Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Year of the Pausers (Tom’s Blend)

While we are in the midst of the fad of cigar companies creating limited edition products to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of America, if there’s been an LE cigar fad of the modern era, it’s making cigars named after the Chinese zodiac calendar and the animal chosen for each year.

Just the other day, I was in a liquor store and was pleasantly surprised to see a Don Julio 1492 Year of the Dragon bottle, which reminded me of a conversation I had a few years ago with an ambassador for The Macallan. I asked the ambassador whether the liquor industry had jumped on the trend and she looked at me quite confused. As it turns out, the cigar industry is unique in its love of the zodiac calendar.

I don’t know whether Davidoff was the first company to create a limited edition cigar in honor of the zodiac calendar, but it’s the one that made the concept an industry-wide thing. Davidoff has been so successful with the concept that each year, there are about a dozen companies producing a cigar with the Year of ____ theme, as well as two companies that are sorts of counters to the concept. One is Scandinavian Tobacco Group’s non-Cuban Punch brand, which tends to celebrate American Chinese food but is released around the same time as the Chinese New Year, and the other comes from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust.

Last year, Dunbarton introduced the Year of the Duque, the first in its version of a zodiac series release. Rather than honoring the symbols of the Chinese Zodiac calendar, such as the Year of the Horse or the Year of the Rabbit, Steve Saka of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust said he would pay tribute to people close to his cigar company. The first honor went to Chris Duque, a seemingly always-smiling Hawaiian who helps the brand at various events and regularly evangelizes Dunbarton on social media. Whether a sign of anti-Continental U.S. bias or coincidental, the sophomore release honors the Pausers, a couple from Alaska.

“Michelle and Tom (Pauser) are a spectacular couple who are very active online, in particular the SI Social Group, and travel to Lower 48 to attend multiple cigar events each year,” said Saka in a press release in January. “They are two of the nicest people in the world, always positive and not only are big supporters of DTT, but many other brands. From hosting cigar dinners in the tundra to sponsoring multiple charities through their passion for cigars, they are truly an inspiration to all and are beloved by all who know them!”

The way Saka approaches the project, he asks the person being honored what their favorite cigars are and then tries to make them a cigar. However, they don’t get to smoke it beforehand. Because there are two people, Michelle and Tom each got their own cigar. Michelle likes Sin Compromiso and Saka blended her cigar to be a modified version of the Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka. Tom told Saka that his favorite cigars were Mi Querida Black and Mi Querida Triqui Traca, though he ended up with a cigar that uses a wrapper that is not found on either.

That wrapper is described as a hybrid between Connecticut broadleaf and habano 2000, which Saka named “Capa Camaleón.” It was paired with a Mexican San Andrés negro binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

The cigars were made at two different factories: Tom’s cigar was made at Nicaragua American Cigars S.A., whereas Joya de Nicaragua—which produces Sin Compromiso—made Michelle’s cigar. Each 14-count box comes with seven of each, Tom’s cigar on the left and Michelle’s on the right.

• Cigar Reviewed: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Year of the Pausers (Tom’s Blend)
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars S.A.
• Wrapper: Nicaragua (Capa Camaleón)
• Binder: Mexico (San Andrés)
• Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 48
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $19.75*
• Release Date: April 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: 18,800 Total Cigars*
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

*There are 2,700 boxes of 14. Each contains seven of the two blends.

My first thought upon seeing the box of Year of the Pausers is that I don’t know how to tell the two cigars apart; fortunately, there is a way. More on that in the Final Notes. As for the appearance, it’s a pretty clean-looking wrapper, with very well-integrated veins and a very cylindrical shape. While there’s plenty of sheen visible, when I touch the wrapper, it has more of a fine-grit sandpaper feel than I would have expected. Upon smelling the first cigar, it’s quite clear that the box we bought has a chemical smell, more on that in the Final Notes. After getting that box replaced, I find no signs of paint or sealant from the cigar. Unfortunately, I don’t find much in the way of scents. The wrappers are barely medium in intensity, with earth, old carpet, and barnyard being the only things I can detect. The feet are medium-full with milk chocolate and a concerning chemical smell. The second cigar has a bit of a cola scent, while the third cigar smells most like paint or sealant. The first Year of the Pausers (Tom’s Blend) has a cold draw that tastes remarkably like a bourbon with all the classic notes—wood, grains, sweetness, burn—along with a bit of cocoa. The second cigar tastes more like a tequila, with some chemical notes and a touch of pink salt. The third cigar has neither any alcohol nor chemical tastes; instead, it’s a core of wood with some black and green olives just underneath and touches of powdered sugar and spicy. All three cold draws are medium-plus.

The first Year of the Pausers (Tom’s Blend) gives me some concerns as the draw is tight and there’s not much smoke. Flavor-wise, all three start with woodiness—sometimes dry, other times more lively with a roasted tone—and an underlying mixture of creaminess, nuttiness, caramel and citrus zest. All three cigars are smooth and medium-plus, though the third cigar is noticeably milder. The cigars settle into a mixture of woodiness edging out creaminess, terroir, and a mild red pepper. Each cigar has a starchiness: burnt oatmeal in the first cigar, rice cakes in the second and a potato chip in the third cigar. The finish just rearranges the flavors without introducing any new sensations, though for the most part, the woodiness remains the strongest flavor. There’s zero ambiguity about the retrohales: nuttiness is a level or two stronger than the other flavors. That list includes dry pretzels, tree bark, green pepper, chocolate syrup and, on the third cigar, some macadamia nuts and vinegar. Each cigar has a unique finish: green pepper leads the first cigar, creaminess and acidity are present for the second, while the third cigar has creaminess and toastiness. Flavor and body are between medium-plus and medium-full, while strength is closer to medium or medium-plus. The draw on the first cigar gets better but is still not great, the other two cigars both need a touch-up, though for the second cigar, it’s combustion-related, while the third cigar is burning unevenly.

While woodiness was the leading flavor of the first third, nuttiness is now the strongest flavor both in the nose and mouth. On the first cigar, it’s paired with cardboard, while the second and third cigars have it joined by a mixture of earthiness and leather. Secondary notes include some creaminess, a distinct peanut, and some black pepper. Around the halfway point, each cigar gets noticeably sharper, with the earthiness becoming gritty. Again, the finish tends to have the same list of flavors, though slightly reordered. For the second Year of the Pausers, I pick up some sunflower seeds, the only new, unique flavor that is consistently present. Nuttiness and creaminess are present on each cigar’s retrohale, though the accents vary. The first cigar is saltier and has some chemical flavors, the second cigar is sweeter with lemon and honey, and the third cigar leans into the gritty earth more than the other two cigars. Like when not retrohaling, the finish is just a remix of the initial flavor. Flavor varies between medium-full and full, body between medium-plus and medium-full, and strength is medium-plus. While still improving, the first cigar’s draw is too tight for my liking. Additionally, each cigar needs at least one correction from my lighter.

The latter stages of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Year of the Pausers (Tom’s Blend) take each cigar through another complete transition. While the first two cigars still have a decent amount of nuttiness, it’s neither the same nutty flavor as before—now a more neutral nuttiness like macadamia—and it’s no longer the leading flavor. Instead, those cigars have a mixture of the nuttiness, leather, saltiness and an occasional meatiness that can remind me of grilled red hots. The third cigar’s list of flavors is quite different, even if the effect is pretty similar: leather, creaminess, rice cakes and red pepper as an accent. During the finish, the first two cigars keep with the same approach of rearranging the flavors, with saltiness becoming a bit stronger than the others. Oddly, the third cigar starts to taste pretty similar to those two cigars, with a familiar neutral nuttiness joining minerals, leather and some added sweetness. Retrohaling creates a leather-led profile with an intense black pepper, rice cakes and some sharpness that transitions into the finish. Every once in a while, I’ll get some different flavors like orange blossom water or chili pepper, but the finishes continue to avoid adding many new flavors. Intensity-wise, flavor is full, body is medium-full, and strength is full for the first cigar, medium-full for the second and just medium-plus for the third cigar. Both the second and third cigars require one more touch-up for smoke production before making it to their ends.

Final Notes

• The box we purchased reeked of a chemical smell on the inside. I’m not familiar enough to know if it was paint or sealer, but it was an aggressive chemical smell that had fully permeated through the cellophane into the cigars themselves. All it took was one sniff of a cigar’s foot, and I decided that I was not comfortable smoking those cigars, let alone reviewing them.
• Fortunately, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust has one of the most comprehensive warranties in the cigar business. So long as you can provide a receipt that shows the cigars were purchased from an authorized retailer, the company will replace your cigars. Unfortunately, this isn’t listed on the company’s website, though if you use the contact form, you should get the help you are looking for.
• While the cigars looked well-rolled, they were littered with hard spots. The draws were consistently slightly tight, fine for me but maybe not what some cigar smokers would like.

• If you aren’t sure which cigar you are smoking, there’s a very easy way to tell. For those not familiar with the symbols for male and female, Tom’s cigar is on the left, and Michelle’s is on the right.
• Dave Lafferty, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s head of sales, is credited with figuring out which cigar should be packaged on the left and right. In Lafferty’s mind, Michelle’s cigar belonged on the right because the wife is always right.
• Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust advertises on halfwheel.
• We purchased a box of cigars but they smelled like paint. They were sent back to Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, which exchanged the box for a new one. Given how the box arrived, I don’t think anyone opened it up to inspect it to see if the replacement also smelled like paint.

• Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust lists the Year of the Pausers (Tom’s Blend) as 6 x 48 parejos. Above are the dimensions I found for the three cigars smoked for this review.
• Final smoking time averaged two and a half hours, with smoking times ranging plus or minus 15 minutes from that mark.
• Site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co., Cigars Daily, Cigars Direct, Corona Cigar Co., JR Cigar and Small Batch Cigar carry the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Year of the Pausers.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Year of Series
Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Year of the Pausers
Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Year of the Pausers (Tom’s Blend)
Nicaragua
Nicaragua American Cigars S.A.
Tom Pauser
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