StillWell Star English No. 27

StillWell Star was billed by its creator as “the most controversial cigar released in 2021.”

It’s a line of cigars that uses pipe tobacco in the blend in addition to the more traditional premium cigar tobacco. Steve Saka, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s founder and blender, has been a pipe smoker for more than three decades and has been crafting handmade cigars using pipe tobacco for his personal consumption for many years.

At some point, Saka told this to Jeremy Reeves, head blender of Cornell & Diehl and a cigar smoker himself, and the two started working on a cigar that would use pipe tobacco, one’s product incorporating the other’s, billed as the world’s first luxury pipe tobacco cigar.

Dunbarton says that the tobaccos used in the StillWell Star are among the finest available and that no expenses were spared in their creation. As for the pipe tobacco, it comes from Cornell & Diehl, which is located in Longs, S.C. and has been producing pipe tobacco since 1990.

There are now five distinct releases within the StillWell Star line, the first four of which use a high priming, Ecuadorian habano wrapper and a Mexican San Andrés cultivo tronto negro binder.

The fillers of the cigars are all different, something attributed to the fact that the StillWell Star line uses four different pipe tobaccos in the filler, as described by the company:

• Aromatic No. 1 — The finest of aromatic Black Cavendish, Golden Virginia and Burley pipe tobaccos added to a mild, Nicaraguan puro to provide a delightfully smooth and room pleasing smoking experience. Each cigar is delicately finished with a cabeza dulce. Mild-medium.
• English No. 27 — A quintessential mix of Burley and Turkish leaf with a generous portion of Cypriot Latakia pressed cake paired with Nicaraguan cigar tobaccos. Rich and decadent, this is a Latakia-lover’s puro worthy of being smoked in an English Manor House. Medium-full.
• Bayou No. 32 — A combination of Bright and Red Virginia leaf with the most select St. James Parish Perique pipe tobacco added to a medium-bodied Nicaraguan puro. It rewards the smoker with a classic yet entrancing, any time of the day relaxing experience. Medium-plus.
• Navy No. 1056 — A crumble cake of stoved Red and Golden Virginias with a touch of “Naval Rations” combined with Orientals and Latakia expertly blended with dark aircured black cigar leaf, this puro rewards the smoker with a unique, aromatic indulgence. Medium.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust noted that each blend is unique and distinct, though noted that smokers will likely pick them up in different ways. “An experienced pipe smoker can clearly discern the flavors typically associated with the classic style of each pipe blend, while the cigar smoker can enjoy these nuances in their preferred smoking format,” the company wrote in a press release.

As for the name, Saka told halfwheel that “StillWell” is a “Frankenstein-ing of the phrase, ‘Be Still. Be Well’ as this is how this cigar makes me feel when I smoke it.” The line is made at Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Here’s what I said about the StillWell Star English No. 27 when I reviewed it in December 2021:

Every so often there are cigars that leave me struggling to write up a succinct summary of my experience with them, and the StillWell Star English No. 27 is one of them. As I mentioned above, this is a cigar I wish I had gone into without knowing what it was, to see if there were any suggestions from its profile that there was pipe tobacco in the blend. Knowing the details—at least that it incorporates pipe tobacco—I think I might have been looking for it and thus looking at the cigar in light of how much I found. What I can say is that the StillWell Star English No. 27 is nowhere near a sweetened or infused cigar, and is much more like a traditional cigar that you’d find in Dunbarton’s portfolio. That said, there are accents from the pipe tobacco, particularly in the aroma, which are quite good but seemingly too easy to overlook. Some of those accents also make their way onto the palate, and while they were a bit less consistent from sample to sample, when they do appear they are a good addition to the profile. But even without them, the cigar was very good on its own, so don’t think that the puffs without the pipe tobacco’s contributions aren’t enjoyable. Where I struggle is with whether or not I feel like there should have been more pipe tobacco in the blend so that the profile was more truly distinctive, as I found this much more like a traditional cigar. I’m definitely interested in comparing experiences with the StillWell Star line with my pipe-smoking friends, as well as revisiting it in a few months to see if time will give the pipe tobacco the opportunity to contribute a bit more prominently and consistently. This is a cigar that is certainly worth a try, though my experience suggests tempering the expectation of tons of pipe tobacco flavors, as I found them used as accents more than key components.

• Cigar Reviewed: StillWell Star English No. 27
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Mexico (San Andrés Negro Cultivo Tronto)
• Filler: Nicaragua, Burley, Turkish, Cypriot Latakia Pressed Cake
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 52
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $15.30 (Box of 13, $198.89)
• Release Date: Nov. 5, 2021
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

While resting in my redux humidor, the StillWell Star English No. 27 has been kept in a single cigar bag with a zippered top so as to prevent its aromas from co-mingling with the other cigars and vice-versa. Before I inspect the cigar, I stick my nose in the bag to see what kind of aromas I pick up, and whatever is there is quite light and mellow. I could make the case for a very light smell of cherry pie filling, though, because it is so mellow, I’m hesitant to even go there. The cigar itself looks great, and the first thought that comes to mind after looking at it is that the primary band seems to blend right into the wrapper, almost as if it has sunken into the leaf over time. The main band is so thin and flat that it barely registers as standing out from the wrapper leaf, a contrast to the easy-to-see embossing of the secondary band. There’s a bit of mottling on the wrapper, but it is otherwise evenly colored. The veins are small, flat and not readily apparent, while the seam lines are just barely visible. There’s a bit of oiliness left on the wrapper leaf, not enough to produce a sheen but enough to be felt by my fingers. The cigar is rolled fairly firmly and looks like a textbook example of how to roll a cigar, particularly at the head, with one of the best-constructed heads and caps that I have seen in some time. If asked to guess by the smell of the foot whether or not the StillWell Star English No. 27 had any pipe tobacco or anything beyond just premium cigar tobacco, I don’t think I would think it did. The foot has aromas of damp firewood, tree bark, and just a touch of pepper. The cold draw is just a touch firm in terms of airflow, while flavor is even less suggestive that there’s pipe tobacco in this blend. The wood is lighter and just a bit drier, there’s a bit of buttery oiliness, and pepper is essentially non-existent.

Given that the StillWell Star English No. 27 is going on just about two-years-old as I light it up for this redux, I’m trying to pay attention to any cues that the cigar might offer to indicate just what the cigar is: a premium cigar that uses pipe tobacco. While I’m not necessarily worried about it, I do wonder if time has taken away some of the attributes upon which the cigar was marketed. The first puffs certainly do not, as I pick up some chalky earth and creaminess right out of the gate, while a bit of light pepper emerges via retrohales and then makes itself known on the front half of my tongue. As the ash impressively builds up through the first inch, I get some flavors that might suggest something beyond just cigar tobacco in the blend, but it’s not enough to convince me, and that’s with knowing that there is, in fact, pipe tobacco in the blend. The tree bark comes back and leads me towards some herbal tea flavors for a moment, then a touch of apple or apple cider, and then a warm, sweet aroma that reminds me of the fruit pie aroma I picked up from the bag where the cigar was stored. That fruit pie smell, which reminds me most of cherry and blackberry, becomes more noticeable after the ash gets knocked off, and now I’m beginning to get hints of something more than just premium cigar tobacco. It’s on the faint side, and as the burn line approaches the midway point of the cigar, I get black pepper, dry lumber, and creaminess, each of which is more noticeable than whatever I’m attributing to is coming from the pipe tobaccos. Flavor thus far has been medium to medium-plus, never shy but never overpowering. The body of the smoke is also in that medium-plus range, while strength has been mild. Construction in the first half is excellent and the cigar is burning without issue, producing plenty of smoke while maintaining a fairly even burn line.

The second half of the StillWell Star English No. 27 gets back to a much more familiar profile, one that doesn’t suggest that there is pipe tobacco in the blend or anything along those lines, with much the same list of sensations as what closed out the first half. Retrohales prove to be quite good as this section starts, hitting my nostrils with some tingling white pepper while keeping the wood and creaminess to minor support roles. I keep looking for more signs of the pipe tobacco, but none pop up, and if anything it is beginning to taste like the tobacco, while good, was selected to serve as a canvas upon which the pipe tobacco would shine. Without that pipe tobacco flavor, the remaining profile is a bit lacking, though not bad and perfectly smokeable, certainly better than any number of cigars I’ve been tasked with smoking. The final third of the cigar elicits a bit of a physical reaction towards the back of my throat, as the white pepper spreads further back off the front of my tongue. There’s not much change in the profile as it comes to a conclusion, only that I find myself wanting more water with which to cleanse and rehydrate my palate after each puff. Flavor finishes medium-plus, body is medium, and strength is mild. Construction remains fantastic and problem-free during the nearly two-hour smoking time.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.