Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 is milk chocolate brown with some lightly raised and knotty veins. The seams are smooth and the caps well applied. The band is deep green and off-white with the company logo on back. There is a cedar sleeve that runs from the band to the foot and has the line name is dark green running down it. The aroma from the wrapper is peat smoke and earth, while the foot brings what imagine shooting Lagavulin 16 out of your nose would be like, with that distinct peated Scotch characteristic. The pre-light draw brings cedar and a metallic/spray paint note along with a mid-level spiciness on my lips.
Seth: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 is a nice-looking cigar. The cedar finish is lovely against the wrapper, and when you remove the cedar, you have a classic, but nice-looking wrapper. Soft Maduro with few veins, the cigar has a very fine gritty texture on top of leather. Has a soft milk chocolate appearance. Aromas of cocoa, rich earth, tobacco, warm spices and leather on the foot and wrapper.
John: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 came in cellophane and had a UPC sticker with the cigar information and an integrated tear space to remain intact when opened. There is a single Dunbarton logo band and a cedar sleeve with Sin Compromiso etched onto it. For additional artisanal complications, the cigar is box pressed. I weighed the cigar at 12.3 grams with the cedar sleeve and 11.6 grams without. I measured the humidity at 56.1% with the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet tobacco and wood. Out of the foot, I was getting mild spices and wood.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar and earth along with some black pepper and smokiness. At a quarter inch in, a light meatiness joins the profile. At a half inch in, the black pepper has bumped up a bit and exhibits a long finish. The retrohale is toasted cedar, earth and black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the earth, which is just ahead of the black pepper and there is some smokiness and meatiness in the background. The strength was slightly above medium.
Seth: The first third begins with some warm spices, herbal notes and dry earth. There are sweet tobacco qualities present as well, along with some barnyard, leather and toasted nut flavors. Dry rub spice on the finish. Medium-full in strength and body.
John: Sweet creamy tobacco starts the first third with light plus spices following and then lingering into the post draw. As the first third settles in, some coffee is present on the finish and post draw. Cedar joins the post draw as the first third progresses. That profile remains stable until the bottom half where light plus earth joins the post draw.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the pepper mellows a fair amount. The retrohale is now toasted cedar, earth and mild black pepper. At an inch in, the pepper picks back up a bit, and is in the middle of the profile. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar is just ahead of the earth, with black pepper in the middle of the profile and light smokiness and meatiness in the background. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The second third showed some more cocoa qualities than the first. Dry earth, spices and herbal qualities are still present. Sweet tobacco with leather and warm spices on the finish. Some toasted nuts and chocolate. Medium-full in strength and body.
John: I’m greeted in the second third by coffee, creamy wood, spices and earth with wood and earth on the post draw. That complex profile is stable until the halfway point where the earth on the post draw begins to fade down to light strength. Tannic wood comes into the post draw through the bottom half.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper mellows to the background. At a half inch in, the toasted cedar and earth are now even up front as the black pepper picks back up slightly. The retrohale remains toasted cedar, earth and mild black pepper. At three quarters of an inch in, the toast level increases a bit. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted cedar and earth are even up front, with the black pepper in the back half of the profile and light smokiness and meatiness in the background. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third shows some faint chocolate qualities with earth and warm spices. Mineral and herbal notes are present as well. Nice spice profile present on the finish along with some tobacco and barnyard. Very balanced. Medium to medium-full.
John: The last third gets going with creamy spices as the spices join with wood on the finish. Sweet tobacco comes into the center of the retrohale as the last third settles in. By the halfway point, creamy earth leads off with spices, wood and earth making up the post draw.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4

Burn

Aaron: The burn was straight throughout, and the ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Nice burn throughout. Not perfect, but never needed work.
John: The burn was straight through the first, second and last thirds but spontaneously went out in the last third, requiring a re-light.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Smooth burn. Love the impact of the press on the burn.
John: The draw is around 1/2 of a notch towards the resistant spectrum which puts the draw in the ideal range between open and resistant for an amazing draw score.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar and earth along with some black pepper and smokiness. Some light meatiness joined in pretty quickly. The second third saw the pepper mellow a fair amount and then increase a bit later. The final third saw the pepper mellow again and the earth became even with the toasted cedar up front. The construction was absolutely perfect. The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 had a nice start, with a well balanced, flavorful profile. The second third dropped a level as the pepper mellowed and the profile didn’t show the same vibrancy as before. The cigar finished at that same level. This line hasn’t been one of my favorites from the brand, and I found it pretty much on par with the Selección No. 5 vitola. With the high price point, I just don’t see it as something I’d come back to with any real frequency.
Seth: This Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 is a great pressed robusto. Larger size, but the pressed offering helps so much. This blend soars throughout with great depth and transitioning. Nice strength and body present as well. This might be my favorite Sin Compromiso. Larger cigar with that pressed finish shows the quality tobacco in the filler and balances out the Mexican wrapper. Was not an amazing wrapper, but it is more consistent than a lot of other Mexican wrappers right now. Nothing fancy, just solid. Really nice smoke from beginning to end.
John: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4 is another strong vitola release in a well performing and consistent Sin Compromiso Selección series. The draw was perfect while the cigar went out in the last third, requiring a re-light. Given the long smoking time, I will acknowledge that this could be chalked up to user error. I typically am not a fan of larger ring gauge offerings, however the Selección No. 4 delivers in spades and is something I would seek out in the future. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 41 minutes.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.94

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.57

Cost/Point

$2.73

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.62

Cost/Point

$2.71

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sin Compromiso Selección No. 4