Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4

When it comes to new cigar lines hitting the market, unless it’s a single-size limited edition, it’s pretty safe to assume there will be some familiar sizes released: a robusto, a toro, increasingly a 6 x 60, and then maybe a corona or other sub-50 ring gauge size.

But when Steve Saka of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust released his Sin Compromiso line in 2019, there was no robusto in the lineup. Earlier this year, he rectified that by releasing the Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4, a 5 x 54 box-pressed robusto extra.

“When creating and blending Sin Compromiso I was never satisfied with the robusto vitola,” said Saka, in a post on his Facebook page when the cigar was announced. “It always seemed a little off so when we launched the brand in 2019 I decided to just not include arguably the most popular format. (This is) a 5.00 x 54 prensado robusto whose blend is now perfectly tailored for its format and to suit its namesake.”

The Sin Compromiso blend uses a Mexican San Andrés negro “Cultivo Tonto” wrapper covering an Ecuadorian habano-seed binder and filler tobaccos grown in Nicaragua. As often happens with certain sizes, the blend Selección No. 4 needed to be tweaked a bit to accommodate this specific size.

With the arrival of the Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4, the line grew to nine sizes, though production of the Selección Espada Estoqu, later renamed the Varita Májica, was halted in August 2023.

Sin Compromiso gets its name from the Spanish phrase for no compromise, which Saka said was the approach he took to creating the cigar. “Sin Compromiso is the result of over three years’ of experimental black tobacco harvests in Mexico, Ecuador and Nicaragua and the culmination of my experiences as a cigar blender,” said Saka in a press release when the line was announced. “The marquee’s name translates to ‘no compromise’ and that is the exact approach I took when creating this cigar. This blend is a direct reflection of all the skills I have learned and developed over the last twenty plus years and I am genuinely excited to share it with my fellow cigar smokers.”

The Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 shipped to retailers at the end of May, arriving with an MSPR of $17.95 per cigar and $233.36 per box of 13 cigars. They are produced by Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelí.

• Cigar Reviewed: Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés Negro Cultivo Tonto)
• Binder: Ecuador (Habano)
• Filler: Nicaragua
• Length: 5 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Shape: Pressed
• MSRP: $17.95 (Box of 13, $233.35)
• Release Date: May 21, 2024
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

In a recent redux review, I mentioned being on a bit of a corona streak for reviews, which has been very enjoyable as I like the size and it means I don’t have to clear several hours off my calendar. While not a corona, the robusto gordo size of the Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 is at least close to that corona vitola. The wrapper is a dark brown that I’d call earthy or meaty depending on the specific cigar, with all three having some mottling and a decent vein structure. The wrapper has a toothy texture and a smooth, almost waxy sensation for my fingers, suggesting some oiliness but not showing it to my eyes. All three cigars are firm with a bit of give, and as is the case with many box-pressed cigars, there is more give side-to-side than there is front-to-back. The foot has a very enjoyable aroma that draws from some familiar places: damp tobacco, mixed nuts, moist Old Fashioned donuts, a sprinkling of light pepper and some sweet, damp earth. One cigar also has a trace of chocolate syrup in it. The cold draw is smooth and leads with woodiness and raw almonds, with a bit of creaminess as the base layer and little, if any, pepper.

The Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 starts off by producing tons of mouth-drying smoke that is a combination of the pre-light sensations, as there is dry tobacco, raw almonds, some clay-laded earth, and then just a decent pinch of pepper that brings up the back end of the flavor and leaves a lasting tingle on my taste buds. While there is some creaminess in the body of the smoke, it’s not doing much to the flavor, The first bit of ash comes off quite quickly and abruptly; in the first cigar, it dropped onto my desk just before it had reached the minimum length I wanted for a photograph. The second cigar’s ash is better, with the third somewhere in the middle. The smoke takes on a powdery texture as this section comes to an end. Flavor is medium-plus, body is medium-plus and strength is mild. Other than my issues with the ash, construction is very good.

The powdery texture of the smoke has my attention as the Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 gets into its second third, as it is rather unique. That transition leads to a few puffs where I taste a cappuccino, with both the foam and the coffee standing out. The black pepper feels like it sharpens up in this section, now hitting my nostrils with more of a point than the previous sensation that delivered a more blunt sensation. The earthiness lightens up a touch as well as gets a bit drier, reminding me a bit of dried mud. This section then closes out with an impressively complex earthiness that offers an initial sensation that is damp and rich before that flavor of dried mud caps off the progression. Flavor is closer to medium for the majority of this section, while the body of the smoke feels just a touch thinner than it was in the first third. Strength has stayed mild and minimal thus far. As for construction, it is still very good with no issues.

The final third of the Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 keeps on with the earthy and muddy combination while introducing some raw almonds, and in particular, the initial flavor as the outer layer makes contact with the taste buds. Some sweet cream comes into the profile not long after the final third gets started, a really enjoyable addition that freshens up the profile a bit before black pepper becomes more of a factor on the front half of my tongue. That almond skin flavor turns into a more woody sensation at times, a change that gives the finish a bit more length. While the bulk of the flavors are familiar and enjoyable, there is something to the almond skin that stands out, not in a bad way, but in a way that I can’t quite place, a flavor that stays with the cigar until it comes to a finish with a bit of heat joining the profile to sharpen up the sensations. Flavor finishes medium-full, body is medium and strength is still mild. Construction remains excellent and has been problem-free.

Final Notes

• The three cigars I smoked for this review were remarkably consistent; the flavors, the flavor progression, and the combustion were essentially identical from cigar to cigar.
• They were so consistent that each one achieved the same score on my scoresheet.
• As seen in the picture above, each Sin Compromiso cigar has a cedar sleeve covering its lower half. I can’t say that I picked up any appreciable cedar from the cigars, and I don’t think I would have been able to tell a cedar wrap had been there if handed a completely naked cigar.
• That said, in re-reading my notes, I do wonder if was there, latching on to the almond in that first third.
• It also leads me to wonder what it would be like to smoke the Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 while looking for that flavor, and if I would notice a change when the burn line moves into the section that wasn’t covered by the cedar wrap.
• The performance of the ash couldn’t have been more different between the first and second cigars. The first was so fragile and delicate that it came off at every opportunity, so much so I couldn’t get enough for a decent photo. The second cigar was much better, building up well and holding on decently enough that I wasn’t afraid to handle the cigar.
• If you missed the recent news, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s Guillotina de Saka cutter went on sale in late August.
• In other Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust news, the company announced it would be releasing a store-exclusive limited edition of its Mi Querida Green line, which is currently only available as an event exclusive.
• I didn’t pick up any nicotine strength from the Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4, either while smoking it or after I finished the cigar.

• The company lists these as a 5 x 54 robusto extra. The numbers above are the measurements we found for the three cigars used for this review.
• Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust advertises on halfwheel.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was one hour and 40 minutes on average.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co., Famous Smoke Shop, JR Cigars, and Smokingpipes carries the Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4.