The Red Meat Lovers Ribeye is one of the four references of the line of the same name produced by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust.
A one-off 6×52 Toro cigar was released in 2019, created for the “Red Meat Lovers”, an American charity association that organizes events featuring meat. The purpose of the cigar, blended by Steve Saka, was to offer a smoke that could be a worthy conclusion to a BBQ. After the release of that single product, at the beginning of 2023, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust announced that it wanted to include the line of the same name in its standard portfolio with four sizes, including the Ribeye, the original Toro released in 2019.
The blend includes Nicaraguan and US (Pennsylvania) tobaccos for the filler, enclosed in a Mexican San Andres Negro leaf binder and finished with a US Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper.
All the cigars in the line are sold in 10-ct boxes.
The cigars are dressed in a dark, opaque wrapper with light brown reflections. It is wrinkled to the touch, with evident but not too marked veins. The cigar is box-pressed with a pigtail finish. Construction and filling are great.
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Size: 52 x 152 mm (6″)
- Wrapper: USA
- Binder: Mexico
- Filler: Nicaragua, USA
- Price: $ 15 | € –
Red Meat Lovers Ribeye: in the cold draw, a very intense earthy note emerges, along with hints of cocoa, spices, and black pepper, all of equal intensity.
Once lit, the smoke appears sapid on the palate but with a completely unexpected sweet nuance. There is also a slight spicy sensation, which, however, does not last for long. Notes of wood, nuts, and earth emerge, together with nuances of coffee. The strength is medium-full (4/5).
In the central section, the smoke remains sapid while the initial sweetness vanishes. Notes of coffee emerge (which become more intense than the previous third), as well as wood and nuts, among which the Brazilian nut stands out. Strength becomes full (5/5).
In the last third, the flavor and strength (5/5) do not change, but a bitter note grows as we approach the last puffs. The earthy note returns accompanied by wood and cocoa.
Overall, the Red Meat Lovers Ribeye offers a very particular smoke. It surprises with a “charismatic” start that enchants with the combination of sweet notes and light spiciness. From the second third on, the cigar becomes much more robust, with particularly marked notes and a strength that becomes full. Only the bitter note of the last third makes the smoke too much to handle. The choice of this recipe is spot on, mainly if the cigar was created for an after-lunch/dinner based on BBQ meat when the palate has already been tested by strong flavors, fats, and, often, alcohol. With its DNA, it is useless to suggest any pairing. However, it is definitely suggested to smoke it on a full stomach.