Aaron Loomis

 John McTavish

Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto is medium brown with some lighter marbling and has some thick, but well pressed veins. The seams are smooth and the head is well finished. The band is simple, being forest green with gold text and borders denoting the line name. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of damp earth and wood, while the foot brings damp earth, bread, wood and some spice. The pre-light draw brings cedar, dry earth and mild spice along with a mild spiciness on my lips.
John: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto comes in cellophane and does not feature a UPC sticker. The cigar carries a single thin primary band. I weighed the cigar at 13.0 grams and measured the humidity with the HumidiMeter Pro at 63.4%. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet bread, tobacco, a general pastry-like sweetness and some mushroom underneath. From the foot, I was getting sweet tobacco and hay.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with toasted cedar, earth, black pepper and some minerality. At a quarter inch in, the earth becomes even with the toasted cedar up front. At a half inch in, some dark roast coffee joins the middle of the profile. The retrohale brings toasted cedar, earth, dark roast coffee and light black pepper. At three quarters of an inch in, the minerality has departed. At an inch and a quarter, the coffee becomes very mellow and the minerality returns to the profile. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar and earth are even up front, with black pepper in the middle of the profile and some minerality and dark roast coffee in the background. The strength was slightly above medium.
John: The first third begins with creamy tobacco leading the profile, followed by an equal strength earth component and wood through the finish. Mild baking spices linger briefly in the post draw, creating a short finish. As the cigar settles in, baking spices move into the retrohale, building from light-plus strength to medium and lingering into the finish. The earth begins to linger longer on the palate and starts carrying into the post draw, sitting on the palate between each draw. Approaching the halfway point of the first third, the baking spices through the retrohale recede back down to light-plus strength.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the toasted cedar and earth become a bit dry and the black pepper gains a bit of sharpness. The retrohale is now toasted cedar and dry earth with light black pepper. At an inch in, the black pepper and minerality both lighten up a bit. As the third comes to a close, the dry mix of toasted cedar and earth are even up front, with the black pepper just behind the middle of the profile and faint amounts of minerality and black coffee in the background. The strength mellowed to medium.
John: Moving into the second third, creamy bread and baking spices lead the profile. The baking spices become more defined as cinnamon through a medium-length finish. At roughly the one-hour mark, earth returns more assertively to the finish and brings a noticeable medium-strength saltiness with it.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the earth lightens up a bit. At a quarter inch in, the cedar transitions to oak. At a half inch in, a light wood bitterness becomes present and the faint coffee note has departed. The retrohale is now toasted oak, earth and mild black pepper. At three quarters of an inch in, the earth increases to become even with the toasted oak up front. At an inch in, the wood bitterness transitions to a vegetal mintiness. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted oak and dry earth are even up front, with black pepper and vegetal mintiness just behind the middle of the profile and some minerality in the background. The strength remained at medium.
John: The last third opens with creamy minerality, accompanied by medium lingering earth through the post draw. Delayed baking spices join shortly after at medium strength. As the cigar progresses toward the halfway point of the final third, the earth continues to build in strength and begins driving the profile.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto

Burn

Aaron: The burn was a bit wavy at times, but never needed any intervention. The ash held on in just over one inch increments.
John: The burn was very straight through the first third, with some minor unevenness in the second third. The burn was reasonably straight through the last third and did not require intervention.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
John: I measured the draw at 32 inches of water with the Cigar Medics draw machine. Subjectively, I found the draw to be right in the ideal zone between open and resistant.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with toasted cedar, earth, black pepper and some minerality. The earth became even with the toasted cedar up front very quickly. Some dark roast coffee joined in a bit later and then the minerality departed. Then, the coffee became very mellow and the minerality rejoined. The second third saw the cedar and earth become a bit dry and the pepper gained a bit of sharpness. Later, the pepper and minerality mellowed a bit. The final third saw the earth lighten up a bit, the cedar transitioned to oak and a light wood bitterness joined in while the coffee departed. The earth then increased back to even at the front and the bitterness transitioned to a vegetal mintiness. The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around toasted cedar and earth. The pepper, coffee and minerality never did enough to elevate the profile. Overall, this vitola is a bit of a step down from the original Bronzeback release, and I wouldn’t really see myself coming back to it.
John: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto delivers a well-balanced and flavorful experience that leans into creamy tobacco, earth and baking spice combinations throughout most of the smoking session. From the start, the cigar presents a cohesive profile where creamy tobacco and earth share the spotlight, with baking spices adding complexity through the retrohale. The first and second thirds provide the most engaging portions of the cigar. The introduction of cinnamon and creamy bread elements adds a satisfying warmth to the profile, while the return of earth and the emergence of medium-strength saltiness help deepen the flavor profile without pushing the cigar into overly aggressive territory. The interplay between sweetness, creaminess and spice keeps the cigar interesting while maintaining a comfortable medium level of intensity. The final third does shift the balance somewhat, with earth becoming more dominant and the baking spices taking on a supporting role. While this portion loses some of the earlier nuance, it never becomes harsh or unpleasant, instead settling into a more straightforward earth-driven finish. Construction is excellent, with an ideal draw and a consistently solid burn that allows the flavors to present themselves without distraction. The slightly quicker smoking time for a Robusto is noticeable but doesn’t negatively impact the overall experience. In the end, the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto delivers a satisfying profile with enough balance and flavor development to earn a Good rating. It may not push the boundaries of complexity, but it offers a dependable and enjoyable experience that showcases the rustic, earthy style often associated with the Umbagog line. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 31 minutes, a bit quicker smoking time for a Robusto.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$1.90

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$1.58

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Umbagog Bronzeback Robusto