Red Meat Lovers Fritanga is the newest size from the line made by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. The name Fritanga is a style of Nicaraguan street food where meat is grilled on an open flame. This 5th size joins Beef Stick (6 x 48), Filet Mignon (5 x 54), Ribeye (6 x 52) and Porterhouse (6 x 60).
The brand originally started as an exclusive to Smoke Inn in conjunction with the Red Meat Lovers Club. According to their website, “In 1994, Evan Darnell, AKA “The Secretary of Steak,” was dining in the main hall of Tulane University and saw a sign on the dining room table that said “S.A.V.E.”: Students Advocating Vegetarian Eating. He knew there needed to be an opposing club. He later formed Red Meat Lover’s Club. The Red Meat Lovers Club held monthly “meatings” which were hosted at various local bars and the Pike fraternity house. Upon Evan’s graduation, the membership reached 300 members. After moving to Florida in August 2017, Evan awakened his beloved club and re-established The Red Meat Lover’s Club. Now, not much has changed except we can create more significant, more dynamic events with a dynamic core of “Steaksmen” whom love to feast on the glorious beast.”
Cigar Review: Red Meat Lovers
Size: Fritanga(6 x 52)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: San Andres Negro
Filler: Nicaragua & USA (Pennsylvania)
Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA)
Release Date: August 2025
Production: Regular
Box Size: 10
The Cigar: Featuring a red and gold band the cigar features no Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust branding.The box pressed cigar feature a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with a reddish brown hue that has a nice amount of oils. In the hand the cigar has a nice weight to it although the foot is a bit more spongy than I would prefer. I did check this with my humimeter before lighting it up and it checked in at 65% which is my prefered humidity rate.
The Taste: The cold draw of the Fritanga serves up notes of red pepper and cacao with touch of toasted oak. The foot of the cigar serves up a subtle leather and cedar. Once toasted and lit the cigar has a perfect draw (on all three cigars I smoked) and ample smoke production. The initial notes are a touch of cocoa.
Smoking the first third of the Fritanga sees notes of red pepper, cocoa and wood notes. The notes are vibrant and easily identifiable while the retrohale sees enhanced eye watering black peppercorns and seared steak.
Moving into the second third, notes of raisins begin to emerge while the cocoa slides deep into the background. Around the halfway point the raisins fades as notes of nuts become dominant. The red pepper of the first third takes on more of a black pepper feel to it while the retrohale still sees black peppercorns and seared steak. As the second third comes a close there is a sesame finish which is outstanding.
The final third sees the sesame begin to develop on the palate with continued nuttiness and some of the toasted oak from the cold draw making an appearance. The cigar remains exceptionally smooth until there is nothing left to hold with absolutely no bitterness. The retrohale is meaty with some peppercorns and sesame.
Conclusion: Back in 2003 we reviewed the Red Meat Lovers Ribeye and gave it a 95. When we grabbed the Fritanga we didn’t expect it to be even better. While the tobacco varietals are the same as the original release, this iteration is advertised a spicier version which leads me to believe it might have different primings. The result is a cigar that is simply incredible and one of the best cigars I ever smoked.
Score: 99
Price: $17.00 (Before any local or state taxes)
You can get these from site sponsor Small Batch Cigar and if you use the coupon code BARRELBURNER you can save 10%.
