Steve Saka, owner of Dunbarton cigars, was a part of many smash successes as President and CEO of Drew Estate – like Liga Privada and ACID – but the successes came at a cost: he was forced to focus more and more on business issues and less and less on cigars. The thing he loved that had drawn him into the tobacco fields in the first place was getting further away every day.
He decided to make a change, and walked away in 2013, retreating to his home in Dunbarton, New Hampshire to contemplate his next move.
Two years later, he was back. They always come back! The heart might as well be a humidor when it comes to guys that are passionate about cigars, and Saka had loved them for ages. He was a smoker in the 80s (back before it was cool again), and became a cigar writer for many years. Eventually, he took on a consulting gig for JR Cigars and then joined Drew Estate where the company started hitting things out of the parl. Ultimately, however, he wanted to do his own thing again, so here we are.
Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust Co. (“trust” is a nod to the company’s bank headquarters) promises "Puros Sin Compromiso," which means “cigars without compromise” in Spanish. Obviously, the company is focused on high quality blends, especially using Nicaraguan tobacco.
He launched Dunbarton with the “Sobremesa” cigar, an Ecuadorian Habano Rosado-wrapped smoke featuring a Mexican Matacapan binder and a long-filler blend of Nicaragua tobaccos and Pennsylvania Broadleaf ligero. The flavors are earthy, spicy, and sweet in all the best ways, and Saka’s company is off to a great start.
Sobremesa is a Spanish term for relaxing after dinner, chatting, and possibly having a smoke. To Saka, it’s "one of life's simplest, yet greatest, pleasures."
Dunbarton’s newest smokes are ready. Care to join us?
