Today we review the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust 10th Jubilee. This is a cigar that was created to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, the venture founded by Steve Saka. Leave it to Saka to decide to call his cigar “Jubilee” instead of Anniversary. However, regarding this cigar, Saka has made it very clear that his approach to this project goes against convention. During our 2025 Virtual Trade Show Expo, Saka discussed the Jubilee project. He explained that the typical expectation for an anniversary cigar is to create a blend that represents something well-known in a celebratory size, such as a perfecto, along with ornate packaging. For the 10th Jubilee, however, Saka chose to do the opposite.
This blend is quite different from what we’ve seen from Saka before. The cigar features an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, which is not commonly used in Saka’s projects. The only other cigar I know of that incorporates this wrapper is the DTT Fiddlehead, a regional exclusive for Cigar Association of New Hampshire retailers.
The other interesting tidbit also ties back to the name. This cigar is branded with the company name, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. The only other cigar that did this was Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s exclusive he did for Famous Smoke Shop, but the 10th Jubilee is a widespread national release.
Without further ado, let’s break down the 10th Jubilee and see what this cigar brings to the table:
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
As mentioned, this is not a typical Saka blend. In addition to the Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, the 10th Jubilee features a Mexican Claro binder over all Nicaraguan fillers. The Nicaraguan fillers come from four estates and had not been used before. Production comes from the NACSA factory in Estelí, Nicaragua.
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
- Binder: Mexican Claro
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars, S.A. (NACSA).
Vitolas Available
The 10th Jubilee comes in one size – a 5 5/8 x 46 Corona Larga. The cigars are packaged in 13-count boxes. This is an ongoing production by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust.
Appearance (*)
The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper of the 10th Jubilee had a cocoa powder color. This wasn’t an overly dark Sumatra wrapper, but I would put it as a shade or two darker than I would expect from a Sumatra. The surface of the wrapper had a slight amount of toothiness. There also was a slight amount of mottling on the wrapper. The surface of the wrapper also had thin visible veins. Any visible wrapper seams were minimal. The cap of the cigar was finished with a tiny pigtail.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
Instead of pulling the pigtail off the cap of the 10th Jubilee, I opted for a straight cut to remove both the cap and the tail simultaneously. Once the cap was removed, it was time to commence with the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of coffee and wood. Sometimes these notes can be overly bitter, but I did not find that to be the case here. This resulted in a satisfactory pre-light draw for me. At this point, it was time to toast up the 10th Jubilee and see what the smoking experience would have in store.
Tasting Notes
The 10th Jubilee opened with notes of coffee, cocoa, and wood. Early on, these notes were joined by exotic spices and fruit notes. As the cigar moved through the first third, the coffee and wood notes became primary. The exotic spices and fruit were secondary. As for the cocoa note, it was also a background note that came in and out of the forefront. Meanwhile, there was an additional layer of black pepper on the retro-hale.
Later in the first third, some of the black pepper notes emerged on the tongue, joining the exotic spice and fruit in the background. As the 10th Jubilee experience progressed, the second third saw the cocoa notes move into the forefront with the coffee. Sometimes cocoa and coffee meld together to form a mocha-like note, but in this case the notes were separate and distinct. The wood receded to the back with the fruit, exotic spice, and pepper. There was an increase in the exotic spice and pepper components in the background.
The final third saw the cocoa and wood remain in the forefront. The exotic spice and pepper notes closed in, but never quite crossed the threshold into being primary notes. Meanwhile, there were still fruit and wood notes rounding out the flavor profile. That’s how the 10th Jubilee came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool to the touch.
Burn
Overall, the 10th Jubilee required multiple touchups to maintain a straight burn path and straight burn line. While the touchups did the trick, more touchups were needed than I prefer. The resulting ash was a mix of light and dark grays. There was some minor flaking and flowering, but it really wasn’t problematic. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.
Draw
The draw to the 10th Jubilee had a touch of resistance. If you read my assessments, you will know this is exactly the sweet spot for me when it comes to a draw. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
The 10th Jubilee started with medium strength and medium-bodied flavors. Both the strength and the body build up in intensity as the cigar experience progresses. By the midway point, the flavors moved into medium to full-bodied territory, and by the time it reached the 2/3 mark, the strength was medium to full. Throughout the smoking experience, the body maintained a slight edge over the strength.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
First up, I really like the bands. The DTT insignia makes for a great band, and I’d like to see more of the cigars use it. I also liked pairing that band with the 10th Jubilee secondary band. The box is quite simple, but I get it – Saka wasn’t going for packaging here. It does the job well and makes a nice presentation for this cigar.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
When I first heard the 10th Jubilee was using Sumatra, I have to admit I was concerned. Sumatra is a very polarizing wrapper, and it seems to miss more than it hits. Give props to Steve Saka here – he has come up with a very good Sumatra blend. This was Sumatra done right. At the same time, I’m not ready to anoint this as the cigar of the year or even the best Dunbarton cigar. What I will tell you is that this is a good cigar. It’s one that I could pretty much recommend to any cigar enthusiast. As for myself, it’s a cigar that I could easily buy and smoke again. Coming in at 90 points, this cigar reaches the threshold for Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Cocoa, Coffee, Fruit, Wood, Exotic Spice, Pepper
- Burn: Very Good
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium
- Strength: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Final Third
- Body: Medium (1st Half), Medium to Full (2nd Half)
- Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: Buy One
Score: 90
Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence
REFERENCES
Photo Credit: Cigar Coop
