Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust has announced details for its 2026 “Year of” project, titled Year of the Pausers – “Friend to Many.” The limited-production release is designed to honor longtime cigar community members Michelle and Tom Pauser, known to many online as The Alaskans.
According to brand founder Steve Saka, the name of the project was intentionally chosen to focus less on geography and more on the couple’s role within the cigar community. As Saka explained, “I decided it wasn’t as important where they are from, but who they are as people hence the moniker I chose was ‘Friend to Many.’”
The release is produced in a single 6 x 48 parejo format featuring a finished moña DTT-style pig tail. Each 14-count box includes two distinct blends—seven cigars honoring Michelle and seven honoring Tom. While both Pausers selected the same classic vitola, the blends were developed separately based on their individual preferences.
Saka noted that the honorees were not involved in the blending process itself. “These are -not- blends they have any involvement in creating,” he stated, adding that they will smoke the cigars shortly before shipment to retailers. “They may not even like them.”
For Michelle’s blend, the inspiration came from her fondness for the Sin Compromiso line, while Tom pointed toward heavier profiles such as MQ Black and Triqui Traca. Using that guidance, Saka created two new ligas tailored to those preferences.
The cigar honoring Tom introduces a new wrapper variety called Capa Camaleón, a first-generation hybrid grown in Estelí that crosses H2000 Sungrown Cuban Seed with U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf. Saka described the wrapper’s unexpected characteristics and flavor profile, explaining the origin of its name and the risk involved in using it for the first time.
Each liga is visually differentiated by unique band markings to identify which blend is which inside the box. The cigars are scheduled for release in late March 2026, with production limited to approximately 2,700 boxes.
The project concludes with a familiar touch of humor, including advice from David Lafferty regarding box layout: “Any happy couple knows that the wife is Always Right!”
Production notes indicate that Michelle’s blend was crafted at JDN, while Tom’s was produced at NACSA.
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