It’s rarely a short conversation when the subject turns to tobacco with Steve Saka.
At PCA 2026 in New Orleans, Saka presides over his desk in the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust booth in the image of an old school banker.
At his big desk he sits behind a big display of products and boxes, each carrying a story that’s he’s always ready to tell, all peppered with pointed opinions about where the market has been, and where it ought to go.
At PCA, his spread is as eclectic as ever. There are familiar stalwarts, recalibrations of past releases, and the sort of offbeat creations that he’s become known for, such as what he calls “dopey culebras” (the Muestra de Saka) and the whimsically named Chubby Unicorn, which this year has been crafted specifically for his top retail accounts.
Among the offerings is the Cosmic Corona Sampler, a rebuttal to the industry’s fixation on size over grace. Built around the classic 5 x 44 format, the sampler assembles five known releases alongside two new blends, Alpha and Omega, each presented in duplicate for a total of 14 cigars. “I love Coronas, a lot of my friends love Coronas,” Saka says with a grin, “But retailers just won’t buy ’em. They just want more Toros, more Robustos, and more pornstar cigars – Gordos.”
Then there’s the Sobremesa Tapa Negra, a thoughtful variation on the Sobremesa Brûlée. Here, Saka introduces a unique accent: a “swath” of darker Habano-seed wrapper applied to the cap. That touch of darker leaf meets the palate first, amplifying richness and flavor while leaving the core experience intact; still mild, still creamy, still unmistakably Brûlée. He also invites the smoker to peel off the cap “so you can do compare and contrast yourself to see what a dramatic impact this little bit of material that isn’t actually on fire has when in contact with your oral membranes”.
For those who prefer their cigars with a hearty slab of beef, the Red Meat Lovers line continues to indulge with intensity and rich flavor. Vitolas like the Fritanga (6 x 52) and the Spicy Beef Stick (6 x 48) join a carnivorous roster that includes Filet Mignon, Ribeye and Porterhouse.
Whether he’s championing the overlooked elegance of a Corona or dialing up the decadence of a beefy line of cigars, the DTT portfolio is less a collection than a conversation – one that Saka seems perpetually eager to continue.
