Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Frog Juice – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Riverside Cigar Shop & Lounge has had quite a few notable shop exclusive cigars, including Tienda Exclusiva by Willy Herrera Lonsdale, RoMa Craft CroMagnon Epoch, RoMa Craft CRAFT 2019 and the Viaje WLP Match. In 2020, the collaborated with Steve Saka and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust to release Frog Juice, a 5 x 52 soft box-pressed “robusto gordo” with a small colita, or short stubby pigtail. Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Frog Juice comes in 10-count bundles and each cigars sells for $12.50. The blend uses an Ecuadorian habano 2000 wrapper, Nicaraguan shade-grown binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

Only 250 bundles of Frog Juice were made for the initial launch in 2020, then, in 2021 the shop released another batch of 300. The cigar is rolled at Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A. (NACSA), the same factory that makes Mi Querida. The name came about because the cigars were originally supposed to be released at a special event during Kentucky Derby weekend and centered around the famous horse race, “frog juice” is a slang term to describe an illegal drug sometimes used to enhance the performance of race horses.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano 2000
Binder: Nicaraguan Shade-Grown
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Factory: Nicaragua America Cigars, S.A. (NACSA)
Blender: Steve Saka
Number of reviewers: 5 – Isaac M. (The Nothing) Kevin J. (maninblack77) Lauren S. (Lauren S.) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Price: $12.50
Age: 5 Months
Release Date: June 2020
Contributed by: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

Initial Impressions – Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Frog Juice

Appearance: 93

“This is a very firm box-pressed cigar, it has a dark wrapper with heavy veining and is finished with a tiny pigtail cap. Overall it’s a very alluring maduro.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

Aroma: 90

“Wrapper gives off pleasant notes of rich hazelnuts and cedar, which mesh well together.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

First Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Clipped the cap and away we go. Tons of leather and baking spices right off the bat. Excellent first third. Medium-bodied in strength with a razor-sharp burn. But the real appeal so far is the flavor profile. Not much black pepper or earthiness but the leather and nutmeg with some slight cinnamon really work well. I’m really digging it.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“I clip the pigtail and cap with a horizontal v-cut and toast the foot. The first few puffs are straight orange zest. After that, the aroma of rich hazelnut reemerges with some red pepper for a delightful combination. The red pepper drops off, only to be paired with orange zest on the retro. Meanwhile, rich hazelnut and milk chocolate dominate the profile.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Second Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“About the halfway point and things flip around again. Red pepper and orange zest lead the foray into the second half.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

“Peanut skin is the predominant note for this whole third. As I smoke on the undefined sour note morphs into a green coffee bean fresh off the tree. In the retro, there is a building note of rice crispy cereal note that is very pleasant. The smoke is still oily and finish is long.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Final Third

Flavor: 86
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The heaviness of this blend remains in the final third. Dark chocolate, dirt, and leather are still the primary flavors with perhaps just a hint of molasses at the end.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

“This third is a call back to the first third. Dry oak on the palate and black pepper in the retro. The final inch of the cigar is the best in my opinion. The palate has turned earthly with a finish of clove while the retro has turned floral. The smoke is still very oily and the finish is long.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Overall Impressions – Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Frog Juice

Draw: 93

“Plucking off the pigtail was effective, giving a good draw as opposed to cutting.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Burn: 87

“I gotta say, this cigar burned like a champ.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

Construction: 89

“This is definitely how you construct a cigar that people will buy and enjoy. The blending and construction were spot on.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 88

“This cigar had a lot of good things going for it. It certainly looked the part, and the burn was good. I even liked the smoke output. However, the flavors were ultimately found to be boring. The taste became monotonous and smoking through the entirety of the cigar became a tedious activity.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

“This cigar speaks for itself. The construction is damn near perfect, the flavors that hit my palate blended together to really make a memorable smoking experience. I love the mix of leather and spices. Lots of creamy smoke. Razor-sharp burn. This was a winner in my opinion. Can’t wait to see what this cigar is because I’m interested in trying it again.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“For me, this cigar was a bit too harsh and bitter. The first inch made me expect that I wasn’t going to be able to finish but it did calm some but was a heavy smoke the entire way. Very dark chocolate flavors mixed with dirt and leather I can see this blend hitting people who love dee bitter flavors wonderfully. Sadly I am not that person so if likely not revisit this stick again.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

“I have to say that I was not a fan of this flavor profile. The cigar seems a little hound and might need some time to round out. That being said if you are a fan of an earthy cigar with notes of dry oak and pepper this will be the cigar for you. I will give it another go once I know what it is but only after I give it time to rest.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“I really enjoyed what this cigar offered. The complexity was there and kept me engaged throughout the entire session. Delicious notes of hazelnut, cedar, and red pepper worked in harmony, along with some orange zest to keep things interesting. Then you add in the parts with milk chocolate at the beginning and coffee towards the end, you’re left with a fulfilling experience that I wouldn’t mind revisiting in the near future. I will be interested in smoking this again, once I find out what it is that I smoked.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 92

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Frog Juice – Blind Cigar Review