Way back in November of 2024, Steve Saka and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust announced thy would be adding yet another cigar to the Sobremesa line: Solita Red. I have loved the Sobremesa line; in particular, my favorites are the Wagashi and the Brulée Blue. To say I was excited to see how the new blend would stack up, would be an understatement. What makes the Solita Red even more exciting is the connection it shares with the original Sobremesa Cervantes Fino. Steve Saka, founder of DT&T and the blender, had this to say via press release, “Although you are not supposed to have favorite children, the thick Lonsdale Cervantes Fino was always my personal favorite. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love to tinker with blends so about three years ago I began tweaking this vitola’s liga to make what was great to be what I consider perfect.”
OVERVIEW
VITOLA: Solita Red
SIZE: 6-1/4″ x 46
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
FACTORY: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.
WRAPPER: La Meca Ecuador Habano Grade 1 Dark Rosado
BINDER: Mexican San Andrés
FILLER: Nicaraguan (GK Condega C-SG Seco, Pueblo Nuevo Criollo Viso, La Joya Esteli C-98 Viso, ASP Esteli Hybrid Ligero) USA Lancaster County Broadleaf Ligero
STRENGTH: Medium-Full
SOURCE:
Small Batch Cigar
ENVIRONMENT
WHERE:
Studio/Lounge
WHEN:
October 4th @3pm
DRINKS:
Bottled Water
WEATHER:
Indoors
HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
3
PRODUCTION
RELEASE TYPE Regular Production
ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE February ’25
TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 13
Production Totals: Unknown
VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Solita Red (6-1/4″ x 46)
BAND DESIGN
The Sobremesa Solita Red band has the same style as the others in the Sobremesa line. The obvious difference is the color of the bands, gold with red accent, in this case.
PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
AROMA
The Ecuadorian habano wrapper has notes of barnyard, chocolate, and a hint of coffee. The foot reveals notes of bread, figs, grahm cracker, chocolate, and a funky barnyard.
COLD DRAW
The cold draw has notes of bread, baking spices, nuts, fruit, a touch of coffee, and freshly mowed grass. The draw has just the right amount of resistance.
SMOKING EXPERIENCE
LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: Le Petit by Les Fines Lames
Fire: Vector Icon II
Big notes of coffee, leather, and baking spices on the initial light. There is a pepper-y bite to it. Nuts and coffee linger on my palate. Black pepper rules the retrohale. Rich, spicy notes dominate with each draw, but what’s left on my palate is rich notes of chocolate, wood, coffee, bread, and baking spices.
SMOKE
The Sobremesa Solita Red gives up a silky, creamy smoje with each draw. Every puff fills my palate with a satisfying abundance of smoke that coats my palate.
FIRST THIRD
>> Chocolate, Bread, Nuts, Black Pepper
The first third begins where the initial light left off: notes of baking spices, pepper, chocolate, coffee, and bread. Black pepper on the retrohale. There is a brightness to this first third. It is somewhere between herbaceous and floral. It is working in harmony with the rich notes of wood, chocolate, bread, and nuts. The ash is flawless. It resembles a stack of dimes. The burn is a bit uneven and wonky. Smoke production continues to impress…except on the second Solita Red smoked for this review. The smoke production was almost non-existent. I ashed and found that it was tunneling. I let the cigar go out and re-lit it. That seemed to fix the tunneling issue. Pepper and spice dance on my tongue. Chocolate, wood, bread, spice, nuts, and a hint of funk. Pepper and chocolate linger on my palate. The Solita Red’s first third is full flavor but definitely medium bodied.
SECOND THIRD
>> Graham Cracker, Mocha, Cedar, White Pepper
The middle third begins with notes of cedar, red pepper, graham cracker, sweet cream, and nuts. White pepper on the retrohale. I notice on the third cigar smoked for this review, that smoke production begins to die out. I ash and see that it is tunneling. Disappointing. Maybe I just got a bad box? I, once again, allow the cigar to go out and relight it. There is definitely a soft spot where the cigar seems to be underfilled. Once the Solita Red gets past the soft spot, it burns like a dream. This has been an issue that I have noticed over the past 18mos with a lot of brands in the industry. The burn is a bit wonky, as the wrapper and binder struggle to burn at the same rate as the filler tobaccos. The ash is still compact. A hint of fruit cuts through the rich notes of mocha, nuts, bread, and cedar. The Solita Red is spicy but it’s more than a spice bomb. It is has a complexity that would be great…if it weren’t for the construction issues.
FINAL THIRD
>> Spice, Dark Chocolate, Mushroom, Black Pepper
The final third begins with a touch up, as one side of the La Meca Ecuador Grade 1 Dark Rosado wrapper refused to stay lit. Leather, spice, dark chocolate and wood all come together beautifully. Black pepper on the retrohale. Baking spices round out the tasting notes. Leather, chocolate, and a floral note linger on my palate. There’s a bit of nuttiness in there, too. The ash is still mostly compact. The burn line is uneven, but at least it’s burning. There is a mushroom funk that begins to dominate the final third. Nuanced notes of chocolate, nuts, and yeast come through. Pepper and spice permeate each puff. I am thoroughly enjoying the flavors of the Solita Red. The final third is firmly full flavor and full bodied. Spice starts to really ramp up near the end.
RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS
FLAVOR PROGRESSION
The flavors of the Sobremesa Solita Red are complex and nuanced, if not a bit of the same all the way through. Spice, chocolate bread, leather, and nuts permeate each third. The nuanced notes of pepper, floral, herbal, fruit, and a mushroom-esque funk come and go throughout the smoking experience. Each third is well defined and allows each note its time in the spotlight.
BURN EXPERIENCE
Admittedly, this was not the greatest burn experience. Two of three cigars smoked for this review tunneled. All three required a touch up. Two of the three required relights. I hate fighting with a cigar. Having to watch and baby a cigar ruins the smoking experience for me. It is especially frustrating when I’m enjoying the flavors of the cigar.
RATING BREAKDOWN
0.77 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.50 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
5.40 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.20 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment
COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES
- Great flavors throughout the cigar!
- Well-balanced from start to finish!
- Two of the three Solita Red smoked for this review tunneled.
- All three required touching up and two required relights.
SEEING RED.
I hate writing these types of reviews for two reasons: 1) It is not my intention of purposely giving bad scores for clicks. Even though there are very few of those on our website, every time a cigar scores under a certain threshold we get accused of that. 2) I genuinely loved the flavors of the Sobremesa Solita Red. Unfortunately, flavor alone doesn’t make a score.
I usually poke fun at the “Burn Progression” part of our reviews, but my experience with the Solita Red is the reason it’s there. Two of the three Sobremesa Solita Red that I smoked for this review tunneled. Not just a little. A lot. To the point that I had to do whatever I could to salvage the cigar, and the score. One of them tunneled and came back by just allowing it to go out. The other…well, that one was severely underfilled. Again, an issue that I have seen industry wide over the last year and a half.
Regardless of construction and burn issues, the Sobremesa Solita Red is a very good cigar, flavor-wise. It has a great progression from medium to full. It is always full of flavor: Chocolate, wood, nuts, mushroom, spice, spice, spice, and pepper. There were some herbal and floral notes thrown in for good measure. Maybe I just got a bad box? It happens. Don’t let my experience deter you. Go try the Solita Red for yourself!
