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Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sobremesa Brûlée

Drew Estate Blackened Shade to Black S84

Initial Smoke

Sharp starts such as these are not what people expect when they see such a mild-mannered smoke. But whatever trick cards those Nicaraguan long-filler leaves and that Mexican binder have up their sleeves certainly are on the table in the first hand, and so I reach for my homemade mocha for a bit of refreshment. 

Mellowing with every puff, and growing a little grassy and tangy, the first ten minutes of my sample cigar do not mirror the other sticks I have sampled, which were far more of a milky and honey with a touch of cinnamon start. While quite different than the others, and still spicy upon retrohaling, the flavors in my review stick are playful and cedar strong, with lemon drop candy taste hovering inside somewhere.

1st Half

Creamy calm eventually does arrive in the form of vanilla and raw almonds, with cedar and toasted bread adding flavor and a bit of body. The nose no longer burns when smoke strikes it, so retrohales really ramp up the cleaner sides of the cigar's smoke, allowing the blend to return to the profile of the boxed flock from which it had been plucked. 

Darker nutty notes and a short pour of milk coffee are the only heavy things about this blend in the first half, and the flavor of Nilla Wafers and cereal grains growing, both body and flavor seem to agree that medium is the best balance. Silky smooth retrohales cannot hide the fact that AJF's iconic tobacco spiciness is still on the clock, though, it just seems to be lounging by the loading dock right now, waiting for another chance to show off.

2nd Half

Medium in all categories, including strength, the center of this golden toro takes a while to shift away from everything above and build a separate cigar flavor profile. Smells are still sensational, though, as the light, doughiness, and citrus tang from earlier manage to remain a touchpoint. Which, as it builds, creates an outstanding array of flavors for the final third to focus upon, while still preserving some core tastes from the first half.

Take cedar, for instance, which stands taller than ever now, but is also far drier than earlier. This leaves room for almonds to drench the tongue in creamy nuttiness, and as they recede, a touch of tangerine zest can be tasted. Overall, the body and flavor profile of the cigar blend is a good bit darker tasting and feeling than before, and an additional shot of sweetness makes it feel all the more omnipresent. There's also a sharp taste/smell of burnt paper on the odd puff, and nicotine can be felt bubbling inside the brain. 

Parting Puffs

Rounder, richer, faintly bitter, and built around bread and toasted almond halves, parting puffs is a pretty good experience for the most part that doesn't apologize for being bold. If there was something here that would turn people off, it would likely be the grassy bitterness, which is just a touch sharper than I would have liked to find. At least this blend doesn't go full-blown burnt tasting on you or load you up with resinous funk parading as tobacco tar.  

Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw

Should I even bother with filling in this section when assessing an AJF cigar? I am serious when I say that you'd be hard-pressed to find a cigar manufacturer that cranks out this grade of consistency when it comes to quality control and combustion. Johnny Tobacconaut is no different, and beyond an ash drop in the final third, there wasn't a single misstep along the way.

Final Thoughts

 Despite having an underfilled foot and showing some flavor consistency issues that returned some spicy sharpness at both the start and finish, there was little I found disagreeable about this blend from Room101 Cigars. Yes, it is a smoke that is far more medium than mild. Not just in body and flavor, but in strength as well. So don't strap on this jetpack thinking that it's only meant for surface exploration.

Instead, I suggest you allow this cigar to take you for the ride it was destined to provide. A creamy, clean, flavor-filled, grab your drink and reach for the stars sort of smoke session that does not disappoint. It's a cigar that has been proven to please a vast array of cigar smokers, and it only continues to grow in popularity for this very reason. 

So, if you've never hung out with Johnny Tobacconaut and are looking for a flavorful, fun time with a cool cat, now might be the time to give this stogie a whirl. So put on that space helmet, snap open that visor, and pop this premium cigar blend into your earthling oral cavity for a bit of quality downtime, and let us know what you think once you reach full orbit.

Overall Balance & Repeatability