Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the oval pressed Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG is medium brown, with some darker marbling, and some thick but well pressed veins. The seams are smooth and the head is finished with a tightly wound pigtail. The band is black and gold and carries the line name, the featured tobacco and an image of a black angus cow. The sides denote that it is a limited edition and for what retailer while the company logo is on the back. The aroma from the wrapper is rich earth and light wood while the foot brings cedar, earth and stone fruit sweetness. The pre-light draw brings cedar, sandalwood and a light amount of dusty earth along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG is finished with a lovely soft press and great finished cap. Not sure how to identify the cap. Cinnamon roll? The cigar is finished with medium sized veins and is leather in texture. It is firm in hand and has a coloring of Colorado Maduro. Coffee bean coloring. Aromas of rich earth, cocoa powder, warm spices, leather and tobacco. Wrapper has strong tobacco and spice notes.
John: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG came in cellophane and had a UPC sticker with the cigar information and a tear tab so it remained intact when opened. For artisanal complications, the cigar has a curly head cap, along with a soft box press shape. I weighed the cigar at 16.6 grams and measured the humidity to 56.3% with the HumidiMeter Pro.
Jiunn: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG has a smooth Colorado red wrapper shade. Veins are incredibly well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the mini man bun head is well wrapped and capped.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted earth, toasted oak and bold black pepper. At a quarter inch in, the black pepper eases up a bit. At a half inch in, a light barbecue smokiness joins the profile. The retrohale is toasted earth and toasted oak with some mid-level black pepper and light smokiness. At an inch in, the pepper has now mellowed quite a bit. At an inch and a half in, the black pepper picks back up a bit while the toasted earth mellows a bit. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak is a bit ahead of the toasted earth, with black pepper just behind the middle of the profile and some smokiness is in the background. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third begins with rich earth notes. Strong manure and barnyard flavors. Heavy spices as well. Lots of pepper on the finish with some sweet spices up front. Damp tobacco is present as well. Heavy smoke. Full body with a strength level around medium-full.
John: My initial flavor impressions are sweet tobacco, spices and earth at light-plus in the center, and sweet tobacco and spices combining for the finish. Some creamy tobacco lingers on the palate through the post draw. As the cigar continues, mild wood moves into the center of the retrohale. The earth is picking up on the finish to medium strength and brings with it some dark roast coffee. Pepper joins the post draw not long after. Mild cardboard breaks into the center of the profile. By the 30 minute mark, coffee and red pepper flake have joined the retrohale at medium strength. At the halfway point, wood has joined the finish.
Jiunn: The first third is surprisingly thin in flavors. Some subtleties in cedar, dried red pepper spice and leather is all there really is. Retrohaling has more pepper and cedar influence. The finish shows a deeper, more raw cedar. Strength is medium and body is a tad above medium, providing a nice fullness.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the earth picks back up to become even with the toasted oak up front, while the black pepper becomes very mellow again. The retrohale is now toasted earth and toasted oak with light black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and toasted earth are even up front, with black pepper in the back half of the profile and some light smokiness. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The second third continues to show those rich earth notes. Damp wood and tobacco are present as well. I am still getting lots of pepper with the cigar, and it is paired with sweet spices. Some mineral notes are present, but they pair well with the spices and rich earth. Full body with that medium-full strength level. Balanced cigar.
John: Creamy coffee, tobacco and spices lead off the second third, with wood on the finish. Medium strength earth joins the finish after a few puffs and has accents of a mild cardboard note. The coffee fades as the second third moves towards the halfway point, and is largely replaced by wood.
Jiunn: The flavor intensity is fuller, but the range of flavors stay the same with cedar, dried red pepper spice and leather. Given the same array of flavors, the overall enjoyment doesn’t reach above average. Strength and body remains overall medium.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the toast level of the oak increases a bit. The retrohale remains toasted earth and toasted oak with light black pepper. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted oak and toasted earth are even up front, with black pepper in the back half of the profile and some light smokiness. The strength remained at medium.
Seth: The final third showed more mineral and pepper notes than before. FSG showing it’s face. The earth aspects are not as rich, but dryer. Barnyard and strong wood notes are present as well. Long finish with tobacco, leather and pepper. Full in strength and body. Major change in the final third.
John: Creamy wood greets me in the last third at medium strength with red pepper flake in the center of the profile, as wood and earth combine through the finish. The earth moves into the center of the profile as the second third settles in. The earth has moved up to medium-full strength by the halfway point.
Jiunn: The final third tips the scale to be dried red pepper spice dominant. The increase in spice is paired with an increase in strength (now medium-full). Body finishes the same medium.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times and the cigar went out once in the first third, requiring a re-light. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.
Seth: The burn was decent throughout.
John: The burn was wavy in the first third and that continued in the second third. The burn became increasingly lopsided in the second third until I touched it up. A section of wrapper was not burning in the last third and another touch-up was applied.
Jiunn: Flawless burn providing tight ashes, even burn and cool burning temperatures.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: The draw was great. Lovely bit of resistance.
John: The draw was mildly into the resistant spectrum, roughly 1-1/2 to 2 notches.
Jiunn: The draw was perfect, giving the ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted earth, toasted oak and bold black pepper. A light barbecue smokiness joined in a bit later. Halfway through the third, the pepper mellowed significantly and then bumped back up a bit as the third came to a close. The second third saw the pepper mellow out again and then the final third saw the toast level of the oak increase a bit. The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG had an average flavor profile throughout. The first inch was pretty nice with the bold delivery of all of the core components, but once the pepper mellowed, that went away. From the second third on, the profile was fairly mundane. A very expensive cigar that didn’t deliver an exciting profile past the first inch doesn’t lead to something I’d see myself coming back to.
Seth: I have always been a fan of FSG tobacco. Before I was fortunate to smoke the leaf by itself, and talk about it in depth with Jeff, I loved the tobacco. I love what it adds to blends. I like the spice, mineral and dry earth qualities the tobacco brings, and I like the strength and body that comes with that. You don’t need to use a lot of the tobacco in the blend to feel and taste it’s presence, and even when there is a good bit of it used, I love the profile. The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG delivers those classic FSG flavors, but with a lot of richness as well. It is balanced. Saka did a good job of showing off the tobacco, but not having that tobacco be the main drive in the body and strength. It’s a blend meant for a larger cigar, and it is done well. Rich earth and spice notes with a lot of tobacco and barnyard. Great full body cigar.
John: I think that Florida Sun Grown tobacco can be divisive, but my takeaway from the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG is that the profile largely muted all the characteristics of the Florida Sun Grown Tobacco. While the first third was dynamic, complex and engaging, I couldn’t pick out any elements of the FSG that I’ve tasted in other blends. The draw was slightly into the resistant spectrum, and the draw required two touch-ups to correct. If you ignored the price point on the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG, I think this is something I might pick up again. Unfortunately with the price factored in, this is something that would be a pass for me and I would opt for any number of other great Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust offerings. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 15 minutes on the nose.
Jiunn: I’ve yet to come across a Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust cigar that lacked fullness in flavors until now. The profile started thin and uneventful to just uneventful. Although there wasn’t unpleasant flavors, the flavors presented lacked character in almost every single way (depth, nuance, complexities, etc). It’s too bad because by paper this Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG sounds like a great collaboration but my taste buds entirely disagree.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.55

Cost/Point

$5.41

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$4.40

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$5.22

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$5.22

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Black Angus FSG