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Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust and Steve Saka: A Legacy of Excellence in Cigar Craftsmanship
In the world of premium cigars, few names carry as much weight and reverence as Steve Saka and his brainchild, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. With a commitment to quality, tradition, and innovation, Steve Saka has established himself as one of the most influential figures in the cigar industry. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the fascinating story of Steve Saka and the success of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust.
The Visionary: Steve Saka
Steve Saka is not just a master blender; he’s a visionary who has dedicated his life to the art of cigar making. With over 30 years of experience in the industry, Saka’s journey began at the iconic Drew Estate, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s legacy and introducing some of its most beloved blends.
In 2015, fueled by his passion for tobacco and an unwavering commitment to craftsmanship, Saka founded Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. His approach to cigar making is deeply rooted in tradition, with a focus on using only the finest quality tobaccos and maintaining an uncompromising standard of excellence. Saka’s hands-on involvement in every step of the blending and manufacturing process ensures that each Dunbarton cigar is a true masterpiece.
The Philosophy Behind Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust is renowned for its dedication to producing high-quality, full-flavored cigars that cater to the discerning palate of today’s cigar aficionado. Saka’s blends are celebrated for their complexity, balance, and depth of flavor, reflecting his profound understanding of tobacco and his innovative approach to blending.
One of the distinguishing features of Dunbarton cigars is the meticulous selection and blending of premium Nicaraguan and Ecuadorian tobaccos. Saka sources the finest leaves from the best tobacco-growing regions, carefully crafting each blend to offer a unique and unforgettable smoking experience. Whether you prefer the rich and complex flavors of Sobremesa, the bold intensity of Mi Querida, or the robust profile of Todos Las Dias, there’s a Dunbarton cigar to suit every taste.
A Legacy of Excellence
As Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust continues to captivate the hearts and palates of cigar aficionados around the world, Steve Saka’s legacy as a master blender and visionary in the industry only grows stronger. His unwavering dedication to quality, his uncompromising standards, and his relentless pursuit of perfection have solidified his place as one of the most respected and admired figures in the world of premium cigars.
In conclusion, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust stands as a shining example of what can be achieved when passion, dedication, and craftsmanship converge. With Steve Saka at the helm, Dunbarton continues to set the standard for excellence in the world of premium cigars, leaving an indelible mark on an industry steeped in tradition and legacy. At Smoke Rings Cigar Bar, we offer an array of the finest cigars from the DT& T line. Stop by and enjoy a smoke with us!
The Phillies Red October
The Phillies play the Arizona Diamondbacks starting Monday tonight in Philadelphia. If you
watch the game you’ll likely hear commentators talk about Philadelphia’s home field advantage being
one of the best in baseball. The fantastic game experience at Citizens Bank Ballpark shows through in
every playoff game – fans on their feet the entire game and loud on every pitch. Just go to Tik Tok or
Twitter (now X) and check it out – it’s unbelievable to see.
Philly is a passionate sports town – and when the Phils have a shot at a World Series it creates
huge excitement for fans of all ages – and stirs some echoes for many. The Phills have been around since 1885 and have won two World Series = 2! We enjoy them because they don’t come around all that often although this team looks built to last. Their first championship was in 1980 with Phillies legends Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Pete Rose and the lineup was a roll call of Phillies Wall of Fame inductees – like Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski, Bob Boone, Garry Maddox, and Tug McGraw.
Their next was in 2008 led by Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels – likewise
Philly heroes who experienced a championship parade down Broad Street. And after World Series losses
in 1983, 1993, 2009, and to the Astros last year, Phanatics savor their shot when they get one. If they
get past the Diamondbacks they’ll have a re-match with the Astros or play the Texas Rangers.
Todays starts include Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, JT Realmuto, Nick Castellanos and Zack Wheeler. They also have ‘home-grown’ Phils who were drafted by the team and played minor league baseball in Reading and Allentown. Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm are rising young stars. Pitchers Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez also came through the system.
So tune in to get a feel for the excitement at Citizens Bank – the roar of the crowd, the Rally
Towels, the fireworks and the Bank’s Bell lit up in the outfield. Enjoy the game – the time, the
experience and get in on the excitement. You’ll remember the great players, making great plays or
agonizing mistakes. Many Phillie fans remember watching the games in 1980 or 2008 with their Moms
and Dads and now 2023 with their sons or daughters or friends – new or old. And we know that time is
passing and these moments are special. Let’s go Phillies – Ring the Bell.
Patriots day
Today marks Patriots’ Day – the third Monday in April (not to be confused with Patriot Day which commemorates 9/11). Traditionally, the Red Sox play at home at 11am, and the Boston Marathon is run. It was actually on this date – April 19 – in 1775 – that the “shot heard ‘round the world” was fired – the first shots of the American Revolution. On the night before, British troops – who controlled Boston – set out from Boston Harbor on a mission to seize weapons in the nearby towns of Lexington and Concord. Their orders included arresting Patriot leaders – most notably Sam Adams and John Hancock – who were hiding in the countryside and who would face execution if captured.
The Patriots long anticipated such a move. A spy network called the “Sons of Liberty” watched the harbor from both in Boston and the surrounding hills for signs of British action. In the event that British forces moved – Patriot spies would warn “Minute Men” in the outlying areas – they were to be ready in moments notice to repel the “redcoats” – British troops. The only question was whether the British would be ferried across the Charles River then begin their march or set out on foot down Boston “neck” – a much longer route that would give the Patriots more time.
A signal was set up from the tower of Boston’s North Church where lanterns would be hung by the sexton, Robert Newman depending on troops movements. In the words of Longfellow’s famous poem – “One if by land and two if by sea, and I on the opposite shore shall be – ready to ride and spread the alarm to every Middlesex village and farm.” The “I” on the opposite shore would be Paul Revere who became famous for the “midnight ride” – in the earliest hours of April 19.
You might not know that Revere never completed his ride. He rode with Billy Dawes, and together they reached Lexington to raise the alarm in that town and warn Adams and Hancock. They were met by Dr. Sam Prescott en route to Concord. They were stopped by a British patrol and Revere and Dawes were detained. Prescott escaped and rode on to Concord. As daylight broke, Hancock and Adams were nowhere to be found – but the Minute Men were. By day’s end the British had 73 dead and 174 wounded – there was no turning back on the road to the American Independence.
Here are some other things you may not have known – these related to baseball – and the city of Boston.
The first is about Ted Williams – a Boston Red Sox legend from 1939 to 1960. Over those years Williams hit .344 with 521HR. But Williams didn’t play from 1943-45 – losing those years at age 24,25,26 to serve in WWII. Then at age 33-34 he again left the game, recalled this time to serve in the Korean War. In the years after Korea – he batted .345, .356, .345 and .388 – so the lost five years total were at the peak of his game – which may have added 1000 hits and 150-200 HR to his Hall of Fame stats. He might even have passed Babe Ruth who held the HR record of 714 until Hank Aaron broke that record in 1974 (for the Braves who once played in – Boston- before eventually moving to Atlanta).
What those years held for Williams in baseball we can only imagine. What we do know is that Williams – like Patriots before him – answered the call to give up everything to fight for his country. While he didn’t see combat in WWII, Williams flew 39 combat missions against Korean and Chinese targets in that war. He crash-landed during one mission, his plane in flames and often took enemy fire.
Another thing casual fans may not know concerns Babe Ruth. Before he became one of the best hitters in history and an all-time great Yankee – he was a pitcher – for the Boston Red Sox. And not just a guy who used to pitch! With the Red Sox he was 89-46 with a 2.19 ERA, winning 65 games from 1915-1917. In the 1918 World Series he was 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings – a World Series played partly in Boston, the same year the Spanish flu pandemic upended life in that city – one of the first to see a wave. It swept the globe as World War I came to an end. While Williams may have gained on Ruth, Ruth too lost years as a hitter – while pitching for the Red Sox – life’s full of what-ifs!
That’s a lot to think about this Patriots’ Day! Hopefully, you’ll get a chance to have a cigar, maybe with a Sam Adams or two. Remember the Patriots across the decades who made it all happen – and all that America’s been through since. We appreciate life’s simple enjoyments – like baseball, a beer and a cigar – things that “mark the time….and reminds us of all that once was good and could be good again.”
Maybe the two best hitters ever – Ted Williams lights a cigar for Babe Ruth in July 1943 where they played in a game at Yankee Stadium to benefit war-relief efforts.
Proud To Be A Member
The TAA – What It Means for You
You’re probably a member of something – a civic or social club, or maybe a shopping membership like Amazon Prime, Sam’s Club, or Costco. You pay your membership dues or fees and get access to benefits and value that are exclusive to members only. If you’re a cigar customer at Smoke Rings or Cigar Box you have access to the benefits of membership of the TAA (Tobacconist Association of America) – and there are no fees – just by shopping with us, the benefits are part of the Cigar Box experience. Membership is limited – now at 80 nationwide – only to local brick and mortar shops located in towns and communities across America.
The TAA
The TAA was formed in 1968 by seven retail tobacco shops. Their primary purposes were to establish a forum for members to share information and ideas; to create standards for professionalism, training, and knowledge in the industry; and to function as a buying group that could work with major cigar brands to the benefit of customers. TAA members are established in their communities and comply with all state and local laws – creating a level of trust in the business standards expected of TAA stores. Members must meet the necessary criteria in order to join, with a retailer able to apply only when another member withdraws – keeping the number of members fixed.
The centerpiece event of the TAA is the annual convention. Here members are able to network with other TAA members and buy specially crafted TAA cigars made available only to members by some of the best known brands – including Tatuaje, Ashton, Drew Estate, Padron, La Flor Dominicana, My Father and others.
Membership in the TAA is part of the Cigar Box/Smoke Rings experience. Seeing the TAA emblem in a cigar shop means that this brick and mortar store is not only part of the fabric of the community, but also part of a cigar community with only 80 shops across the country. Its owners live and work locally, they hire people locally, and they’re committed to their customers and employees. The impact of businesses in small towns and cities is huge!
According to research conducted by the Advocates for Independent Businesses trade group:
- For every $10 million in sales, independent retailers create 47 jobs (compared to 19 jobs national chains create for every $10 million in sales)
- Local retailers pay state and local property taxes that national chains often do not as they receive tax breaks and know how to avoid them
- Being headquartered in local communities means that because of the people small businesses employ – and the goods & services they buy – about half of every dollar in sales stays local – not sent to national headquarters out of state for national ad campaigns or corporate earnings to be invested elsewhere
So we’re truly proud to live, work, and contribute to the local economy by offering the best products and service we can. That’s been our brand since 1996 – a brand that’s a natural fit for our partnership with the TAA – and one more way we bring ‘Big World Taste to Your Small Town Shop’!!
Perdomo, Esteli and Nicaragua 101
Perdomo Cigars is a family-owned company created and led by Nick Perdomo. Its headquarters is in Miami with the entire cigar-making process – from seed to boxing – occurring at the Tabacalera Perdomo operation in Esteli, Nicaragua. Here’s a quick dive into some background on Nicaragua, our trip there in 2015 and why that country might ring a bell for those of us around in the 1980s.
NICARAGUA
Nicaragua is in Central America, south of Mexico. After many years of – and despite continued political instability – it is home to many of the leading cigar brands in the world including Perdomo, Drew Estate, Oliva, and My Father. While many in the public still hold the mythological notion of Cuba as the cigar capital of the world, cigar lovers know that Nicaragua has become home to many of the most popular and highly-rated cigars today.
CUBA
While Cuba had a long and proud cigar industry, it was gutted by the Communist take-over of Cuba under Fidel Castro. Many of the leading cigar-makers – among the best of the world – fled the dictatorship taking their knowledge – and seeds – with them. They relocated in many places including the Dominican Republic – and Nicaragua, where the rich volcanic soil and ideal climate awaited the dedication and skill of expert cigar crafters.
ESTELI, NICARAGUA
Esteli lies in northern Nicaragua, close the border with Honduras and 67 (direct) miles north of Managua, the capital. In 2015, our Cigar Box/Smoke Rings group toured the Tabacalera Perdomo facilities. We flew into Managua – about a three-hour flight from Miami. Nicaragua has a population of about 6.2 million, with over 1.3 million living in the capital city and metropolitan area. From Managua, we traveled by school bus on the famous Route 1 – Pan-American Highway – north through the incredible views of countryside valleys and over mountains dotted by lean-tos and small shanty towns. Nicaragua is the poorest country in Latin America behind only Haiti as poorest in the western hemisphere. The poverty in places along the trip was clear as about 75% of Nicaraguans survive on less than $2 per day.
Esteli, the third largest city in the country with about 90,000 people lies along the Esteli River in the highlands at an elevation of over 2600 feet. The consistently sunny, hot days and cool nights during the growing season are perfect for the tobacco fields of the region including the fields of Esteli, Condega and Jalapa valley. Esteli’s population is about 90,000 and is much more ‘modern’ than the countryside with gas stations, supermarkets and fast food stops.
The Esteli region was the center of much of the fighting during the turmoil that gripped the country in its civil war in the 1970s-1980s – fighting that became the focus of attention of the United States under Ronald Reagan during our world-wide Cold War struggle against the Soviet Union and the threat of the spread of Communism.
SANDANISTAS, CONTRAS AND DANIEL ORTEGA
Nicaragua lived under the brutal and corrupt Somoza family dictatorship from 1936 to 1979. The Somoza dynasty was overthrown in a violent struggle by the Sandinista Liberation Front in 1979 – a left-wing guerilla force led by a group including Daniel Ortega. After seizing power, the Sandinistas moved to consolidate it through alliances and aid from the Soviet Union, Cuba and other communist nations around the world. Anti-Sandinista groups coalesced into forces called the “Contras.” The United States provided aid to the Contras through covert operations spearheaded by Reagan’s legendary CIA Director & spymaster William Casey, National Security Advisor Admiral John Poindexter and included Lt. Colonel Oliver North – as a way to slow Soviet influence in the Americas and the spread of left-wing revolutionaries to neighboring countries. The Sandinistas-Contra fighting ended with a peace accord in 1990 with political power to be settled through elections bringing hopes for a lasting peace which would set the stage for economic development and importantly for us – the cigar industry.
ORTEGA
The President of Nicaragua today is Daniel Ortega – the same Daniel Ortega that led the junta that governed Nicaragua under the Sandinistas from 1979-1990. Ortega – trading his fatigues for a suit – ran for President and lost in 1996 and 2001. He then won in 2006 and again forged alliances with enemies of America like Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Iran. Since then, Ortega – who later installed his wife as vice-president – consolidated power by taking control of the courts, police and military and crushing the free press. Protest movements against Ortega’s corrupt and ineffective government erupted in 2018 – and the Ortega was ruthless in crushing the movements to keep himself and his family in power.
THE TRAGEDY OF NICARAGUA AND ANIMAL FARM
The tragedy of Nicaragua is its unfilled potential. With a west coast on the Pacific and an east coast on the Caribbean, it is a potential tourist attraction, not to mention an area with untapped economic potential beyond the tobacco, coffee and banana industries.
You’ve probably heard of or read George Orwell’s satire on communism called Animal Farm – which tragically is the template for many third world countries including Cuba and Nicaragua. In it, the animals on the farm dream of a better future where they won’t be exploited to create wealth that they will never share. Pigs – as the most intelligent of the animals – come to lead the overthrow of humans on the farm, promising a better life where animals are equal. Over time, the pigs become “more equal” and eventually run the farm to benefit themselves, moving into the human’s houses and getting the best food and comforts – making it difficult to tell the difference between life under the pigs and life the way it used to be – other than the constant propaganda slamming the bad old days and praising the ‘new’ way of life.
For the people of Nicaragua today – like life under Somoza – the beauty and character of the country hold the promise of better days for its people – opportunities for farming, investment, tourism and creating a middle class that remain elusive under Ortega. That promise remains stunted by corruption, poverty, repression, and government that exists to benefit itself at the expense of its people.
Whether Ortega’s Nicaragua or Castro’s Cuba – the potential for those people is there – as are the hope that free and open democracies will someday emerge – good for their people, good for the world, good for the cigar industry we enjoy – and that provides much needed employment, stability, and progress.
As we saw with our own eyes, the cigar operations in Esteli help provide employment in that region, a better standard of living than in other regions of the country, and opportunities that don’t exist across society. This industry is a life-line for the people who create hand-made premium cigars to export around the world. As you enjoy your cigars from Nicaragua – remember the many hands that made it and a better life the people of their country might one day live.
Jump back to our previous posts for a tour of Tabacalera Perdomo, the growing significance of Nicaragua in the cigar industry and the consequences that misguided regulations periodically proposed in the United States would have. The slideshow is from our 2015 trip.
This was taken on the bus-ride from Managua to Esteli – visible far in the background is one of Nicaragua’s volcanoes. 
A view from the bus on the Pan-American Highway between Managua & Esteli. 
Another view from the bus, a town en route to Esteli. 
A stop outside Esteli. 
Nick Perdomo observes plowing a field with new plants transferred from the greenhouse. 
Nick & Aristedes Garcia display tobacco. Aristides has over 70 years in the industry – he brought his expertise with him after fleeing Cuba. 
Tobacco near maturity on a Perdomo field in Esteli. 
Painting boxes in the box factory at Tabacalera Perdomo. 
The Perdomo softball team in action. 
Our first night in Nicaragua at the hotel near the airport in Managua.
A Moment to Reflect
Life has changed so much in the last week or ten days, is that all it’s been? It happened so fast, like a nightmare unfolding day after day as businesses close and the lives we used to live interrupted. This isn’t what spring in is supposed to be – it’s supposed to be March Madness, The Masters, baseball beginning to slowly unwind over another summer, vacations, plans for 2020.
Instead it’s closing schools, an economy cut off in mid-stride, jarring orders to stay at home, precautions against a global pandemic unleashed from books or movies – now reality, a battle in our time. In the rush to react, the sense of normal gone – flashes of what’s lost for now break through from time to time – break through the rush of getting through the day, anxious about tomorrow, heartbreak for people across the country facing sickness, and fear and loss.
Many of us have a niche, things we do and share – something that our friends just ‘know’ – a culture, a language, a feeling. It’s odd – many often go through our toughest times alone – others pick us up, console us, lend an ear if not a hand. But all of us at the same time? Not a person among us to say they’ve been through this before.
For those of us gathered here together reading these words, be safe – may we get through this – each of us alone but also together. For now, we might light a cigar, feel the relaxation that comes with the first draw – take a short time out – not an escape but a time to take it all in – remember other times, look an unknown future in the eye. We’re here, we’ll take it as it comes, and we’ll meet again in time. We’ll arrive back where we started and we’ll know each like we never have before. We’ll roll up our sleeves and get it done. We look forward to being here to serve you again in our shops – and while relaxing with a cigar in years to come, appreciate it even more.
