Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
Binder: Mexican San Andrés Negro
Filler: Nicaraguan, USA Pennsylvanian Broadleaf
Size: 5 x 48 Short Churchill
Strength: Medium
Price: $17.00
Quantity Released: 2,000 boxes of 14
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.

My cigars received one month of naked humidor time.

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Yesterday, I told you about the Solita Red. Today is Saka’s newest release.

The Duque, according to Steve, is a mashup of Sobremesa Solita and Todos Las Dias.

The wrapper smells sweet and floral. Matched equally by barnyard droppings. The most striking aroma is strawberry or raspberry jam. Included in the melee is chocolate and espresso.

I remove the tiny nipple with surgical precision using my PerfecPunch. Airflow is perfect…showing that construction is excellent in all three test subjects. I dab a tear from my PerfecPunch’s cyclopean eye. When it’s not looking, I pull it’s bottom half down around they/them’s knees.

The cold draw is without toxins. Notes are peppermint, chocolate, espresso, black pepper, raspberry, caramel, soft prunes, and freshly baked bread.

The reason I am reviewing this cigar with only a month on it. Only 2,000 boxes were released.

I wish there were more first cigars of the day in 24 hours.

First thing I notice is the razor-sharp char line. And a richly fully realized flavor wheel. Here they are: bittersweet chocolate, caramel, brioche, dried dates, mixed fruit jam, black pepper, and vanilla toffee.

Do I wish this cigar was bigger? Yeah, I do…but Saka picks sizes to be advantageous for a blend. I like a toro but it is not the first pick of any blender. It is the pick of the marketing department. Toro is the most popular vitola.

Perfect balance. Spectacular. I bought a three pack from SBC. After smoking my second stick, I went back and bought a box. I’d have bought several if I had Charlie’s dough.

The strength is just fucking splendid. Everything is in play that I love. And I’ve only smoked half an inch.

The cigar comes in a cool looking box.

I keep my cool cigar boxes to use for special things in my life, like this Cohiba box (On the weekends, I’m allowed to eat at the dinner table with Charlotte)

I got the gig when I said, “How about we play something a little more hyper.” Instead of playing the dreary chord changes that the band was throwing at auditioning bassists, they were ready for a change and asked me to suggest something. Time, place, opportunity. BTW- My hyper suggestion was merely a bass riff in the style of drummer Billy Cobham’s aggressive jazz.

Creamy malt. Nailed it. The flavor from cap to lips is astounding. The finish from smoke is great. But now and again, we get a stunning flavor experience from just a simple, plain taste on the lips.

The stick is so smooth and buttery that it makes me want to wear my boxers on my head and laugh like a post-WWII marmot.

Construction is so solid that this petite miss will take 90 minutes. The cigar looks small but delivers big flavor and a long cool time in the sack.

Late 1960’s. Walter Knott liked to take a couple loops around the Cordelia K once a month. The boat was named for Walter’s wife. This boat was the pride and joy of all the things within his massive amusement park.

At the time I worked there, ol’ Walt was 80 years old. A lifetime eating boysenberry pies and fried chicken made him look older. He loved to wear shiny iridescent suits. Totally out of character as there was nothing cool about this coot. The first time I applied at the park’s main office, my buddy got hired but I didn’t. Turns out that Knott’s didn’t hire Jews. A good friend worked on the lagoon side of Knott’s Berry Farm. He introduced me to Bud Hurlbut who, turns out, owned all the rides. He just leased the land from the Knott family. On my friend’s call, I was hired immediately. Bud was the coolest guy in Knott’s world.

This is my prediction, men…you will buy a three pack and then wish you bought a box. The cigar has me changing my style of smoking from slapdash moments to very delicate kissing of the cap. Slowly bringing the entrails, nice smoke output, to my inner cheeks (please no prison jokes) while closing my eyes.

I’m thinking seriously of adding this cigar to my top 25 list. But wait, will it perform in its last third? The real manly test for any blend. The first third is a precursor tease-o-rama. The second third is the sweet spot. And the last third tells the truth.

I was warned, a day early, that I would be piloting the Cordelia K for a special rider. He would come at 3:00pm sharp. The steamboat was cordoned off and passengers not allowed to ride for half an hour before the arrival time. The Lagoon team spent those thirty minutes making that boat shiny. I got nervous as I saw the go kart approaching with Walt in the passenger seat.

The man was wobbly and needed help to get to the boat. He was helped on board but it was just me and him for the double loop around Duck Island…or is it Duque? The ride took approximately 12 minutes. A leisurely trip that reminded me of navigating a garbage pit. There was no filtration in this man-made lagoon. Knott said nothing to me that first loop.

Richly appointed flavors that are still in the wheelhouse of my earlier descriptions. While the flavors are not transitional, the elegance is. A slow-moving aneurysm.

Sip of water and flavors coat my palate. I wait for the glory to subside.

It takes 30 minutes to burn 1-5/8”. Yeah, my babies.

He sat next to me in the front. The second loop, he spoke. “Young man, what’s your name?” I told him. “Kohn? You a Jew??” I gulped. I hesitated. He said, “You’re a damn Jew?!”

Inside Knott’s huge replica of Independence Hall was a soft-landing spot for John Birch Society pamphlets and books. The man was a raging bigot.

The first half was glorious. I stare wide eyed at the second half that’s still raging. The sweet spot awaits. 45 minutes down.

Instead of new flavors, the old ones intensify. Transitions are about rich depth of field. The finish lasts forever. My lips smack like a doggie do, not doggie don’t. I wonder if cigar industry folk are really happy about their jobs. You see all the time that they change companies every day. If you need something to help you sleep, listen to a podcast with a cigar manufacturer telling you his story. Better than Ambien.

Some cigars find us rushing the procedure. Others like the Duque finds me slow and proportionate. Without foresight of consciousness, I take my time. Just what Saka wants. Good for him.

Walter left the boat sputtering and stammering. I saw that he was talking about me. I was visibly shaken. Bud approached and patted me gently on the back. He told me not to worry and smiled broadly. “Phil, the man won’t remember this moment by dinner time.” But I did. So on my last day, my last loop, a year later, I felt no guilt as I rooster tailed that damn steamboat, redlining the engine, and driving it in the wrong direction around the damn lagoon. Turns out, I became a legend throughout the park. They spoke of the brazen crazy Jew for years. Big smile.

It’s a shame that this can’t be my morning go to cigar. Just too much dough. Instead, I will languish over each stick. I plan on storing my new box for 6 months and then dive in. It would be terrific if I remember my review but I never do.

The last third. Remember the ad campaign with the old Indian and a tear running down his cheek? This is my last stick.

The strength has been a solid medium. Now, in its last death throes, it scooches up to just shy of medium/full. Not a lick of harshness. Only subtle flavors, style, refinement, and elegance. Damn fine stick.

At this moment in time, SBC has the hard-to-find Umbagog Bronzeback ($10 after promo codes) and Sobremesa Solita Red ($16.88 after promo codes). If you can snag a fiver, do so. I’m a fan of Saka. If all cigar manufacturers had Steve’s standard of quality, what a wonderful world this would be.

You can purchase the Year of the Duque from sponsor Small Batch Cigar. Take 10% off with promo code KATMAN.

RATING: 97

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar reviews, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, Dunbarton Year of the Duque | Cigar Reviews by the Katman, katman, phil kohn, steve saka