Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s Sobremesa Debuting at IPCPR

As June came to a close, it came to light that Steve Saka was returning to the cigar industry with a new company, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. Now with the industry’s most prominent event, the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, quickly approaching on the horizon, Saka has announced details about his first release, Sobremesa.

The word roughly translates to “over the table,” though there is no exact translation for the term that refers to the period after a meal is finished but before people get up from the table. It’s a period marked by conversation, relaxing, drinking, smoking and enjoying each other’s company, according to the company.

In a move that both shows his love of black tobacco and respects those who want to know as much as possible about what they are smoking, Saka has been incredibly forthcoming with the blend information for Sobremesa.

The wrapper is a La Meca Ecuador Habano Grade 1 Dark Rosado, while the binder is a Matacapan Negro de temporal leaf from Mexico. Saka said that the specific farm that it is grown on uses natural irrigation from storms.

The filler incorporates five different tobaccos: Nicaraguan GK Condega C-SG seco, Nicaraguan Pueblo Nuevo criollo viso, Nicaraguan La Joya Estelí C-98 viso, Nicaraguan ASP Estelí hybrid ligero and broadleaf ligero from Lancaster County in Pennsylvania.

The end result is a cigar that is described as being “laced with abundant notes of cedar, cocoa and café…punctuated by a tellicherry peppercorn retorhale.” The company adds that it leaves a sweet, lingering finish and is intended for the experienced palate.

It is being released in six vitolas, all coming in 25-count boxes: Corona Grande (5 1/4 x 44, MSRP $9.95 per cigar, $248.50 per box), Cervantes Fino (6 1/4 x 46, $11.45, $286.25), Robusto Largo (5 1/4 x 52, $11.45, $286.25), El Americano (6 x 52, $12.45, $311.25), Belicoso Largo (6 x 52, $13, $325) and Gran Imperiales (7 x 54, $13.45, $336.25).

Two additional sizes have been announced for future release: Elegante en Cedros (7 x 48, $13.90, $180.70) and Diadema DeLuxe (6 1/2 x 56, $14.90, $193.70), with both in 13-count boxes.

Production is being handled by Joya de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelí, though Saka has said that Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust will not be a single-factory brand. He acknowledged that each factory has strengths and weaknesses, and that future projects will seek out the factory that he feels can best produce it.

Saka said in a statement that the Sobremesa blend went through 27 iterations with over forty varieties of tobacco sampled before a final blend was selected, adding that it is a reflection of the company’s axiom, puro sin compromiso, a cigar without compromise.

Production will be ongoing but limited due to the readiness of the tobaccos used. Saka said he will ship the cigars when ever he deems them ready, which he estimates as “likely September or October.”