In 2018 the members of The Cigar Authority began talking about who had the best meatball between David Garofalo, Mr. Jonathan Barbeau, Ed Sullivan and yours truly Barry Stein. But then something happened where Steve Saka joined the debate and an event was held in January of 2019 where we each would make 50 meatballs and guest of an event at Two Guys Smoke Shop would get to vote for the winner. Steve Saka wound up winning the event in a landslide, but it was not without controversy as the contest was set to be an Italian Meatball. Steve decided to up the anti and create an offering consisting of “Waygu Beef, Berkshire Pork, some crazy Japanese Veal, the rarest of cheeses” spending over $400 on ingredients. He may have won that night, but I still believe Dave & I had the best Italian meatball.
As a result Saka got to defend his title last week, where he would be challenged by Two Guys Smoke Shop customer, Mike G along with Roy Kirby from Perdomo Cigars, Jonathan Carney from La Flor Dominicana and Mr. Jonathan. The results came down to one vote with Saka defending his crown and Mr. Jonathan coming in last place for the second year in a row.
The event also was the launch for a Saka event only cigar aptly named, Polpetta which is the Italian word for meatball. These cigars which are not for sale will be made available at events featuring Steve Saka around the country.
Cigar Review: Polpetta
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua (6 different tobaccos)
Length: 4″
Size: 48
The Look: The band features gold embossed text denoting the name Polpetta and on the back of the band there is a meatball on a fork which is a nice touch. As far as the cigar goes the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is toothy and coarse under the fingers while the cigar is firm with no soft spots and a nice weight considering the size.
The Notes: The cold draw is slightly creamy with a touch of wood notes while the aroma off the foot sees a very faint cayenne pepper. Once the cigar is toasted and lit the first third sees a well defined almond that give way to cayenne pepper, earth and peppercorns.
As the cigar reaches the halfway point almond notes return for a spell, while the cigar reminds me a lot of Mi Querida in terms of taste, but Umbagog in terms of how raw the blend feels. Knowing the blend consists of tobaccos from both of those lines might sway my thought process. The retrohale is spicy and the finish is long.
As the cigar concludes there are notes of leather and earth with continued pepper on the finish and in spades on the retrohale.
The Finish: It is of my opinion that this might be the best event only cigar I have ever smoked. It features quintessential elements of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust capturing essence of the company. If you see Saka at an event, I suggest making the qualifying purchase to get your hands on these.
Score: 92
Price: Not for Sale.
Polpetta by Steve Saka
Polpetta by Steve Saka (back of band)
Polpetta by Steve Saka Foot
Polpetta by Steve Saka Burn
