To celebrate a true milestone anniversary, back in 2019 Famous Smoke Shop turned to a true master blender to create a special cigar to commemorate their 80 years in business. The cigars Steve Saka produced were such a success that more were commissioned and this year two new sizes of the blend have been released (6.5 x 48, 6.0 x 60). As a big fan of both Famous Smoke Shop and Saka’s Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, I’ve been looking forward to smoking this cigar for quite some time…
THE CIGAR – FAMOUS 80th ANNIVERSARY by DUNBARTON TOBACCO & TRUST
Size: 6.5 x 48
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano 2000 Sungrown
Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa C98
Filler: 4 Nica fillers: Esteli, Ometepe, Jalapa, and Condega
Price: $13.75 (while these samples were submitted to the TNCC for review, you can jump over to Famous Smoke Shop right now and get $20 off your purchase by using promo code TNCC20)
The box-pressed Famous 80th Anniversary features a medium brown wrapper leaf that emits aromas of graham cracker and must. I don’t detect anything of significance from the cold draw and there is just a slight amount of give when the cigar is gently squeezed between two fingers. After removing the foot band, a single flame torch lighter is used to toast the cigar and away we go!
A black pepper spice immediately stings the nostrils upon ignition and it’s fucking potent! Dark oak and dark chocolate notes flood the palate via the draw. After a few puffs, the spice declines ever so slightly allowing for a combination of graphite and Nica mineral to creep in on the backside of the retrohale’s pepper. The Famous 80th Anniversary pours chewy, light grey smoke from the foot and the resulting aroma is heavenly.
The cigar’s overall construction is excellent with a smooth, effortless draw and a straight burn line. Around thirty minutes in to the smoking experience, the draw’s oak flavor has diminished somewhat allowing the dark chocolate to shine through more clearly. That chocolate note is soon joined by a light toffee nut flavor. The retro’s spice has settled down considerably and the pepper is now playing very nicely with that graphite/mineral presence.
While I somehow discipline myself to drink only water while reviewing cigars, my instincts tell me that the Famous 80th Anniversary would pair wonderfully with a pint of Guinness or, if you want to get truly bonkers, a toffee nut latte. I don’t recall ever detecting toffee nut flavors in a cigar’s profile before today, so why not go all in? Just before the fifty yard line, the spice begins to escalate again. This cigar’s keeping me on my toes for sure – in the best of ways possible…
Everything is working in harmony at the beginning of the Famous 80th Anniversary’s second half. While the peppery spice refuses to be denied, the overall smoking experience is very smooth so far. There’s a delicate balance at play between the zing of the retrohale and the sweeter, smoother flavors of dark chocolate and toffee nut coming through via the draw. To clarify, this is not a sweet cigar in a manufactured, artificial sense in any way shape or form. But you can bet your sweet ass I’m enjoying the hell outta this stick.
Once the flawless burn line reaches the decorative band (I really dig the forest green and gold color combination), the first chink in the Famous 80th Aniversary’s armor surfaces as the cigar begins to burn a bit hot on my lips. I slow down how fast I’m smoking this thing which, understandably, is hard to do (duh, read those flavors listed above again). The pepper begins to fade once again and that allows the toffee nut to shine even brighter. While I’m loving the current and final profile, at just over the seventy minute mark I’m forced to put the cigar down for good… dammit.
THE NUB
FINAL TNCC SCORE = 93
The Famous 80th Anniversay cigar from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust is an undeniable winner and a fitting tribute to one of the industries most legendary retailers. Featuring flavor complexity, several masterful transitions, and stellar construction across the boards, you’d be doing yourself a great disservice by not picking up a box of these beauties as soon as humanly possible. And grab yourself a toffee nut latte while you’re at it, I have a strong suspicion that you’ll thank me afterwards.
