Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Adding Paladin de Saka

A new release from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust will be a stronger iteration of the company’s Sin Compromiso blend.

That cigar is Paladin de Saka, a box-pressed 7 x 50 Churchill vitola that will be packaged in 13-count boxes. In a conversation with halfwheel, Steve Saka, the company’s founder, confirmed that while the cigars have been rolled and are ready to be shipped to retailers, he is having massive issues procuring enough boxes due to complications stemming from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Most of the details about the cigar remain undisclosed. Saka declined to talk about the blend details, pricing is not finalized, and while the cigar will be limited, production numbers have not been announced. For reference, the Sin Compromiso is made at Joya de Nicaragua and uses a Mexican San Andrés Negro “cultivo tonto” wrapper over an Ecuadorian habano binder and Nicaragua fillers. Saka has talked extensively about the wrapper, which uses a method pioneered in Japan to grow fruit. Farmers remove the plant’s lower leaves so that the maximum amount of nutrients can be sent to the upper leaves. Because of this, the yields of these plants are lower and the prices for the tobacco are much higher.

According to Saka, Paladin de Saka was originally projected to be shipped immediately following the upcoming PCA Convention & Trade Show, which takes place in July, but the release has now been delayed to sometime later this year.