During my trip to San Diego in August, I started smoking Steve Saka's Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust cigars and haven't looked back since.  The subject of today's review is the Todos Las Dias - which roughly translates to " All the Days" .  So, is this a cigar for any day?  A cigar to celebrate all the days you spend working like a dog?  A cigar to celebrate all of the days you've smoked cigars?  I don't rightly know off-hand but I aim to find out.  Let's get smoking, shall we?

Construction: The oily wrapper is leathery with no seams or veins to speak of.  Heavy in the hand and perfectly put together.  The band is a nice gothic style that feels very manly - silver and black always does that.  Overall a nice looking cigar.

Pre-light Aroma and Draw: Out of the cellophane the TLD gives off heavy notes of earth, oak, leather, nuts, and cocoa.  A wicked start and I haven't even lit the thing yet.  A cold pull shows a perfect draw and a slight unsweetened chocolate note.

Light and Burn: I saw that a few other reviewers had burn issues with the TLD.  I am guessing that Dunbarton ironed that out over the past months because this one is razor perfect.  The smoke is extremely aromatic too.

Tasting: From the sound of the starting pistol, TLD hits with black and white pepper, oak, tons of earth, and a nice deep sweetness.  The core quickly develops into earth and that rich sweet note that reminds me of a slightly sweet black coffee.  The finish is surprisingly clean and bright for such a deep rich cigar.  I picked up a note that reminds me of a steak dinner. Wow.  I don't usually like to retrohale very much but if I am really enjoying a cigar, I usually do it without thinking.  The retro here is pepper and earth....like damp forest soil.  So far I am tossing out a lot of flavors...but how is the cigar?  Yeah...it's terrific.  The overall sensation is putting me into a trance.  I am listening to " Walking on the Moon" by The Police and the reggae beat is adding to the sensation.

The second third is kicking off with that sweet black coffee and earth core pulling cocoa and pepper to the front.  A hint of figs or dates - can't tell which - creeps in adding a sweet and savory flavor to the mix.  Good grief, what a cigar!  A salty note just punched me in the palate and then it was gone.  That was pretty cool.  The pepper creeps up a notch but it doesn't last long.  As the middle draws to a close - pun intended - the sweet black coffee moves to the front and dominates.

The final third has arrived and I am sad.  This cigar needs a reset button so I can smoke it all over again.  The main flavors of coffee, earth, pepper, and cocoa just keep taking turns moving around to the front.  It feels like each flavor is presenting itself to the crowd for a final bow.  As a result, TLD finishes without turning harsh.  I smoked it until it was impossible to hold.

Value: At around $12 and change, the Todos Las Dias toro is priced well enough to smoke regularly.  I would prefer a buck or two cheaper, but that's the old man in me frowning at prices.  I can honestly say I will buy these often and smile the whole time.

Final Thoughts:  I salute Steve Saka.  I have smoked the Sombremesa, Umbagog, Mi Querida, and now Todos Las Dias and every one of them is world class.  I even have a Muestra de Saka waiting in the humidor as well.  Expect reviews of the rest soon too.  I would rate the Dunbarton cigars among the best cigars available today.  Over the past month Saka's cigars have moved to the top five brands I smoke regularly and I am sure they will stay there.  This cigar comes with highest recommendation.  Buy them, smoke them, hoard them.

Did I find an answer to the name of the cigar?  Take your pick.  It is a cigar I would smoke any day.  It is one to smoke after a long day at work.  And it certainly is worth smoking to celebrate being a cigar smoker. 

In case you are wondering: Tatuaje, Cornelius & Anthony, Dunbarton, Caldwell, and Aganorsa round out the top five brands I smoke regularly.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan sungrown criollo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Strength: Medium-full to full

Size: 6 x 52

You can almost see your reflection in the wrapper leaf!  Click for bigger....

Love the designs Saka uses on his cigars.  Click for bigger....

Nice burn with a good solid grey/white ash.  Click for bigger....