The Umbagog from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust was originally released as a “bang-for-your-buck” offering from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. Traditionally it utilized the same Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper leaf as the Mi Querida, with the caveat that the Umbagog wrapper leaves didn’t quite “make the cut” for Mi Querida in regards to appearance. The Bronzeback makes use of a different wrapper than the traditional Umbagog - swapping the Medium/#1 for the 2LS Broadleaf. I love the original Umbagog and this Bronzeback immediately got my attention if for no other reason that being a 5 x 48 vitola - my GOAT vitola.
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: NACSA
Wrapper: 2LS Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Vitola: 5 x 48 Robusto
Price: $9.75 MSRP
Link to Purchase: The Cigar Farm (Use code “Review” to save 10%!)
This is a dark, rustic looking broadleaf wrapper with a slight rosado hue. I love the gold lettering against the green band. It is a subtle change from the white lettering on the regular Umbagog, but stands out on its own. The cigar smells like a musty, damp farm. The cold draw is deep earth, cacao, and dark fruit. First light brings about medium-full bodied smoke with medium-full, classic broadleaf flavors of earthiness, wood, a bit of pepper, and some cacao. There’s a bit of a toastiness in there as well that lingers long on the finish. The retrohale has a small punch but adds some more pepper and a bit of spice and citrus. Through the first third things are rolling along nicely and consistently. Hitting halfway and the performance has been perfect. The profile has shifted towards dark roast coffee with some baking spices. The toast is still there on the finish. The retrohale has calmed down on the pepper and has added a creamy fruitiness to a more general musty earth. Approaching the band the earthiness and pepper are becoming prominent again. Coming to an end at just over an hour the final flavor notes were some peppery heat and dark chocolate. The performance was flawless to the end.
Overall Experience
This is one of my favorite releases of the year, and maybe for a while now. The combination of the earthiness, cacao, and spices along with the toasty finish is right up my alley. The complexity that is added when retrohaling really tops off the experience. I have smoked a bunch of these, and was so happy to be able to get some more in stock. If you like broadleaf cigars that don’t punch you in the palate, this is perfect. If you lean towards more medium, lighter cigars, but want to dabble more in broadleaf, then this is also perfect for you too.
Have you smoked this one? Let me know your thoughts!