The Stillwell Star Navy No. 1056 is the second of four cigars in the Stillwell Star line from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust that I have queued up for review. The Bayou No. 32 was a good introduction into this line for me. As I mentioned in that review, I am not a pipe smoker. The idea of a pipe tobacco cigar was an intimidating concept for me, however, I trusted Steve Saka to produce something that would showcase the pipe tobacco without being off putting to a traditional cigar smoker. He did not disappoint with the Bayou No. 32, and I am anxious to see if he can repeat that success with the Navy No. 1056.
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.
Wrapper: Ecudaor Habano
Binder: Mexican San Andres Negro “Cultivo Tonto”
Filler: Nicaragua, Red Virginia, Gold Virginia, Naval Rations, Oriental, & Latakia
Vitola: 6 x 52 Toro
MSRP: $15.30 MSRP
Release Date: November 2021
Company Website: https://www.dunbartoncigars.com/
Expectations
I don’t know what the pipe tobacco will bring to the table, however after smoking the Bayou No. 32 I feel fairly confident in expecting this to be cigar flavor forward and accented by the pipe tobacco. I am expecting a base flavor profile that is rich, in the medium-full flavor and body range, with some leathers, oak, earth, pepper, and some sweet notes.
Prelight Characteristics
Again, I really like the band designs and color choices. The wrapper in this one is a bit blotchy and the seams aren’t perfect. The cigar is quite firm and dense. I believe I really smell the pipe tobacco on this one. It reminds me of a berry flavored chewing tobacco. The cold draw is smokey and kind of sweet. It’s like a BBQ sauce made with plenty of liquid smoke.
First Third
First light brings on medium bodied smoke with medium flavors of general tobacco, light earth, and some oak and fruitiness. A couple puffs in and the body is up to full. The retrohale has a bit of a pepper sting with lots of bright sweetness and some cocoa. About an inch in and the flavor is medium, but very savory and dark. It’s primarily earth and wood. The finish is toasty. The retrohale has lost that pepper sting but has plenty of sweetness remaining and still a bit of cocoa. The ash dropped near the end of the first third. The performance and draw have been great to this point. The only noticeable change in the flavor is that it is coming up to medium full and adding a bit of an acidic coffee note.
Second Third
The second third is showing the flavor ramping up to full. The fruity note is more prominent and there’s a bit more pepper coming in. There’s a bit of creaminess coming through on the finish as well. At halfway the cigar went out to no fault of the cigar. I got sidetracked with something. The relight went easily and the cigar has picked up right where it left off with flavors with no bitterness or harshness from the relight. The end of this third is seeing some more of the toast note.
Final Third
Entering the final third I think I’m getting more of the pipe tobacco. There’s like a slight musty, bright fruit note that I’ve never noticed in any cigar tobacco. There’s a bit of caramel coming in nearing the band which is quite nice. The retrohale is bright fruit, cocoa, and pepper. Into the band there’s more sweetness on the draw. It is still fairly musty. There’s some earthiness and pepper as well. The cigar ends with the only difference being the addition of some cinnamon. The performance and draw were great throughout the cigar.
Overall Experience
This cigar was another long burner, ending at about 2 hours and 5 minutes. I thought this cigar was interesting and an overall good cigar. I think that it showed a bit more of the presence of pipe tobacco throughout the entire experience. In the beginning I got that impression by how heavy and dark the profile became, but with only medium body and flavors. In the second half of the cigar, I can only assume the musty, bright fruitiness had something to do with the pipe tobacco. I think that this cigar is good and would be great for a pipe smoker that might like cigars. However, I think the Bayou No. 32 is better for a cigar smoker that might like pipes. At any rate, I am happy to have tried it and it was an entertaining experience as I think the Stillwell Star line will be for most smokers.
I got this cigar from a friend, but you can try the cigar yourself at Small Batch Cigars and let me know what you think! Use code “Whiskey” to get 10% off your entire order. Plus, sign up and begin earning 5% back in rewards points with each purchase.
Feel free to reach out to me with questions, concerns, criticisms, or just to talk at @guitarsandcigarsfarm on Instagram, or via email at trevor@whiskeyandwhitetails.com.