Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 4.75 x 60 Double Wide Belicoso
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $12.45 (About a buck less online)

Today we take a look at the Todos Las Dias by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust.
A gift from a reader and a dear friend.

BACKGROUND:
From Steve Saka:
“Todos Las Dias is my personal Spanglish translation meaning “All the Days.” The workers at Joya de Nicaragua often cringe at my casual butchering of their mother tongue, but in my opinion cigars are far more than a grammar lesson to abide, they are the physical manifestation of a feeling and of an experience. TLD embodies the classic bold flavors that represent the heart of their soil’s peppery tobaccos and the labor of their always working hands. For me, this spicy Nicaraguan puro reflects no pretentious airs or any of that ‘notes of pencil lead with a hint of fennel’ nonsense. It is an honest, hardworking cigar intended to be smoked by men who know what it means to be a cigar smoker and never give a damn about what others think.”

“It is a supple, sungrown Cuban Seed capa which encapsulates its intricate tripa recipe of rich Jalapa and Esteliano tobaccos. From the first puff, there is no doubt of the origin of this cigar or that it is intended solely for the seasoned cigar smoker. What I love about this liga is that it builds; so many stronger blends start off super peppery and robust only to mellow out as you smoke them. Whereas the Todos Las Dias does just the opposite; it begins smooth and then escalates in strength and body, it almost lulls you into false sense of security. It is a much heavier liga than you will have realized until you go to stand up afterwards.”

After that declaration by Saka that this is an honest, hardworking cigar meant for smokers who don’t give a damn what others think, without any of that multi-faceted flavor profile, I guess my work will be easy by describing it merely as infused by earth, wood, and leather. My work is done.

DESCRIPTION:
This is a gorgeous cigar. The chocolate/cinnamon/coffee wrapper oozes oil with a touch of tooth. Veins are plentiful with seams very tight. The belicoso cap is flawless. And I love the artwork of the cigar band and the footer band.

SIZES AND PRICES:
Toro 6 x 52 $12.45
Robusto 5 x 52 $11.45
Double Wide Belicoso 4.75 x 60 $12.45
Half Churchill 4.75 x 48 $10.45

AROMAS AND COLD DRAW POINTS:
From the shaft, I can smell Nicaragua….chocolate, spiciness, malt, cream, cane sugar, dried fruit, cedar, citrus, and almonds.

From the clipped cap and the foot, I can smell dark cocoa, red pepper, cream, malt, sweetness, dried fruit, cedar, citrus, and mixed nuts.

The cold draw presents flavors of barnyard, cedar, malt, savory notes, black coffee, cocoa, salted nuts, and citrus.

FIRST THIRD:
Not a belicoso fan. Especially when writing a review. Since I smoke and type at the same time, I hang the cigar from my lips. With a belicoso, I must also use my teeth creating a nightmare number of accompanying photos….Katman juice on the cap.

The draw is a bit tight so out comes my PerfecDraw cigar poker and ream the interior of the stick til it’s free bird. You have til December 31, 2017 to take advantage of the 15% discount code Katman will bring you on a purchase of the poker and/or the cigar glue. Beat feet.

The Todos Las Dias by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust begins slowly. Incidents of chocolate, hops, malts, black pepper, along with “pencil lead and fennel.”

Smoke is jettisoned from the foot like a chimney a’ fire.
Sweet components appear in the form of fresh apples and various flavors of salt water taffy.
Strength is already at medium/full.
All of a sudden, I get a gobbet of jerky…salty and sweet.

Only an inch in, complexity hits hard along with a beautiful succession of transitional flavors. The finish is decadent.

The Todos Las Dias just hit high premium status. It is friggin’ amazing.

The nuttiness dissipates but is replaced by salty pretzel. There are also some nice crusty bread elements.

I would like to agree with Saka. The cigar blends hits an early revelation that some serious time and passion went into this blend. It is a no nonsense blend with ancillary flavors other than pencil lead and fennel. Although, I do taste some black licorice.

The blend is hearty and chock full of character. It is a palate pal.

We’ve all tasted more Nic puros than we can count. A common thread of certain flavors and expectations come with friendly memories of other Nic puros we’ve smoked. This cigar is one of the best I’ve tasted. It has its very own unique identity. It’s been tricked out somehow. Saka magic I guess.

SECOND THIRD:
Smoke time is 35 minutes.

The blend settles into a very savory experience. The creaminess and the malts along with a big dose of black pepper are delicious. The finish is smile inducing.

I like the Todos Las Dias by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust a lot. Last I checked, the Mi Querida is Saka’s fave smoke. I too like the Mi Querida and rated it a 90. But this blend is something special for my palate. The Sobremesa was just perfect for me and now the Todos Las Dias has become my new favorite.

Strength is full ahead Scotty.

So complex that flavors morph into one. It is just about the experience now. I choose to turn off my mind, relax and float downstream.

I’m having a baby Jesus miracle on this first day of Chanukkah, 2017. The Todos Las Dias once again proves Saka is a force to be reckoned with. The man has his shit in one bag. This is a wonderful cigar. I plan on finding a 5 pack of Toros. It’s worth a box purchase but only “If I were a rich man, All day long I’d biddy-biddy-bum…If I were a wealthy man.” But wait…there’s more. In the most brilliant move, the cigar is being sold in 10 count boxes. I can afford that.

I have a single criticism…the burn. In both samples I received, the char line needs regularly scheduled maintenance.

Halfway finds me at 50 minutes.

The smoothness of the blend is like the cheese…it stands alone. This cigar goes down like the finest whiskey.
In order to see if the Todos Las Dias by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust was strong enough to make my top 25 list, I chose to review it with only two weeks humidor time…I never do this. I can only imagine the depth this cigar reaches with a couple, or more, month’s proper humidor time. It’s just not potential I taste…I’m getting a full dose of excellence that supersedes my undisciplined short rest time.

Creamy malts, chocolate, espresso, cedar, dried fruit, tangerine citrus, pralines, fennel, and pencil lead.
Nicotine is oddly absent.
OK. The cigar ain’t cheap. But it’s also not outrageously expensive. It falls into the right monetary zone for a high premium. I imagine by Star Date 2462.06, the cigar will cost $379. So revel in the savings of only an average of $11-$12 per stick.

LAST THIRD:
Smoke time is one hour 10 minutes.

Killer. Well done Steve.

A good cigar can color your day. How’s my aura, Dora? A good cigar can help while away the time while you are clearing your dental floss farm in Montana.

The Todos Las Dias by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust continues on an upward trajectory of brightness and intensity. Not once in this cigar experience does the cigar cause a moment of boredom. It has been placed on this earth by special tobacco angels to entertain and enthrall.

The palate is a mystical thing. Like fingerprints, not a single one is the same. I may taste more than you but that means nothing. It takes a long time to train the palate plus it requires the right environment of solace and introspection; and a lot of eye squinching to squeeze out the oddball flavors that intense scrutiny unveils. Short of that, anyone at any level of smoking experience will dig this cigar. Newbies…dig in. This is the perfect blend for new smokers to dabble with. The strength is knee buckling but on the other hand; it is so smooth that one barely acknowledges the strength. This is rare.

There was no sweet spot. Instead, it is an adventure of palate appreciation. Not a kitchen sink blend. A no nonsense stick that makes you want to hit your cat with a lemon meringue pie while yelling, “Moe, Larry….Cheese!”

The Todos Las Dias by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust is available everywhere online.
I am willing to work for free Todos Las Dias. I can go over to Steve’s on Saturday evenings and shave his chest. I am willing to clean Saka’s drains in his bathrooms. And I would be happy to raise his children in my own image. Er…

I rarely use a cigar roach clip to finish a cigar. The Todos Las Dias by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust is so good that I do just that. It never reaches an iota of harshness and remains smooth to the very end.
This blend will certainly make my top 25 list.
Enjoy.

RATING: 97

And now for something different:
“SPLASH”!!!!!

Back in 1983, I took film classes at UCLA. I had just written, produced, and directed my first music video starring Butch “Eddie Munster” Patrick for the song we developed called, “Whatever Happened to Eddie?”
You cannot see it on YouTube
I sometimes sell the whole package of the video, a mint condition 45 single, a rare mint condition T shirt and an autographed 8 x 10 promo photo of Butch and the band (Eddie and the Monsters) on eBay.

I took pre-production classes, production classes, post production classes and editing classes. All taught by towering people in their field.

The post production class was taught by John Thomas Lenox, an executive producer. He was producing the movie “Splash.” And instead of being taught about the intricacies of post-production, we got a class in “Splash.” It was novel at first but it never ended.

What an arrogant prick. Me this and me that. Every class was this guy extolling his brilliance.

But there were a few perks. He brought in other producers and Ron Howard himself who directed the film. That was a fun night. And if you are wondering if Howard is Opie? Yes, he is. Down to earth and friendly.

Previous to Howard coming in, Lenox took us to a pre-screening of the film. It was missing some sound effects and there was no sound track. We got to go to Disney studios in Burbank to watch it. It was still built in the genre of the 1950’s. With street signs that said Mickey Mouse Ave. or Donald Duck St. What a hoot to be there.

During the question and answer period with Howard there was one jerk that was really mean and kept asking embarrassing questions. Remember, this movie was a fantasy/farce. And this idiot kept bringing up how the movie didn’t feel real. I have to hand it to Howard. He was a real gentleman and didn’t lose his temper.

At the end of class, I gave Howard a complete package of my Eddie Munster stuff. He knew Butch from back in the day and asked me out for a cup of coffee.

We went to some movie star hangout and had some nosh and Cokes. Howard didn’t drink. And neither did I. It was an exciting 2 hours. We talked more about life and I didn’t interview him which would have immediately turned him off. Something I learned during our PR excursions the record company sent us on all over the country. Treat a star like a peer and you’ve got him.

Several celebrities stopped by the table to say hello to Howard. Here comes the name dropping. There was Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, Streisand, and Howard Cosell. What a mixed bag that I would never have expected to see. Howard politely introduced me and we shook hands. Carson was a big thrill as was Streisand. I have a great Streisand story that I have published. One about Cosell as well.

We said our good byes and Howard told me he would peruse my video and give me a call. Guess what? I never got a call. LOL. It was the Hollywood syndrome of “Leave your name and phone number in the ashtray and I will get back to you.”

Some of the lectures in the class were very boring and they always took place in near auditorium sized class rooms. There couldn’t have been more than 25 students. So I began to talk to this very nice looking chick.
After a few weeks, we would steal ourselves away and head for the bathroom. Each time I got a great blow job.
She was married and when we went to the Splash screening she brought her husband. She introduced us and all I got was the stink eye from the husband. Ooops.

At the end of the class, Lenox had promised a one on one with any student that requested it. I gave him an Eddie Munster package too. His assistant made an appointment for me and then they kept postponing it so I gave up.

He made the announcement for individual meetings as he handed out a piece of paper asking the students to assess the class. So of course, everyone gave this guy an A+ hoping for that one on one. The bastard offered the meetings so we’d give him a good score.

The other two classes were not as exciting and no blow jobs. The editing class was taught by an old timer who was Douglas Fairbanks Jr.’s doppelganger. He had the whole look going for him. He must have been 70 years old.

He did take us to MGM and we got the royal tour. That was fun. We watched movies being filmed. We watched the editors at work. We got to hang in the commissary where we saw movie stars and extras.

But all in all, the classes were just a waste of money. My project soon collapsed when the record company was taken to jail for embezzling. A real story of intrigue and underhanded dealings.

Rocshire Records was a brand new record company out of Anaheim. A ton of money was spent signing acts. Big deal record guys were stolen from big record companies. And the owner’s wife embezzled $15 million from Hughe’s Aircraft where she worked during the day. The FBI swooped in just before my first big royalty check was to be cut and shut the company down; forcing me to relinquish my royalties. This would have made me whole as I put my own money into the project so I’d get the first penny back on the first record sold. It’s called a production deal.
My dreams of becoming a music video mogul were dashed.

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