Staff Review: Sin Compromiso Seleccion Intrepido
Introduction:
Today we will be taking a look at Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s Sin Compromiso Seleccion Intrepido. Steve Saka and Dunbarton have released some of the best and most highly acclaimed Nicaraguan blends that market has seen over the past several years.
Feel free to skim the quick hits for an overview or jump into any section below to find the full details of Sin Compromiso. Here we go!
The Quick Hits:
- Sin Compromiso made its debut in 2018 with five regular production sizes
- Sin Compromiso translates to “without compromise”
- Main tasting notes of espresso, dark chocolate, and black pepper
- Recommended for: fans of RoMa Craft Neanderthal, Undercrown 10, La Aroma De Cuba Mi Amor
The Story:
Steve Saka has a long resume in the cigar industry where he has spent time working in all aspects of the business, spanning everything from retail operations, to production, and blending. After more than a decade learning the ins and outs of the business, Saka took the next step to fulfill a lifelong dream of his when he established Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust.
After a long stint with Drew Estate where he served time as the company’s president and CEO, word of Saka’s return to cigars in 2015 with DTT, understandably generated a lot of buzz in the community. Fast forward to 2016, when a sneak peak of Sin Compromiso’s box was on display via the company’s social media.
Fast forward again to 2018 – Steve Saka announced, that after a three and a half year wait, Sin Compromiso would finally get its release at the 2018 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show. This launch marked the beginning of an expectedly long and prosperous life for Sin Compromiso, and its universal acclaim was evident almost immediately. Sin Compromiso may be the greatest highlight of Dunbarton and is the perfect example of how uber high-quality tobacco should be utilized and blended.
The Build:
The way that Sin Compromiso’s wrapper is grown is a pretty interesting one – the bottom leaves of the plant are regularly removed as it grows, which allows for more nutrients to make their way into the top leaves of plant. This produces a bolder, and more nutrient rich leaf, and happens to be a method that is used by Japanese fruit farmers. Below the dark Mexican San Andres Negro wrapper sits a spicy Ecuador habano binder, and a flavorful blend of Nicaraguan filler tobaccos.
The Look:
I’ve always loved the aesthetic of Dunbarton’s blends – although most of them are relatively simple, I think they do a fantastic job of creating designs that are both recognizable, and tasteful. With that said, Sin Compromiso may be the most identifiable of all the Dunbarton blends, and for me, has made the most lasting impression.
Starting with the die cut band, the main visual of Sin Compromiso is Celtic-style Cross in a very dark green (almost mistakable as black) color, that is highlighted, and contrasted perfectly with the white borders of the cross. The band is simple and eye-catching, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s one of the most recognizable cigar bands on the market.
Sin Compromiso also features a long cedar sleeve (a touch that I love, personally), with “Sin Compromiso”, and the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust logo stamped on it in the same deep green color that is present on the band.
Sin Compromiso’s box follows this same approach – the green color of the box, which doesn’t seem nearly as dark as it does on the band, allows the silver foil, “Sin Compromiso” on the top of the box to stand out nicely. The only other thing present on the box is the size name on the bottom left of the lid, and the number of cigars, and cigar size on the bottom right of the lid.
All things considered, I love the design of Sin Compromiso, and as I have already mentioned, it’s a look that has really made a strong impression on me since its debut.
The Experience:
The first third of Sin Compromiso started out exactly how I expected it to – an inherent natural sweetness was noticeable from the first puff and was quickly followed by a mouthwatering black pepper spiciness with complementary notes of dark chocolate and creamy espresso on the finish. Based on my experience with most of Dunbarton’s other releases and considering the physical makeup of the Sin Compromiso blend, I was expecting something much more full-bodied than what I actually experienced. Through the first third, Sin Compromiso sat right at the medium-strength mark for me, although that changed slightly as I continued smoking.
As I moved into the second third of Sin Compromiso the black pepper and chocolatey sweetness that was apparent in the first third was rounded out with a good deal of cedar and earthy tones. Faint background notes of leather and cinnamon were barely noticeable, but still present, nonetheless. Once I hit the halfway point of the cigar, the strength level of Sin Compromiso transitioned from medium, to medium to full – the slight increase in strength helped the overall profile stand up to the exceptionally rich flavor profile.
Getting into the final third was the culmination of the greatness that Sin Compromiso is – sweet and spicy, rich, and bold, balanced, and nuanced, the list goes on and on. Medium to full-bodied and almost unbelievable flavorful, Sin Compromiso is built from some of the highest quality tobaccos available in Nicaragua, and it’s fairly easy to notice this once you smoke it.
I am a huge fan of everything from Dunbarton, but I am happy to say that Sin Compromiso may have overtaken Sobremesa Brulee (one of my all-time favorites) as my favorite Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust blend.
The Value:
Now I’m not going to BS you here and say that Sin Compromiso Seleccion Intrepido is the most affordable cigar on the market, and I’m sure Saka wouldn’t disagree with that. But what I will say is that if you are looking for a truly unique cigar that utilizes the highest-quality tobaccos, then look no further than Sin Compromiso. I would choose Sin Compromiso over any of those $20 box pressed Nicaraguan puros ten times out of ten.
Final Thoughts:
There you have it, an in-depth, “expert” look at the timeless, Sin Compromiso, from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. Sin Compromiso is a cigar you can rely on time after time, and as far as I’m concerned, should be mentioned in the same vein as all those $30 cigars that people are constantly raving about. If aliens came to earth and said, “give us the highest quality, most flavorful, and most reliable cigar you have, or we will blow up the planet,” I would probably give them Sin Compromiso.
Be sure to pick up a box or 5 pack of your favorite Sin Compromiso size and check back in to let me know if you would also give aliens Sin Compromiso to stop them from destroying the planet.
