Sobremesa Torpedo Tiempo Cigar Review

The success of Steve Saka’s newest brand Sobremesa will be labeled hit or miss in the coming days as he begins to send out the second shipment of his freshman release under his company Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. Will those who bought the initial release return to make a second purchase or are they one and done customers.

According to Steve Saka, the cigars have two different blends with the thinner ring gauges being tweaked versus the larger sizes. From the initial release we reviewed the Corona Gorda while today we look at a cigar that was not part of the first shipment.

Cigar Review: Sobremesa
Size: 6 x 54 (Torpedo Tiempo)
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Binder: Matacapan (Mexico)
Filler: Nicaragua (GK Condega C-SG, Pueblos Nuevo Criollo, La Joya Esteli C-98, ASP Esteli Hybrid Ligero) and Pennsylvania (Broadleaf Ligero from Lancaster County).
Strength: Medium

The Look: The Sobremesa features a chestnut-brown wrapper with a few thin veins and even coloring throughout. The band of gold and brown channels memories of Imperial margarine and the top of an old steam vent. A secondary band utilizes the same colors of gold and brown and denotes the brand name. The foot of the cigar is well packed with some darker tobaccos in the center while the stick feels light in the hand for its size.

The Notes: The initial cold draw of the Sobremesa Torpedo Tiempo has a butterscotch like sweetness before cedar overloads the palate leaving only a subtle sweetness in the background. The aroma of the foot has continued cedar notes and a very subtle pepper component.

Once the cigar is lit there are some notes of dry cocoa powder that reminded me of hot chocolate mix right from the packet. There is also some subtle earth and cedar notes that slowly increase in intensity before  becoming the dominant flavor profile as the first third comes to a close.

In the second third of the cigar from Steve Saka a coffee note begins to develop, but it is not your typical espresso. This time is it complete with cream and sugar. The cocoa note begins to disappear and the coffee begins to pick  up with a slightly floral finish and a little bit of spice. Through the nose the cigar remains woody with well-defined cedar.

As the cigar  concludes in the final third the cocoa notes return for an encore as the coffee notes fade away. The retrohale still serves up cedar with a touch of spice that was pretty nonexistent for the majority of this medium bodied cigar.

The Burn: For me it feels like every Sobremesa I have smoked burns even, but at an angle as seen below in the picture. The burn line is razor-sharp, just angled slightly. The thin combustion line reveals an almost white colored ash. The draw of the cigar was exceptional and the Topedo Tiempo remained lit from first light to last puff.

The Finish: The more I smoke Sobremesa, the more I find myself coming back to it. I said it before in my prior review of the Corona Gorda but those looking for Liga Privada, won’t find it here. What you will find is a cigar that is extremely well-balanced with a myriad of flavors and a nice complexity. I’ve easily smoked a box of the brand to date, and can comfortably say this cigar is box worthy.

Score: 91
Price: $13.19 / $276.99

Random Notes

• On the initial shipment I found myself smoking a lot of the Cervantes Fino; but I never really ventured our beyond the two small sizes.
• The initial shipment which was fairly large in size sold out in less than 72 hours @ Two Guys Smoke Shop.
• With Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust in New Hampshire its a nice touch that Steve Saka or his son have made the initial deliveries in person.
• In between the first and second shipment of cigars to retailers, I received samples from Steve Saka along with a letter telling me about the brand as did many other bloggers.
• The difference to me between the thinner ring gauges and thicker ring gauges is strength and spice with the small rings having more of both.
• I paired the cigar with Cuban Coffee
• Smoking Time was 1 hour 55 minutes