Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust is a cigar company started by Steve Saka during his lifelong work in the cigar industry. DTT prides itself on their motto, Cigars without compromise. Saka and DTT have blended some amazing cigars, from the Umbagog to the Sin Compramiso. This review focuses on the Red Meat Lovers, which was originally a limited cigar for a club of the same name for special events. Now, it is a steady line in the DTT catalog.
The Red Meat Lovers Ribeye has a simple presentation, but one that stands out in the humidor. The band is a vibrant red, with white lettering and accents. The band also features a crossed chef's knife and cleaver at the bottom. The wrapper is dark brown, and veiny. It has an oily sheen to it, and a little toothy. The cap also has a pig tail, which can be twisted of in lieu of using a cutter.
The Ribeye is constructed with Nicaraguan and USA Fillers, Mexican San Andreas Negro Binder, and Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Each cigar smoked had a smooth draw, and allowed plenty of smoke to hit the palate. The burn, however, was inconsistent. Most presented an even burn throughout the smoke, but on some the burn was uneven, requiring touch ups here and there. The ash is gray, and goes well into the second third before falling. Keep in mind, the foot does flake after being ashed, so watch those black shirts.
The flavor profile on the Ribeye is steady and consistent, with a few outlying notes that keep the palate on edge. The cold draw produces notes of earth and fruit. The first light gives a preview of the base notes with earth, dark chocolate, and white pepper.
The first third may feature strong notes of dark chocolate, earth, and espresso. Milder notes of caramel, toffee, nougat, and white pepper may also be tasted. The retrohale on the first third may feature notes of dark chocolate, black pepper, and toast.
The second third may feature notes of earth, toffee, and molasses, with a lingering dark chocolate aroma. These are accompanied by subtle notes of caramel, espresso, and oak. The second third also has notes of brown sugar and toast that come and go.
The final third starts with a subtle graphite flavor, that goes as quickly as it comes. Stronger notes of earth, toffee, and dark chocolate may be tasted. Milder undertones of oak, toast, toffee and caramel linger on the palate.
The Ribeye ends with strong notes of earth, brown sugar, and dark chocolate, with a lingering aroma of espresso.
The Ribeye is priced very well for what you get. A single stick goes for around $15.45, and a box of 10 can be purchased for around $154.50. While this may be a steep price point, it's worth the flavor profile.
While this cigar is delicious, it is more suitable for intermediate and veteran cigar smokers. It's full body and complex flavor profile may not be for the newer smokers. All in all, it's a wonderful smoking experience, and should be a cigar that is added to your humidor. It's a perfect after dinner smoke (preferably steak).
GC Rating: 92
Thanks to the Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop for sponsoring this review of the Dunbarton Red Meat Lovers. If you'd like to try the Red Meat Lovers, or anything else from the Dunbarton catalog, click the picture and use the coupon code for 10% off your order and free shipping.
Related Posts
