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of pepper and wood on the retro-hale.

During the second third of the Bronzeback, the coffee notes remained primary. The pepper and wood notes slightly increased. Meanwhile, the fruit and chocolate notes remained slightly further from the background.

The final third saw the coffee notes still grounded in the forefront. The pepper was now the most prominent of the secondary notes. There still were notes of chocolate and wood in the background. By this point, any of the fruit sweetness was gone. This was the way the Bronzeback came to a close. The resulting nub was cool in temperature and soft to the touch.

Burn

The Bronzeback maintained a straight burn path and a relatively straight burn line. This is a cigar that required minimal touch-ups along the way. The resulting ash was light gray. It wasn’t overly firm, but it was also not loose or flaky. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.

Burn of the Umbagog Bronzeback

Draw

The Bronzeback’s draw was excellent. This cigar had a touch of resistance, making it ideal in my book. At the same time, it was a low-maintenance cigar from which to derive flavor.

Strength and Body

From start to finish, the Bronzeback maintained medium strength and medium to full-bodied flavors. While the intensity levels of both attributes nominally increased, the Bronzeback remained in the medium strength and medium to full-bodied ranges.

The body maintained a slight edge throughout the sm0king experience in terms of strength versus body.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

As I think folks know by now, my least favorite packaging in the cigar industry is craft paper bundles. While I understand it for things like online sales, it doesn’t present nicely for retailers. Specifically, the bundle conceals the cigar. In the case of the Umbagog Bronzeback, it’s a shame because this cigar has a nice band and a nice wrapper.

Open bundle of the Umbagog Bronzeback

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

In today’s market, finding a high-quality cigar under the $10.00 price point is becoming harder and harder. When I heard Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust was coming out with an extension to Umbagog, I knew this one would get a lot of attention. Umbagog is a cigar that has been an outstanding performer in the Dunbarton portfolio, and I felt that Umbagog Bronzeback would make a standout debut at the Trade Show. Not only that, our team was quite high on this cigar. While it’s not the best Dunbarton offering, Bronzeback and its $9.75 price point hold its own.

Bronzeback is a cigar I would recommend to any cigar enthusiast, especially those who like Broadleaf. I would smoke it again. The price point makes it easy to buy multiples for the humidor.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee, Chocolate, Wood, Fruit, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full
Finish: Very Good