DT&T U-Boat review by Don José
Hey team, Don José here back with another review.
Today we have the
U-Boat
by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
If this is your first time here, my reviews rate each cigar on 10 factors and each factor gets a rating out of 10 giving me an overall out of 100. The 10 factors are: Construction, Draw, Burn, Flavour, 1/3 overall, 2/3 overall, 3/3 overall, Journey (how well it flows), Complexity & Value for money.
Ok... so this has to be my most anticipated review ever! It's no secret that I am a HUGE fan of Steve Saka's blends, and over the years I have been pretty lucky when it comes to getting my hands on his limited releases - especially given that we are all the way down here in little ol' New Zealand!
I've smoked 2 Unicorns to date (different releases) plenty of the Red Meat Lovers and the original Unstolen Valor, as well as all of the standard releases many many times over, but until recently - thanks to some crazy generous 'gifting conga-line' - I had never managed to get a U-Boat.
Today, I finally sit down to smoke that infamous U-Boat... and damn is it sexy!
let’s take a look at how this stick is put together.
Firstly, here's what Saka has said about this stick.
"Raul [Disla] made the U blend that we use for Unstolen Valor. The U Boat is my tweaking of that blend. It is my taking his work and saying I think it will be better if we did this with it instead of that with it. That’s essentially what U Boat is, but at the heart of it is still Raul’s work with me just nibbling on the edges."
"I feel that the Unstolen Valor is a very pepper centric cigar. It starts off as a soft pepper, and then it builds in spice as you smoke it. While I feel it is an enjoyable cigar, I don’t feel it is one of the more complex cigars. I feel that by softening some of the notes it lets some of the other flavours come out. That’s what the U Boat is. It is taming it back a little."
Details:
Brand: DT&T
Size: 7x50
Wrapper: Habano 2000 sun grown
Binder: Jalapa, Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua & Connecticut broadleaf
It's interesting to note the mention of Connecticut Broadleaf in the filler section. Obv. Broadleaf is well known as the go-to for Maduro wrappers, rather than filler. I do know that this is the same as in the Unstolen Valor however, so that's not a change made by Saka for this cigar.
The U-Boat is part of the Muestra de Saka line, however there is the 'standard line' of Muestra de Saka and the much more limited release line as well. This is from the very limited line.
"Muestra is the humble, common word for “sample” in Nicaragua that takes on much more important, sometimes reverential meaning when used in a handmade cigar factory. A muestra is the vision of the ligador and torcedor realised, it is the promise of a new experience and possibly the key to financial success for the fabrica. Muestras are horded and coveted by not only their makers, but by the cigar smokers who seek to catch a glimpse into the cigarmaker’s soul within their smoke.
Muestra de Saka is just that. A line of unique blends and vitolas made in extremely limited quantities that reflect the blending machinations of myself. They include many different expressions and are often crafted of leaf I am less familiar with or not even a particular fan of to create something of worth beyond my own previous experiences. To smoke a Muestra de Saka is to embark upon a journey with me in which I greatly welcome your companionship."
- www.dunbartoncigars.com
Ok, so now let's talk a little about the wrapper. Habano cigar wrapper is a leaf grown from a Cuban seed, hence the word “Habano” or “Havano,” referring to Cuba's capitol.
Habano tobacco wrapper is darker in colour, has a much spicier flavour, a richer aroma, and has been grown in Nicaragua's Jalapa Valley and Estelí since the 1990's.
More important than the pronunciation are the reasons we like Habano cigar wrappers. Mainly we like the Habano wrapper’s flavour. It’s spicy, rich and the colour is generally dark. Chocolate is commonly tasted in Habano wrappers. And the Habano cigar wrapper is going on many of your favourite cigars.
Ok, so let's get into the review.
Construction
Perfection. Nice oily wrapper, dark in colour and not a blemish on it. Great shape, no soft spots - an outstanding cigar.
Burn & Draw As its construction would suggest, this stick had great draw with a near perfect burn,
Flavour & Complexity Creamy deliciousness! Hints of coffee, cocao, leather, some sweet biscuit and natural tobacco. I note the slightly surprising lack of spice being that its a Saka blend but I don't for a second feel like it is missing anything. Comparing to my old notes from the original Unstolen Valor I find this much more complex and a lot more mellow, which as Steve says, is exactly the point.
Strength Lighter than expected, but a lot of that is coming from the creaminess, there is a punch of nicotine like you would expect from a DT&T stick, but not to the extent of their regular lines, for me it sits nicely between the Brulee and the Sin Compromiso in terms of boldness.
Enjoyment / Journey Wow. Nothing short of 10 points for this, It started off so good I wasn't 100% sure it could keep my interest if you will, but each third offers something different and the final 3rd was some of the best smoking i have ever experienced.
Overall All week I have been worried about hyping this cigar up too much in my head before I smoked it.. Sometime you are excited about something to the point of it not being able to live up to your own expectations... That is not the case with this cigar. I also really liked how it sits in the realm of an 'any time of day' cigar - which is not what I would usually say about something from Saka - showing once again that he is an absolute master of his trade.
I rate this cigar 96 points.
A look at the numbers.
Construction -- 10/10
Burn -- 9/10
Draw -- 10/10
Flavour -- 10/10
Complexity -- 10/10
First 1/3 -- 9/10
Second 1/3 -- 9/10
Third 1/3 -- 10/10
Journey -- 10/10
Value -- 9/10
