Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback

By Tony Casas | November 11, 2024

The weather has been nice here, at least for me. Cold mornings and mild days make for perfect smoking weather. Today I venture out back with the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback.

The Good Stuff:

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust doesn’t release a ton of cigars each year. Instead, founder Steve Saka, spends his time meticulously blending, then reblending, then reblending each release until they pass his inspection. This year, one of those releases is a blend update to the Umbagog, the Umbagog Bronzeback. Named after Umbagog Lake State Park, a favorite fishing spot of Saka’s, the Bronzeback features a Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan fillers just like the original release, and even carries a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper like the original. However, instead of the Medium/#1 Dark broadleaf, The Bronzeback utilizes a 2LS. Saka states that the 2LS comes from between the 1/3 and 1/2 of the tobacco stalk which is right beneath the mediums. He went on to note that this particular section of leaves produces a less-sweet, more peppery experience for the cigar smoker. The cigar is offered in a single 5 x 48 Rothschild format which comes packaged in soft packs of 10 running $9.75 per cigar. Huge thanks to Steve Saka and his team for sending these out way for review.

• Size: 5 x 48
• Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
• Binder: Nicaraguan
• Filler: Nicaraguan
• Body: Medium
• Strength: Medium
• Price: $9.75

Prelight:

The Umbagog Bronzeback starts off with a very rich, dark brown wrapper which is covered in darker splotches scattered throughout. The wrapper’s texture is very gritty and toothy with only a small amount of oil coating it. There are some larger veins running through the cigar’s body, but nothing too concerning. There are no soft spots to be found and the cigar feels packed perfectly with a little give in it. The cigar is rounded off with a double-wrapped cap and a green and bronze version of the Umbagog band.

the wrapper gives off notes of cedar and natural tobacco while the foot of the cigar is more earthy with a bit of spice and sweetness. The cap cut clean and easily on the Umbagog Bronzeback. The cold draw produces notes of oak, tobacco, and some natural sweetness.

First Third:

The Umbagog Bronzeback starts off with a small black pepper blast that quickly turns into a more herbal spice mixed with lots of woodsy/cedar notes over musk, bitter chocolate, pecan and earthiness. I am a bit surprised that the sweetness that I picked up on the cold draw isn’t coming through as the flavor profile is relatively dry at this point. The draw is great as each little puff kicks out huge clouds of thick white smoke which dissipates almost immediately while the cigar releases only a small amount of smoke while it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is incredibly even and razor sharp. This is a “burnline enthusiasts” dream. The ash left behind is incredibly tightly compacted and white in color. It held on for a little under an inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

Into the second third of the Umbagog Bronzeback and the flavor profile still remains an awesome mixture of very dry flavors. The woodsy/musk flavors lead the charge backed by pecan, dark chocolate, and a nice earthiness. The flavors haven’t really changed up any, and I’m totally fine with that. The retrohale really brings out the pepper that I don’t get much in the standard experience at this point. I close out the second third with no signs of nicotine and the cigar has been burning like a dream.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Umbagog Bronzeback and the flavor profile still hasn’t really changed up much. And again, that’s totally ok. The wood and musky flavors along with the pecan dominate the profile backed by dark chocolate and earthiness. It’s not the more complex profile, and it doesn’t need to be. This is one of those great examples of a cigar that just delivers without having to hit you in the face with complexity. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke it down to the nub. There was no harshness, no extended heat, and it burned perfectly from start to finish. I close out with nothing really in terms of nicotine.

Overview:

I really enjoyed the original Umbagog, and it was a cigar that I found myself going back to quite often. It’s funny how something so simple as using tobacco leaves a few inches apart can transform a blend. While most of the flavors I enjoyed from the original release are still there, the Bronzeback offers a more drying offering with more focus on the subtleness of the flavors. Which did I like more? That’s personal preference. While both are killer I found that the sweetness from the OG suits my palate just a bit better, however the Bronzeback will absolutely find a home in my humidor on those days where I am craving something with less sweetness.