Dunbarton Polpetta

The Dunbarton Polpetta (Italian for "meatball," a nod to its dense, compact construction) is one of the most creative cigars in Steve Saka's portfolio, and a genuine bargain for fans of his Connecticut Broadleaf philosophy. Originally debuted as an event-only cigar in 2019, Polpetta entered full regular production in 2023 in 25-count boxes at an MSRP around $7.30 per cigar.

The concept is clever: Polpetta uses the chaveta cuts — the off-cut trimmings from trimming other DTT cigars to size — from Mi Querida, Mi Querida Triqui Traca, Mi Querida Black, Umbagog, and the Red Meat Lovers Club cigars. These are combined with two Nicaraguan long-leaf tripa (whole filler leaves), a Mexican San Andrés Negro binder, and a Connecticut Broadleaf outer wrapper made from the same chaveta cuts. The result is, per Saka, not a traditional sandwich-style cigar — he insists Polpetta has a consistent, specific construction — but the blend does shift subtly batch to batch depending on which DTT lines were most recently in production.

The profile is distinctly in the Dunbarton Broadleaf family: dark chocolate and espresso from the Connecticut leaf, earthiness from the San Andrés Negro binder, and a medium-full strength level that the Nicaraguan core anchors. At 4×48 in a corona format, it's a 30–45 minute smoke — ideal for a quick session between meetings or as a late-morning standalone.

Polpetta is produced at NACSA in Estelí, the same factory as the Mi Querida line. It's proof that factory floor intelligence — knowing what to do with perfectly flavorful trim — produces great cigars. For the full dark-wrapper context, see our maduro vs. Connecticut guide. Compare short-format cigars in our strength guide, and track your Polpetta sessions on Casa DNC.