The Particulars

The Review

This review for the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust 10th Jubilee - Corona Gorda (5.63 x 48) is based on the journal entry dated 2026-06-01

Appearance & Construction (0-3):  Good (3)

While it’s slightly understated in a more demure vitola than many anniversary cigars, the 10th Jubilee is a highly attractive cigar. The Maduro Sumatra-seed Ecuadorian wrapper is oily with a strong sheen. There’s a velvety texture to it with mild tooth, and while there are some prominent veins, they’re relatively thin. The seams are tight, and the triple cap is cleanly applied. The black and gold bands are simple but elegant. Again, it’s understated considering this cigar celebrates 10 years of Dunbarton, but supposedly the real effort went into crafting a new and dedicated blend.​

Draw (0-3) & Burn (0-4):  Average (2) / Good (3)

The draw has extra resistance, and little specks of ash are popping out the end of the cigar as I’m puffing while finishing the light-up. I wanted a cigar, not a sparkler. 😂 But we’ll see if the heat loosens the draw or if I’ll need to grab the draw tool. The ash immediately behaves once I’m no longer torching it. The ash is bright white with dark spots peeking through; this might actually be one of the whitest ashes I’ve seen so far. And I have one of the whitest asses out there, so I know a white ash. I’m happy to let you judge for yourself in person. 😁

The burn line is rippling like a wave pool, but it’s fairly even and well-controlled overall. It burns a little faster on one side than another at times, then perfectly self-corrects to nearly dead-even at others. The draw is slightly better with the burn, but it still has extra resistance—just not enough to justify getting up to grab my draw tool and violating the cigar. The ash holds strong until the end of the first third.

Flavor Profile (0-5):  Excellent (5)

Immediate pumpernickel and brown bread notes lead the way with bits of baking spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and creaminess, backed by a buttery, honey, and dark fruit sweetness. That’s a highly interesting combo to get so early. There’s a nice earthiness, bits of coffee and leather, and some light oakiness as well. But that dark bread and creamy sweetness are easily the two most dominant flavors. Fuck, you know I love my buttery brown bread cigars, and this is starting off exactly that way.

But at about an inch in, things start to turn. It’s still dark, bready, and sweet, but the breadiness becomes more sugary and the sweetness more raisin-like. Brooks Whittington over at Halfwheel described it as a Fig Newton, and Imma cosign that. But I also noted that the Todos Las Dias has a Fig Newton note to it. Now for the existential question: Does Steve Saka just really love Fig Newtons, or is this just serendipity? 🤔 I dunno, but us fat guys love Fig Newtons, so I’m thinking Saka is totally a Fig Newton guy.

At the midway point, I start getting some anise-like black licorice, and a bit more earth and coffee. Vegetal notes… I hate that word. It’s a cop-out, but you get an earthiness that has a distinct chewiness and starchiness to it. It’s a little savory like mushrooms, but also like boiled potatoes. Think of your savory, dense veggies that you sauté, boil, make creamy, and keep well-seasoned, and you get the idea. And if it’s not obvious yet, the complexity here is off the charts. Because now I’m getting sourdough bread, more cinnamon, white pepper, more coffee, bits of leather, and a slight grittiness to the earth note.

In the final third, I’m back to the brown bread and honey-like sweetness that defined the very beginning of the cigar. I’m still getting a good shot of coffee and anise providing a natural bitter note, but it’s incredibly enjoyable. Cinnamon is still a leading spice note alongside a mild white pepper. And that raisiny, Fig Newton fruitiness is still right there with a delectable creaminess on the finish. This is a really wonderful blend to celebrate 10 years of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. I hope to be around for the next 10 and have better perspective on the 20th!

Overall Experience (0-5):  Excellent (5)

As I like to say for blends that really resonate with me: this cigar is a fucking delight and it tickled my tits in the fanciest of ways, and you know I like feeling fancy. Nuanced, complex, loaded with transitions, and all deftly woven together. My only concern is that, because I’ve only smoked as many Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust blends as I can count on one hand, I’m saddened that Saka said this is a different blend than his usual profile—only because this is fan-fucking-tastic and I want more of it. But my understanding is that this is a regular production cigar and not a one-time release, so that in itself is great news. Now I’m just excited to see what Steve Saka will cook up for Dunbarton’s quinceañera in 5 years. It gives him plenty of time to find the right blend and a beautiful dress! 😁

Overall Score and Individual Journal Entries

While the review is based off one instance of journaling this cigar; there’s a number of reasons you can have different experiences smoking the same cigar multiple times. A blend can evolve with age (for better or worse), palates evolves, preferences change, and sometimes you just get a bad example!  This section captures the ratings from each journal entry and the related journal photo.  Below you’ll find an aggregate score based on every time the cigar has been journaled. Unless it was a gift or on-off smoke, this section will be updated every time I journal this cigar!

The Flavor Wheel

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.

With every cigar I journal, I capture simple ratings of the basic flavor categories that I experience.  These are more generalized than what you would see in a review, but a distinct profile can still be built out.  When multiple instances of the same cigar have been journaled, the scores are averaged out in an attempt to build a reliable flavor profile based on my palate.

The values entered for the strength of each flavor range from 0 to 3.

• 0:   No flavor detected
• 1:   Mild flavor
• 2:   Medium flavor
• 3:   Strong flavor

Note: desktop / large screens will see a flavor wheel while mobile / small screens will see a bar chart.