Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022 is medium brown, with a few lightly raised veins. The seams are smooth and the caps well applied. There are two bands, both in a white and gold color combination. The primary band is the same design as used on the previous versions of the line while the foot band denotes the line and sub line. The aroma from the wrapper is a light creamy vanilla while the foot brings full on creamy vanilla ice cream with tobacco backing. The pre-light draw brings an airy mix of cedar and creamy vanilla.
Seth: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022 is solid in appearance. The cigar has a solid Colorado colored wrapper that has small veins throughout. It is firm in hand, and appears to be constructed well. The band really pops off the wrapper, and the aromas of the cigar is that of chocolate covered cherries, reminds me of Cella’s, and there is this manure, damp earth, tobacco and herbal quality present. Grassy notes as well.
John: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022 comes in cellophane with a UPC sticker that has an integrated tear space so the UPC remains intact when the cellophane is opened. The cigar is also double banded, with a primary gold on white star, and a secondary foot band that indicates ‘Stillwell Holiday Y2022’. Aromas from the wrapper were syrupy sweet pipe and cigar tobacco aromas. From the foot, gingerbread, tobacco, plum, chocolate and a general fruit cake.
Jiunn: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022 has an even shaded Colorado wrapper coloration. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is capped and wrapped well. Aromas from the wrapper tell vanilla ice cream, barnyard musk and cedar. Aromas from the foot tell the same but intensified (especially the vanilla ice cream). Cold draw reveals cedar, hay, subtleties in vanilla and marzipan.

Team Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar and dry cinnamon. At a quarter inch in, the cinnamon transitions to black pepper and there are subtle hints of creamy vanilla. The retrohale is toasted cedar, lightly zingy black pepper and subtle vanilla. At an inch and a quarter, the black pepper has mellowed and a faint cinnamon has rejoined. At an inch and a half in, the creamy vanilla increases a bit. As the third comes to a close, the profile is toasted cedar up front with black pepper a bit behind and creamy vanilla and cinnamon in the background. The strength was right at medium.
Seth: The first third opens with a red pepper spice up front that is paired with some damp earth, tobacco and coffee flavors. Mocha quality present with a finish of oak, hazelnuts and walnuts. Faint barnyard aspects. Strength and body are around medium-full.
John: A woody pipe tobacco opens things here, with a mild pepper and wood combination to finish. Creamy pipe tobacco and chocolate are present through the retrohale. As the first third progresses, the post draw takes on a lingering pepper that works its way up to medium strength. Fruit cake sweetness slowly develops on the profile, lingering well into the post draw. Dry wood comes through in the center as the cigar moves to the halfway point. There is a cherry background note that is present at the end of the draw.
Jiunn: The first third flavor profile is well melded. Sweet vanilla cream is on the forefront, followed by spicy cedar, nuts and a hint of barnyard musk. Through retrohaling, the spicy cedar ramps up and I also get a very unique shisha smoke mixed fruit. The finish is mild tempered with subtle cedar. Strength and body is medium.

Team Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the black pepper mellows a bit, but is exhibiting a very long finish. The retrohale is now toasted cedar along with light black pepper and creamy vanilla. At an inch in, the cinnamon departs and the creamy vanilla is now quite subtle. As the third comes to a close, the profile is toasted cedar up front with black pepper in the middle and very subtle creamy vanilla in the background. The strength bumped up to slightly above medium.
Seth: The second third shows a continuation of the first third with some mocha and pepper notes. Tobacco, herbal and earthy qualities are present as well with a creamy barnyard finish. Medium-full in strength and body, similar to before.
John: Creamy pipe tobacco leads off the second third, as wood takes hold in the center and a sharp wood finishes the draw. A creamy chocolate develops through the retrohale, as the profile becomes wood forward as it progresses.
Jiunn: The second third has the same flavors as the first third. The only change is the shisha mixed fruit on the retrohale is coming through on the mouth draws. This paired with the sweet vanilla cream tastes like delicious candy. Strength and body remains medium.

Team Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the toast level increases a bit. At a half inch in, the black pepper picks up a bit. The retrohale is now toasted cedar just ahead of the black pepper. At an inch in, the cigar warms up a bit and the toast becomes pretty heavy. As the cigar wraps up, the profile is heavily toasted cedar just ahead of the black pepper with the creamy vanilla no longer present. The strength remained at slightly above medium.
Seth: The final third delivers that pepper spice quality with some earth and mocha qualities. Vegetal and herbal notes as well. Not the finish I was expecting, and a departure from that mocha, tobacco, barnyard and pepper quality. Medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first few puffs of the final third are creamy wood and pipe tobacco as dry wood finishes the draw. An earth component finishes the draw and moves into the center as the cigar progresses. Some time later, mild ashiness is present on the post draw. A pipe tobacco sweetness moves to the front of the draw by the bottom half.
Jiunn: The final third lost the majority of the vanilla cream and shisha mixed fruit notes. The aromas of the vanilla cream are still there but the smoking experience is not. Strength and body remains medium.

Team Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022

Burn

Aaron: The burn line was a bit wavy at times and the cigar went out once, requiring a re-light. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Solid burn throughout.
John: The burn had unevenness through the first third, eventually requiring a touch-up to intervene. The wrapper has an uneven burning section in the second third, requiring another touch-up. That uneven burn continues during the transition to the last third, requiring a third touch-up. I did find the burn stalling somewhat in the last third, but no intervention was required.
Jiunn: The burn performance was great. Overall even burn, cool burning temperature and good smoke production.

Team Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Great draw.
John: The draw was somewhat into the resistant spectrum, roughly 2 to 2-1/2 notches, which provided resistance to each puff.
Jiunn: Draw was slightly tight. Did not affect the flavors and my annoyance levels though.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar and dry cinnamon. The cinnamon transitioned to black pepper fairly quickly and subtle creamy vanilla joined in. Some light cinnamon rejoined a bit later. The second third saw the cinnamon depart. The final third saw the toast level become heavy and the creamy vanilla depart. The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022 had a nice flavor profile through the first half, but at the halfway point, the cinnamon dropped out and the creamy vanilla was very subtle. I think this may be my favorite of the Stillwell’s thus far. The creamy vanilla note had enough of a role and the overall cigar felt like it was something regular cigar smokers would identify with. I probably wouldn’t come back to this all that often, but would be interested to see more iterations along the lines of this one.
Seth: Looking back on the Stillwell’s, this Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022 was the star of the releases. It showed balance and complexity while still delivering some pipe tobacco qualities. Not over the top, but present. It was not a cigar packed with pipe tobacco that was in your face, but a blend that was made to smoke like a cigar with pipe tobacco included. It is the only Stillwell I would recommend, because it is a Stillwell worth smoking through the entire cigar. There is more than the first third with this blend.
John: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022 had some rich pipe tobacco character to it and a medley of interesting flavors which I found interesting and enjoyable through the review experience. The burn had issues, with three touch-ups through the review, and the draw had some resistance to it. Neither of these things appeared to impact flavor delivery for me. This is easily my favorite Stillwell Star to date, and I will happily smoke more of these in the future. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 14 minutes.
Jiunn: Fitting to the name, this Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022 reminds me of Christmas and the general winter holidays, enjoying delicious festive sweets. I also think this is probably by far the best representation of utilizing other tobaccos to pair with traditional cigar tobaccos. I never felt like the pipe tobacco overtook the cigar tobaccos (or vice versa). They actually complimented each other quite well. A surprising recommend.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.90

Cost/Point

$2.59

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$2.51

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.22

Cost/Point

$2.46

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.67

Cost/Point

$2.29

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Stillwell Star Holiday Y2022