Wrapper: U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf No. 1 Dark
Binder: Mexican San Andrés Negro Oscuro
Filler: Nicaraguan, U.S. Pennsylvania Ligero
Size: 5 x 54 Robusto ~ Box Pressed
Strength: Full
Price: $15.70
Date Released: July 2023
Quantity Released: Regular Production
Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars S.A.

My cigars received 3 months of naked humidor time.

BACKGROUND:
From Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust:
“Red Meat Lovers is a top shelf, maduro liga that was created intentionally to be smoked after enjoying a heavy meal of steak or prime rib. The blend was developed while simultaneously consuming “chuleta de dos lomos” aka an export grade of prime Porterhouse steaks in Nicaragua with a varied selection of fine post digestif whiskeys and espresso.

“Originally created at the request of the Red Meat Lovers Club to smoke at their charity dinners, it became one of the most successful annual single store exclusives in the market. So it is with great pleasure that we have secured the rights to share this wonderful Connecticut Broadleaf cigar with all our Purveyors. Offered in three classic trunk-pressed formats with a spicier, stronger “beef stick” variation in a unique flat capped, closed foot Parejo vitola. The RML collection of cigars are the perfect puros to pair with hearty meals and libations, or for whenever a robust, dark maduro is desired.

“The Red Meat Lovers “Fritanga” is a special limited production of our RML liga that is crafted a to be a bolder expression.”

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Every Red Meat Lovers I’ve smoked has been consistently solid as a tubular bell. No soft spots or wrapper issues.. The box press is crisp. The oily wrapper shimmers with notes of Fall: dark pecan, gingerbread, caramel, and cinnamon.

Aromas from the wrapper are slightly unusual for a Connie Broadleaf: spicy BBQ sauce, smoky brisket, gentle floral notes, peanut shells, anise, with only just a touch of barnyard.

I gently remove the pig tail and then use my PerfecPunch because I prefer the punch to the guillotine. Imagine how Marie Antoinette would have doubled down on this inclination. The draw is tighter than how I fancy. I’ve smoked several sticks and this is the first one to have that problem. Do I PerfecDraw it or do I hang back? I’m going to suspend the PD’s vote. I can always go in with the tool while the cigar is lit if the draw doesn’t show perfection.

The cold draw is very spicy. Spicier than most cigars with similar leaf stats. It tastes fresh and bold like a 100 year old garlic bulb. There is no hanging back in its approach in gaining my fervent interest. Red pepper, cool mint, smoky tomato pieces, dark chocolate, espresso, sweet pecans, and candied orange slices.

The cigar is advertised as packing a punch. In case I’m on swoon level 4 in the last couple of inches, I will finish the cigar with a tertiary stab after dinner…which is what Steve Saka advises in his mission statement about this blend. I’ve heard the term ‘hearty’ used to describe Red Meat Lovers.

The cigar starts with a cloud of dust and a hearty, ‘Hi Yo Silver!’ And we’re off.

I’ve mentioned this before. Why do we often favor being able to see the cigar band’s frontal lobe when we smoke. I like being able to see the name of the perp as I puff. Why is this? I know I’m not alone. What is wrong with us? Ask your wives.

It starts with notes of Worcestershire sauce, hot cocoa, black coffee, black walnuts, more roasted tomato, spicy ginger, black pepper, salty seaweed, and umami.

Half an inch in…a vinegar-based steak marinade, smokiness, black pepper, a scoche of creaminess, and heavy on the malt.

I discovered that there is nirvana upon this earth. There is a 24-hour channel called Three Stooges+. Anytime I feel a little sad or meek, I watch a couple of shorts and I’ve been healed the same way that Andy Kaufman was saved by psychic surgery…er, wait.

Black cherries show up. Always a good sign that a complex and delicious blend is in the fomenting stage.

I reviewed this cigar a few years ago and thought it was merely OK. I was wrong. Which prompts the question…why does anyone read a cigar review? The odds that we are right is infinitesimally small. We all go into the manifesto writing business with good intentions. It’s merely a roll of the dice. You can hang up on me now.

Do I miss rotary phones? You know the answer, look up my number.

This blend has a beautiful balance of sweet v. savory. I smoked a Umbagog Bronzeback in between RML’s. I love that cigar. But this blend is a notch up on the warm and genial scale. It has a deeper well of complex flavors. The UB is the perfect cigar for consistently getting what you need. The RML is the perfect cigar for going deeper into that hole.

In the 1950’s, we couldn’t wait for a new Stooges film to hit the theaters. Imagine a thousand kids all screaming in laughter with nearly zero parental controls. There were no mall multiplexes. They were theaters built in the 1920’s with balconies and yawning gargoyles hanging every 10 feet. And the attendants trolling to make sure you kept your feet off the chair in front of you. There was one thing we all disliked. It was that the seats were just barely situated higher than the one in front of you…so, if the kid in front of you had a large head, or a pompadour, or a hat…you couldn’t see the screen. Lots of fights.

Speaking of lots, I admonish myself because I am puffing too often. The blend is hearty and hale. I prefer that a cigar never leaves my lips.

The best shorts from the Stooges happened in the 1930’s. Their manic and youthful behavior showed no bounds. Even as a kid, we saw how much they had slowed down in the 1950’s. The writing was no bargain either. Now and again, Moe would show up on a local afternoon kid’s show and it was a little shocking.

Roasty toasty. The perfect word companions. Creaminess digs deep for the first time. It adds a serious counterpoint for the savory as well as the sweetsie portions.

Using the PerfecDraw was not necessary as the cigar opened up beautifully. But I could use a heavy rope around my waist to hold me from drowning in that shaft of full tilt strength that is now upon me as the first half nears completion. The construction is top notch. The char line is sharp. Not a single issue in any of my previous sticks.

The price tag falls into the average point for good cigars in 2025. Sure, you can get a good catalog brand stick for only $12, but why?

Despite the cigar being a bold venture, it just clicks I’ve only taken two sips of water since I began almost an hour ago. The blend is as smooth as a panda’s ass after a decent colonoscopy.

Most of 2021 and 2022, I was insane. I was diagnosed with sleep deprivation psychosis. It was brought on from nerve damage caused by breaking my neck years ago. The doctors were idiots. So, I suffered for a year and a half. I suffered a mild stroke. And then two more once the didactic bout was over. It pains me to admit it, but I think my wit found a new high while I was nuts. I’ve tried to retrain my brain to be gaga again, but you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Or instill a young matzoh ball to be too hip for the room.

Roadies are the greatest. There is no bigger thrill than when you are handed your bass as you are going on stage. Or when they pack a hash pipe for you during the interminable guitar solo.

In the 60’s, we teens wore costumes: Pendleton shirts, Florsheim wing tips, and Levis with the hem turned inside. All the while, claiming independence from authority.

1971. I had finished college. The Vietnam war was raging. I knew I was fucked. The lottery that year was taking birthdates up to 115. I was 115. The Draft Board letter arrived. I stared at it for an hour. Once opened, I finally began breathing. 4-F. What? My dad, who served in the army as a sergeant and was part of the D-Day invasion, did not want me to serve. He reached out to a sympathetic anti-war doc to peruse my medical history and write a letter. It authentically showed that I had suffered from gout since the age of 13. I was stuck in ortho gym in high school and suffered the slings and arrows of being laughed at. I never thought that a kid with arthritis would dodge a giant bullet. And so you know, it was only the fringe that looked down upon returning vets. It was war.

OK. The cigar. If I was psychotic, I would have remembered to stay on track.

The second half continues the saga of a great blend. Flavors were canonized during inch 2. The width and breadth widens to envelop my palate the way marmots smell Japanese used panties machines. The RML is better.

You want to watch a great documentary series? “The Three Stooges: Hey Moe! Hey Dad!.” It is about the recollections of Moe Howard’s son, Paul. The 2015 doc lasts 9 episodes and will fill every need of a fan’s desire to know everything…from the highs to the very lows. It’s streaming so check it out.

Follow Saka’s advice and smoke the RML on a full belly…not like me on an empty stomach. I can’t get past the last 1-1/2”. But it is no problem after I finished a dinner of gefilte fish and sautéed Liva Snaps.

You can purchase all 5 sizes from sponsor Small Batch Cigar. Take 10% off with promo code KATMAN.

RATING: 96

A rerun of the Stulac Blue Lightning Sky Pre-Release *Katman Edition* is on the move. Due to the popularity of this cigar blend, Paul and SBC were gracious in allowing another stab at getting these cigars in your hands. Read about it here.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar reviews, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, dt&t cigars, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Red Meat Lovers Filet Mignon | Cigar Reviews by the Katman, katman, phil kohn, steve saka