Revisiting Sobremesa, my 2015 Cigar of the Year

• Vitola: Cervantes Fino
• 6.25” x 46 ring gauge
• $11.99
• Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

So, the idea was to revisit a couple of my favorite sticks from last year…in fact, the two sticks I rated most highly for 2015. The Tatuaje TAA 2015 was so good, I bought a box and have been enjoying them ever since…although I had to be honest in my assessment that it already doesn’t taste as good overall as it did late last year. Great cigar that missed being my “Cigar of the Year” only because of the late entry of the cigar I am looking at again today…and time has borne out that I made the right choice.

Sobremesa was the first offering from Steve Saka’s solo venture, Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust. After years spent in different parts of the industry, Saka decided to make “puros sin compromiso”…”I did it myyyyyyyyy wayyyyy!!!” Being a cigar geek, Saka not only told what components he used for each part of the cigar, but actually gave people a shopping list that almost dared other companies to try to replicate it: for the filler use USA Lancaster County Broadleaf Ligero, Nicaragua Gk Condega C-SG Seco, Nicaraguan Pueblo Nuevo Criollo Viso, Nicaraguan La Joya Esteli C-98 Viso, and Nicaraguan ASP Esteli Hybrid Ligero. Use a Mexican Matacapan Negro de Temporal binder and complete with a La Meca Ecuador Habano #1 Rosado wrapper leaf.

I typically just tell people in the shop “7 different types of tobacco from 4 different countries…it’s very complex!” My shop carries all but the Gran Imperiales format and I have smoked each and every size at least twice. I do really enjoy them all…not a single vitola is wasted, not even the Torpedo Tiempo. Yet, I keep coming back to the Cervantes Fino, which I named #COTY for 2015…it’s just fantastic.

It’s been 9 months since I had the first one of these…and Saka’s latest release is set to arrive at Burns any day now. Will Mi Querida prove to be a worthy successor to the Sobremesa crown? I’ve sampled one of the larger format sizes and even there it is very tasty…but it’s not time to focus on the future, but on this first blend.

Notes

The artwork and designs used for Sobremesa still stand up very well, in my opinion. I’ve heard a little criticism about the bands and how they make it hard to tell what the cigar is, but I think they are very classy and well-thought-out. The box design and artwork has not bored me yet, either…some designs are classic and I honestly think this one is one of those.

The cigar in-hand had an oily feel to it and smelled of earth and cedar, with just a touch of leather. The foot of the stogie had a richer earthiness, along with touches of cocoa powder and espresso bean.

Initial light-up of the Sobremesa featured the expected earth and semi-sweet chocolate notes, but also plenty of cedar, baking spice and even some cumin notes. There was red pepper flake and roasted nuts on the nose. As I keep promising people…it’s very complex, even in the first few puffs.

Occasional notes of cinnamon punctuate the blend through the second third. I just love how this cigar never bores me. There’s always something going on…and how could there not be with the variety of leaf used in it? Honestly, it’s just amazing that they all play together so nicely.

The last third was more earth along with cocoa powder, pepper, roasted nuts, and cinnamon. It’s really been this way on batch after batch of Sobremesa. I’m sure the rollers are probably using the same batches of tobacco for the rolling, but the consistency of the building process is remarkable. I have yet to be disappointed with this cigar, especially in this vitola.

So is it still worthy of “Cigar of the Year” status? Absolutely! I tell people this was my favorite cigar of 2015 and nothing that’s appeared in the first half of 2016 has supplanted it. But Mi Querida is coming…