Dunbarton’s Muestra de Saka Krakatoa and Red Meat Lovers Club En Route to Stores

A brand new cigar from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust is on its way to stores, as is the national release of a line that debuted as a store exclusive in 2019.

The new cigar is the Muestra de Saka Krakatoa, a 6 x 48 corona gorda named for Krakatau, a volcano in Indonesia that is regarded as having the second-most deadly eruption in history, killing approximately 60,000 people in 1883.

The blend uses a grade A1, Ecuadorian-grown habano-seed wrapper, while the binder and filler both come from Nicaragua. Specifically, the filler uses a mix of broadleaf, criollo and corojo leaves, though where they are from has not been disclosed. The cigar’s profile is described as being full-bodied with a sweet and spicy sensation on the palate, and strength delivered via retrohales.

Each cigar is finished off with a spiral colita cap that is intended to resemble a volcano, then packaged into individual coffins. Pricing is set at $20.75 per cigar and $145.25 for a box of seven cigars. It is produced at Fabrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelí.

Krakatoa is the seventh release in the Muestra de Saka line, a collection of cigars with a name that means sample of Saka, and comes with an invitation to catch a glimpse into Steve Saka’s blending machinations. It’s a cigar that has been in the works for several years, first coming to light in 2021 but then was delayed in early 2022 due to lingering delays from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also on its way to stores is the nationwide launch of the Red Meat Lovers Club, which began as a store exclusive for Smoke Inn in South Florida in 2019 but quickly garnered a following by smokers across the country and beyond.

For its national release, two new vitolas—the Filet Mignon and Porterhouse—have been added, bringing the total to four, all of which are regular production sizes:

• Red Meat Lovers Club Beef Stick (6 x 48) — $15.45 (Box of 10, $154.50)
• Red Meat Lovers Club Filet Mignon (5 x 54) — $14.95 (Box of 10, $149.50)
• Red Meat Lovers Club Ribeye (6 x 52) — $15.45 (Box of 10, $154.50)
• Red Meat Lovers Club Porterhouse (6 x 60) — $16.45 (Box of 10, $164.50)

Not released is the original 6 x 56 toro gordo size in which the line debuted.

The Red Meat Lovers Club blend features a Connecticut-grown broadleaf wrapper, a Mexican San Andrés Negro binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and Pennsylvania. The line is produced at Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA) in Estelí.

Both the Muestra de Saka Krakatoa and the Red Meat Lovers Club were part of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s releases at the 2023 PCA Convention & Trade Show in July.