The new year has just arrived and Steve Saka, owner of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust has not slowed down. He has just announced the release of his latest project The Year of the Pausers.
So what is this Year Of The Pausers? Well, Steve decided to do something unique in the industry.
Steve explains:
“With the plethora of cigars that are now released annually to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Some have been great, some have been “meh”, but it is a trend that is very likely to continue. So how does DTT get in on this gravy train??? But do it differently, something that is more in keeping with who we are as a company. No offense to others, but since we have very little sales in Asia, us making a” Year of the Whatever” just didn’t feel right to me, it felt disingenuous.
So… I present to you a totally out-of-left field idea, instead of doing the same as others I decided that every year, I would create a special cigar to celebrate someone special to us here at DTT and/or our industry. And not just in name, but that I would blend a unique liga that is a homage to their own palate.“
The debut of this concept started with the “Year of the Duque” which was a stellar success and a very tough act to follow, but Steve is one to accept challenges and decided to keep this new tradition with this year’s release.
For those that do not know the Pausers, Michele and Tom are a spectacular couple who are very active online, in particular the Smoke Inn Social Group, and travel to Lower 48 to attend multiple cigar events each year. They are two of the nicest people in the world, always positive and not only are big supporters of DTT, but many other brands. From hosting cigar dinners in the tundra to sponsoring multiple charities through their passion for cigars, they are truly an inspiration to all and are beloved by all who know them!
Michele is as serious a cigar smoker as Tom, maybe even more crazy, so doing one special liga for them was not going to cut it. Therefore Steve created 2 totally different blends, one for him, the other for her. These are -not- blends the Pausers had any involvement in creating. They will actually smoke them just before the company ships to all of their Purveyors, so they may not even like them.
More on the Process
What Steve asks the Year of Honoree. What are some of their favorite DTT cigars and what are their favorite vitola sizes to smoke and from that the company creates an all-new liga based on this info.
This year they both asked for the classic Saka format, the 6×48 parejo, but blend wise they had different asks. Both smoke many DTT cigars, but they needed to provide Steve some guidance. Michele said she really loves the Sin Compromiso, whereas Tom said some of his favorite DTT cigars are DTTs heavier, bolder blends like our MQ Black and Triqui Traca.
For the liga honoring Michele, it is a variation of Steve’s beloved Sin Compromiso Paladin de Saka (PDS), but now in a smaller format and with modified filler blend that maintains the higher octane of the PDS, but adds a beautiful sweet, creamier note to its combination of cocoa and coffee notes. Overall, medium plus – this is sublime cigar, many folks are going to love this one.
For the liga honoring Tom, Steve went into uncharted territory. It is the very first ever cigar blend featuring a totally NEW wrapper variety Steve dubbed “Capa Camaleón“. Grown in Esteli, it is a first generation hybridized seed that crosses the classic H2000 Sungrown Cuban Seed with US Connecticut Broadleaf.
Why “chameleon”? Because when the farmer initially showed it to Steve, at first blush looking at the leaf structure he thought it was Habana seed, but then I noticed some distinct markers in the vein and leaf shape structure that made him think it was some sort of Broadleaf. And then he smoked some samples and was blown away – it truly tastes different than anything he have ever had before. Almost a burnt caramel and saltiness to it that has a distinct twang on the palate.
Steve added:
“Now I will admit this liga is a bit of a risk given its unique properties. But torpedos be damned, I just went for it. And while this is a fuller bodied liga, that cross of the broadleaf tempers the bite I would normally expect from an Esteli sungrown Cuban seed capa. I think this liga is going to age out beautifully over time.
So folks, you are getting two great blends in a single box. Kinda’ like the Pausers themselves, both great people, but an even better couple!“
Of course the cigars needed special rings and a box, so each of the rings is marked uniquely, so you can tell which liga is which. Steve originally was positioning Michele’s cigars on the left side of the box, as in “ladies first”, but David Lafferty told him to put Michele’s cigar on the right.
Why? In Dave’s words: “Any happy couple knows that the wife is Always Right!”
The Rest of the Info
DTT 2026 “Year of the Pausers”
“Friends to Many”
The Michele has a blend, inspired by the Sin Compromiso “Paladin de Saka”, is described as:
- Wrapper: Mexicano Cultivo Tonto SAN – Grade 1
- Binder: Ecuador Habano Viso Rosado
- Tripa: Nicaraguan, Pennsylvania Seedleaf
The Michelle is handcrafted at Joya de Nicaragua – Esteli, Nicaragua and described as medium-plus with notes of Cocoa, espresso, loam, sweet – very creamy
The Tom has a blend, inspired by the company’s heavier blends like Triqui Traca and MQ Black, is described as:
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan Capa Camaleón
- Binder: Mexicano San Andres Negro
- Tripa: Nicaraguan, Dominican
The Tom is handcrafted at NACSA – Esteli, Nicaragua and described as full with notes of Burnt Caramel, salty, dark chocolate, tangy – will age out beautifully.
Both cigars are packaged in a single 14-count box with 7 Michelles and 7 Toms. The box retails for $276.50 or $19.75 per cigar. Both cigars have been expressed in a 6 x 48 Parejo w/ Finished Moña DTT Style Pig Tail. Production is limited to just 2,700 boxes and will be hitting shelves in late March 2026.