Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Polpetta – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Back in 2019, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust came out with their first event only cigar called “Polpetta.” Earlier this year (2023), the Polpetta was turned into a regular production cigar, and the company's event-only cigar was replace with the PataPerro.

Polpetta is a Rothschild vitola that measures 4 x 48 in parejo shape. The blend was created using long leaf table trimmings from three of their other regular production blends, Mi Querida, Mi Querida Triqui Traca and Umbagog. Polpetta translates to “meatball” in Italian. Like those other mentioned cigars, Polpetta is rolled at the Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA) factory in Nicaragua. The regular production version has an MSRP of $7.30 each, with 25-count boxes priced at $182.50. It should be noted that the version reviewed here was the event-only version that came in packs of 5.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Rothschild
Length: 4″
Ring Gauge: 48
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: U.S.A Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Mexican San Andrés
Filler: Nicaragua
Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA)
Blender: Steve Saka
Number of reviewers: 5 – Kevin J. (maninblack77) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Chad M. (Chad Tchad) Lauren S. (Lauren S.) Bill C.(Bill)
Price: $7.30
Age: 1 Year
Release Date: February 2020
Contributed by: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

Initial Impressions – Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Polpetta

Appearance: 95

” A very short cigar but has a good look to it. A dark colored wrapper with some mineral sparkle to the wrapper when caught in the right light.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

Aroma: 89

“Strong barnyard aroma. Really pungent and noticeable.” –Bill C. (Bill)

First Third

Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Starts off with rich earthy coffee notes. There is a nice aftertaste of mole sauce that brings a nice spice to the smoke. Retrohale has a great black peppercorn spice that is right on point for this smoke.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

“This cigar wasted no time! The flavor is sharp and direct from the first puff. The driving note, on the palate, is sun-dried raisins. There are light undertones of wood that bring balance to the sweetness. The retro-hale is a little hot with neutral notes. Nothing really stands out. The third passed in a flash leaving a medium mouthfeel and a medium length finish.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Second Third

Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Sourness thankfully goes away pretty quickly, but it stuck around long enough that it lasted most of the first third of this little smoke. The rest of the flavor profile stays the same with dark chocolate and coffee the predominant flavors.” –Bill C. (Bill)

“The strength has begun to move towards medium, and the flavor has become more prominent but overall unchanged. There is tons of mineral taste mixed with a heavy musk and nice black pepper spice. The most noticeable change in this third is it's become a bit drying to the mouth, and there is just a touch of chalkiness.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

Final Third

Flavor: 94
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“Wrapping things up in the final third, there were still lots of roasted coffee, dark bittersweet chocolate, and a slight earthiness and oak. An enjoyable ending to this smaller cigar.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“Strength amps up a little. A little leather joins the dark chocolate and coffee profile. Really nice flavor package to end this one.” –Bill C. (Bill)

Overall Impressions – Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Polpetta

Draw: 98

“The draw could get no better. Just a touch of resistance.” –Bill C. (Bill)

Burn: 91

“Even and straight for the entire smoking experience. The burn line was thin and the tobacco's burned evenly throughout.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Construction: 96

“For a short size, this is a very good construction. Good feel to the cigar filled correctly. The ash stayed on about 1.5 cm at a time.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 93

“The earthy notes were overwhelming at times but the dark chocolate and roasted coffee flavors made up for this and thankfully the earthiness came and went as it pleased. Not a ton of flavors or transitions but for a smaller cigar, it delivered. I'm curious to see what it is. I'd smoke it again. Worthy of a fiver but not quite box worthy.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“I'm not sure I can truly describe how good this cigar is. This little cigar has to be experienced to be understood. It packs so much into a compact package. I only wish I had more time with it. Cigar making at its finest.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“A very good smoking experience for a short smoke. Rich earthy coffee flavor. With nice notes of spice like mole sauce and black pepper hit the tongue. Retrohale was very good with a perfect black peppercorn spice.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

“The start of the cigar was a bit light on flavor for me without retro-haling. There was a consistent taste of a deep mineral earth flavor, along with a heavy musk. A black pepper note started off light but became the star by the final third. There were a few odd acidic and chalky notes that quickly came and went, but didn't detract from the cigar overall that much. By the final third, the additional bit of baking spice moved in with the pepper and hit my palate well, making me wish the cigar was much longer. I'd like to try this blend in a larger size to see how the flavor transitions would compare to the Robusto.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

“One of the best I've smoked for BMP. Great flavor, construction, and draw. Minus that off-sour flavor in the first third, I have nothing negative to say, outside of that everything else is effusive praise. Will definitely be buying some of these.” –Bill C. (Bill)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 61

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Polpetta – Blind Cigar Review