IPCPR 2015: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

My sit-down with Steve Saka started with him complimenting himself for “how much of a cheap-ass” he was in regards to the extremely inexpensive cost of his booth furniture. Actually, it started 20 minutes ago when I arrived at the booth, which is positioned right next to the food court—an area normally quiet, but for Saka, he’s been one to two visitors deep for the first three days.

Sobremesa
It’s the new brand from the former Drew Estate executive after his two-year non-compete ended. Sobremesa looks impressive with highly-intricate boxes and great design framework. Saka described the blend in extreme detail, which you can read about here, but the simpler version goes: Ecuadorian habano wrapper, Mexican binder and mostly Nicaraguan fillers with a bit of Pennsylvania tobacco.

Six sizes will be on debut—ranging from $9.95-13.45—while another two have already been announced. Saka said the cigars could arrive in September or October, but he is hesitant to give an exact timeframe. He admitted that due to Nicaragua’s traditional rainy season, even if the cigars were ready in October, they could be delayed to avoid humidity issues.

Todos Las Días
This will be the second brand from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust and many of the details are already figured out. Saka said that he wants to make a cigar inspired by those that he used to make, relatively inexpensive broadleaf cigars made by Frank Llaneza. For this, Saka is heading to Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA), a factory that has largely been known for making bundle cigars.

That being said, NACSA moved to a new building earlier this year and has access to some phenomenal tobacco thanks to a strong relationship with the Oliva Tobacco family.

Todos Las Días will be available in seven sizes: Ancho Corto (5 x 54), Ancho Largo (6 x 54), Ancho Grande (7 x 54), Medio Corto (5 x 48), Media Largo (6 x 48), Fino Corto (5 x 42) and Fino Pequeno (4 x 44).

Sin Compromiso
Retailers who stopped by the booth will find a pricing sheet with 10 vitolas for a brand called Sin Compromiso. Saka indicated that this brand was not close to being ready, indicating he has just started buying tobaccos for it.