Wrapper: Ecuadorian Oscuro Cameroon
Binder: Dominican Habano
Filler: Dominican Corojo 99
Size: 6.625 x 52 Toro
Strength: Medium
Price: $13.50
Date Released: July 2023
Quantity Released: Limited
Factory: DBL, Dominican Republic

My cigars received 4 months of naked humidor time.

THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
DBL is not a well-known brand. Most of us know them for their baseball bat shaped cigars. While they are cool as discussion starters, they are terrible smokes. Several readers have sent me other versions from DBL and they were decent smokes. I’m not sure what prompted me to buy a box of these cigars, but spoiler alert, I’m glad I did.

The Oscuro is mated with the Maduro. The binder and filler are both the same with only the wrapper being different. You can only purchase either in a group hug. I’ve not seen fivers, so this wasn’t cheap. But since I bought mine from sponsor Cigar Page, I didn’t pay close to retail.

Manufacturers spend all levels of expenditure on presentation. The box for 30 DBL Oscuro and Maduro is the best I’ve ever seen. In this outpouring of love, I don’t include the crazy shit made for only the rich and famous. This thing is solid with a gorgeous patina. I’m keeping this one as a hiding place for my dead Xikar products.

The wrapper smells like dried pears, cinnamon, freshly baked rye bread, dark chocolate, and spicy pepper.

I find the PerfecPunch in a reclining mode as it is practicing for leading the Passover Seder. Dr. Rod doesn’t know that 4% of his designs are Jewish. A slip for sure, and I’m guessing that most stay in the closet after being shipped to guys with Hessian last names.

The cold draw doubles down on the dried fruit aspect. As well as cinnamon. Adding to the brouhaha are notes of coffee, cocoa, earthiness, and red pepper.

The cigar sings sweet nothings into my mouth with apple, cinnamon, creaminess, chocolate, and lemon curd. Wow. All conveyed with extreme earthiness. Right off the bat, even at this early juncture, I declare this the best DBL I’ve encountered. I’m also smothered by the smoke output despite not staring at the ceiling as I wrote those words.

The bell tolls in the key of C when a cigar hits it out of the park in the first half inch. I despise cigars that take an inch to get going. I know we feel the same despair. It is frustrating and we are tempted to cut off that first inch in desperation. Yeah, it’s stupid, but that’s how we feel.

Strength begins at an even flow of medium. The creamy chocolate expands its waistline. All this coming from a $13.50 stick and then reduced to $9.45 and then to $8.50. Yeah, that’s right. Scroll my babies, scroll. Oh wait, you’ve already done that. So, who is reading this? Wait, no one? Damn.

There was great glee for my musician friends when I opened a recording studio. Everyone thought that they had made it in the shade from here going into perpetuity. I brought guitarists, drummers, and keyboard players in when I had a client who needed a hired gun for a session. To my horror, 90% of them didn’t know how to play consistently on a pro recording session. Playing live and recording are two different animals. You can play your ass off in a club. In the studio, you need to be hyper aware of playing concisely over and over. Never wavering. And my friends couldn’t do it. They got mad at me for not letting them do what they wanted. They didn’t get it. They thought that because I owned the place, they would have carte blanche. This caused irreparable harm to many of my friendships.

The first inch was a gateway to complexity and depth. A thin layer of wispiness kept things intact as inch number two begins. The gentle lemon curd fans out with more aplomb. You got the joke. Moving on. Aged leather becomes a cunning stunt and aroma. The entire flavor profile becomes slimmer and tighter. A subtler approach has begun. Real complexity has kicked in. I squint and stare at the computer screen. It allows me to focus on the delicate flavors. I might never obtain all the things I put in writing when I’m just smoking a cigar for pleasure. I’d know it’s good, but probably not knowing why. I’m stupid just like everyone else.

I had finished mixing the Eddie Munster song and its B side. On to the music video. I called Elvira Mistress of the Dark. She was very nice. I asked if she would like to be in the video. She immediately said yes. We talked about possible shots. We spent two hours on the phone. She had some very creative ideas. And then she asked about her fee. I explained that there would be money on the back end because in 1983, you could sell the damn things to tv. I heard her recoil in horror. “What? You want me to do this for free?” I explained further that everyone was volunteering their time, including famed cinematographer Marvin Rush. Her excitement for the project disappeared. As a backup, I reached out to a Penthouse playmate of the month. She agreed to meet me at my studio. She showed up with a mob figure who wouldn’t let her talk. I described the plot and what her involvement would be. She smiled a lot. But Guido would have none of it until we discussed money. With a heavy sigh, I explained. That was the end. As they were leaving, he said that if I gave him $2000, I could have two hours with the young lady. I laughed, thanked him, and said goodbye.

Plain and simple, this is a delicate blend. There is nothing overpowering about it like a Nic puro. The combo of Ecuadorian and Dominican leaves has been designed perfectly.

The first half is nearing its end. There is a minor burn issue that requires a touchup. I’m not stressing.

I notice that I never touched my water. I love a cigar that doesn’t drain every drop of humidity from my mouth and throat. For professional purposes, I take a sip. The cigar blend explodes in my mouth. In the 50’s and 60’s, you could buy exploding cigars from joke shops and from the back of your favorite comic books. Even as an idiot kid, it seemed too dangerous along with the desire to stay out of kid prison. Do you know that Disneyland has a big jail? In 1972, my 15-year-old sister got busted for smoking a joint on Tom Sawyer’s Island and ended up behind bars. Punishment was being forced to listen to “It’s a Small World” on a loop through JBL speakers. She was never so glad to see our angry dad bail her out.

The cigar is a good time Charlie blend. Not a single criticism comes to mind except for the minor construction issue. The cigar seems to have repented and continues on in seamlessly.

A couple of weeks later, I was at my press agent’s office in Beverly Hills. He had a very famous young actress (I must redact her name) he was trying to sign and suggested I talk her into being in the Eddie Munster video. I explained that she wasn’t right for the part. He begged me to talk with her in his conference room. So, I did. I felt like such a hypocrite. She was very sweet. And then she told me about her days as a Mouseketeer. She described how Walt Disney diddled her. I was appalled and was shocked that she would tell me this. We shook hands and did the Hollywood mantra of “I’ll be in touch.” That shit haunts me. But I’m very glad I didn’t hire her as she seemed to be a bomb waiting to explode.

This is a great first cigar of the day. Into inch number four and I can still think clearly. No nicotine or power. An even keeled medium strength allows me to enjoy my morning without stumbling like a drunk when I hear voices in my head. I am able to remove the double bands with ease. Know what’s fun? Trying to remove dastardly tough cigar bands during a cigar packed with ligero and nicotine. Can you hurt a cigar’s feelings by screaming out “Motherfucker!!”

Flavors were canonized by inch number three. Now they bear down like a prostate exam on a fat guy. Pushing inwards. It grunts. And then, sweet release. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

During the fledgling days of the Eddie Munster song being released, I got a call from my press agent urging me to immediately come to his office. I told him I was busy. He told me he had the programming director of the famed L.A. station KROQ sitting across from him and he would like to meet me. And oh yeah, bring $6,000. I drove like a maniac to Beverly Hills from Long Beach. The program director looked squirrely to me. But it was explained that for the aforementioned dough, the record would be put on regular rotation. This could easily break the record into mass airplay. I handed over the dough and then waited. And waited. For days, and then weeks. Nothing. The fucking press agent called again and said he needed more money for the guy. This time, I brought along my silent partner. A giant of a man who was an ex-con, but who was the sweetest guy I knew, but who still maintained underworld ties. We handed over the money and then Rick leaned over the desk and made it clear that if we don’t hear the fucking song on the radio in regular rotation, this guy was toast. Again, nothing happened. I had been had by the press agent. Rick insisted we go back uninvited. He stormed into John Collins’ office and reached over the desk and clocked him with one punch, sending him sailing into the wall. This was the most fun I’d had the entire time of my project.

Fanatical creaminess with dollops of dark chocolate, café au lait, lemon curd, leather goodness, earthiness, and dried fruit. Not a flavor bomb but when the components are tied together, they bring peace to my torrid soul.

Unfortunately, these cigars aren’t available in fivers or tenners. They are only available by the box which contains 15 of the Oscuro Cameroon and the Maduro. $405 to taste these cigars. Ouch. Unless you buy them from Cigar Page like I did. A huge discount of 30%. Instead of $13.50 per stick, they are only $9.45 each. Plus, Our Man in Pennsylvania Alex Gougher is providing a onetime 10% discount when you use promo code DBLKAT. That’s $8.50 per cigar. Unfortunately, you must buy the entire kit and caboodle. But worth it. Tell your wife that your new kidney has arrived.

RATING: 96

Don’t forget to enter this month’s contest. It ends on February 25, 2026.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar reviews, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, DBL 10th Anniversary Ecuadorian Oscuro Cameroon | Cigar Reviews by the Katman, dbl cigars, katman, phil kohn