The Red Meat Lovers Fritanga is part of the Red Meat Lovers line from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, founded by Steve Saka. The line was originally created in collaboration with Smoke Inn and the Red Meat Lovers Club, a charitable organization focused on meat-centric events, and was first released in 2019.
The Fritanga, named after a style of Nicaraguan street food in which meat is grilled over an open flame, is described by Saka as a spicier, bolder iteration of the core Red Meat Lovers blend, presented in a box-pressed Toro format.
The cigar is dressed in an opaque Maduro wrapper that is smooth to the touch, with only minimal veins present. Construction is good, and the filling is uniform.
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Size: 52 x 152 mm (6″)
- Wrapper: USA
- Binder: Mexico
- Filler: Nicaragua, USA
- Price: $16.95 | €-
Red Meat Lovers Fritanga: the cold draw reveals aromas of earth and leather. Once lit, the Fritanga opens with earth, nuts, and black pepper.
A couple of puffs into the first third, the earth and leather combination are the main flavors, with wood and black pepper in a supporting role, the latter more pronounced on the retrohale. The strength is on a medium level (3/5).
Nutty aromas are added in the second third, with light hints of cocoa in the background. The strength remains unchanged.
The dominant flavors of earth and leather pick up in intensity in the last third, with the remaining flavors rounding out the profile. The pepperiness is now only present on the retrohale. A balsamic herbal note appears towards the end while the strength grows to a medium-full level (4/5).
Overall, the Red Meat Lovers Fritanga is a flavorful and balanced smoke that is more nuanced than expected. The controlled strength level helps the flavor profile shine and highlights its complexity even more.