Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Mexico (San Andrés Negro)
• Binder: Ecuador (Habano)
• Filler: Nicaragua & U.S.A. (Pennsylvania)
• Length: 7 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Vitola: Churchill
• MSRP: $29.75 (Box of 13, $386.75)
• Release Date: January 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Original Score: 91

The second of three cigars from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust to place in this year’s Top 25 awards, the Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka is the eighth vitola in the company’s Sin Compromiso line that debuted in 2018. The name Sin Compromiso translates to without compromise from Spanish, so it is no surprise that the blend is made with tobaccos specifically grown for the cigar.

Released in January 2022, the Paladin de Saka is the first size in the line to feature the addition of Pennsylvania ligero in the filler—which according to company founder Steve Saka makes the blend “a touch more robust” compared to the other releases under the Sin Compromiso umbrella—and is also the first vitola in the line to have a normal box-press instead of a soft b0x-press.

That Pennsylvania ligero in the filler gives the profile of the Paladin de Saka a bold but balanced combination of mesquite and charred meat that is missing in the other sizes. Throw in a distinct berry sweetness and black pepper on the retrohale and you are left with one of the best releases in a line that is already full of great cigars. — Brooks Whittington.