Since this past fall Steve Saka's Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust cigars have been on my mind regularly.  I have smoked almost everything he has made so far but the Sin Compromiso line has been the hardest to find.  Thankfully I was gifted one...and after squealing like a little kid, I decided to review it.  I mean, how could I not?  The hype behind this cigar has been close to legendary.  Steve Saka has said that this cigar is the finest tobacco he has and that is is an absurdly expensive - I am paraphrasing here - but you get the gist.  Is it worth the hype?  The price?  Let's find out....

Construction: The Sin Compromiso is a real beauty.  The band alone is a work of art....but the cigar is leathery chocolate brown with no seams or veins.  Simple perfection.

Pre-light Aroma and Draw: Once the cedar sleeve is removed I get a nice mild earth aroma and a twinge of mulch....which is a new scent for this part of my reviews.  The aromas are faint and very subtle too.  A cold pull gives me a touch of sweet tobacco and some dried fruit notes.  The draw is nice and open with a touch of resistance. 

Light and Burn: This baby blazed up with only two matches and the burn is perfect from start to finish.  The ash is nice and flaky yet still clingy.

Tasting: Hot chocolate with marshmallows, a seared steak with mushrooms.  Those flavors hit me within the first four puffs and then the core develops into a sweet cream, earth, and pepper menagerie.  And this is only about a half an inch of cigar gone.  Notes of chocolate - a nice sweet dense chocolate - pop up too.  The burn line is spot-on perfect and the smoke is very aromatic.  As the first third closes I get a woodsy almost balsam note and unmistakably chicory.  A remarkable start.

A dense series of cream, musk, chicory, and something pleasantly musty start off round two.  I have honestly never smoked a cigar that is so easy to retrohale.  It begs for it.  A coconut cream and chocolate note leads me back to that rich earth, sweet cream, and pepper core.  Wow, does that chicory do wonders with this cigar!  It's very easy to pick out.  The smoke output is fog-machine quality and again highly aromatic.

The final third pick up where the others left off and starts with a salty cocoa and coffee note that is just delicious.  Here's another first in terms of flavor - I swear I just got a note of blue cheese - what the heck?  Okay now we are back to chocolate, cream, some coffee, earth, chicory, brown sugar, and pepper.  Good grief, this is one heck of a cigar, folks.  Steve Saka has really done a number on this thing - easily a masterpiece.  The close of this cigar is coffee, chocolate, earth, pepper, and a sweet creaminess that is just astounding.  The chicory note creeps in at the end to give off a root beer float flavor - no kidding!  The finish with each puff is juicy and clean.

A final note - I smoked this cigar until I couldn't hold it anymore.  It was perfection until I was forced to put it down.

Value: The downside is the $17.45 price tag.  It's Davidoff and Padron expensive yet just as good as anything Davidoff has out and better than the Padron lineup - in my opinion.

Final Thoughts: This cigar will go down in my books as one of the finest I have ever smoked.  It's a hypnotic experience and well worth the hype.  Every single cigar that Steve Saka has produced through Dunbarton has been masterfully blended and of exceptional quality.  The Sin Compromiso is easily his finest regular production creation so far.  I would smoke these regularly if I were to say, hit the lottery or something.  They ain't cheap but don't let that steer you away from one of the industry's best cigars to-date.  Extremely highly recommended!

Wrapper: Mexican San Andres Negro
Binder: Ecuadorian Habano
Filler: Nicaragua

Strength:  A nice medium.

Size: 6 x 54

Dark green and white makes up the band - an unusual combo that really works

Love the braided tobacco leaf and brand mark combo.  Very well designed.

Yep - I smoked it until it was less than an inch long and it didn't turn on me - astounding.