Shokai Bushido: Steve Saka’s One-Time Ecuadorian Sumatra Drop Debuts at Cigartopia 2026

Steve Saka has never been shy about the cigars that don’t make the main catalog. Some of his best-loved smokes started life as side roads on the way to something else, and the latest one has a name to match. According to an announcement from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust founder Steve Saka, shared on Instagram via @epicureansmokes, the company is introducing Shokai Bushido, a limited, one-time release built around an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. It debuts at Cigartopia 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, November 14.

Here’s what Dunbarton has shared so far, what’s still unknown, and why this cigar exists at all.

A Happy Accident From the Takumi Project

Shokai Bushido wasn’t the plan. According to Saka, it came out of the blending work for Takumi, a very limited production liga (Saka’s word for a blend) that Dunbarton may showcase at next year’s PCA trade show. While developing Takumi, Saka says he made a blend that “wasn’t exactly what I wanted to achieve for it,” but that turned out to be “a tremendously tasty liga” in its own right.

That’s a familiar story for anyone who follows Dunbarton. Saka says he creates blends he loves all the time, but the company can’t release everything. In his words, it was “an exceptional Sumatran liga that had no home.” Instead of shelving it, Dunbarton partnered with Cigars Daily and Cigar Dojo to give it a one-time run.

Three Years With Ecuadorian Sumatra

The wrapper is the story here. Saka says he started working with Ecuador Sumatra capa (wrapper) for a Dunbarton blend about three years ago. He explained that when he adds a new wrapper variety to his toolbox, he does it in steps. He learns the tobacco, how to work it, how long to age it and how to blend with it before the company buys the leaf in larger quantities.

By Saka’s account, the Sumatra rollout has gone like this so far:

• CANH Fiddlehead, Dunbarton’s first Ecuadorian Sumatra release
• DTT 10th Jubilee, the second
• Takumi, planned as the third, a very limited production liga that may be shown at next year’s PCA

Shokai Bushido sits off to the side of that lineup. It’s a by-product of the Takumi R&D, not a planned step.

Why a One-Time Drop Instead of a New Brand

Saka also explained why releases like this show up as special drops instead of permanent lines. He pointed to store exclusive releases such as Dondurma, Khan ‘Alam and Halligan as examples. Those projects, he says, let him share blends he’s excited about “without having to deal with the commercial and production concerns of having too many brands in our core portfolio.”

Shokai Bushido follows that approach. Saka calls it an “LP Drop” for Cigartopia, made in a single batch.

Debuting at Cigartopia 2026 in Phoenix

The cigar debuts at Cigartopia 2026 – Legend of the Lost Leaf, the multi-vendor event run by Tim Swanson and the Cigars Daily team. According to the Cigars Daily event page, it takes place Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Cigars Daily HQ in Phoenix. Steve Saka is listed as one of the event’s guest guides, alongside other cigar makers.

Cigar Dojo first teased the collaboration in October, after it came up on the October 9 episode of Smoke Night LIVE with Swanson as a guest. Cigar Dojo says the idea goes back about two years, to a visit with Saka in Tampa, Florida. Saka mentioned he had some tobacco he wanted to use but hadn’t found the right project for yet.

As for availability, Saka says the cigars will first be offered in person at the event. His understanding is that any left over will then go to the Cigars Daily website. He’s honest that he has “ZERO clue how many, if any, will remain,” though he suspects a few 10-count bundles might be left.

Will Shokai Bushido Come Back?

Don’t count on it. Saka says he has “no idea” whether he’ll ever make these again. He explains that they were expensive to produce because they were made during the Takumi R&D phase, and the math may not work for a repeat. In his own words, this is “one batch, one time.”

He’s also upfront about how they look: Saka says the wrapper is “a tad rustic for my eye,” but that “their flavor is slamming.” That’s typical Saka. He’d rather tell you a cigar won’t win a beauty contest than oversell it.

What’s In a Name

Shokai Bushido means “an introduction to the way of the warrior,” according to Saka, who said the name fit the blend’s lineage. Cigar Dojo adds that it’s pronounced “shoh-kai boo-shee-doh.” The name nods to the traditional samurai code, which suits a cigar launched with Cigar Dojo.

What We Know and What We Don’t

Confirmed by Dunbarton and its partners:

• Name: Shokai Bushido
• Maker: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, in partnership with Cigars Daily and Cigar Dojo
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
• Origin: A by-product of blending for the upcoming Takumi project
• Production: A limited, one-time batch; Saka is unsure if it will ever be made again
• Debut: Cigartopia 2026, Cigars Daily HQ, Phoenix, Arizona, Saturday, November 14, 2026
• After the event: Any leftover cigars are expected to be offered on the Cigars Daily website

Not yet announced: the full binder and filler details, the vitola (size), total production numbers and pricing. We’ll update this story if Dunbarton shares more.

The Cigar Guys Take

What we like about this release is the honesty. Saka is telling you exactly where the cigar came from, that the wrapper isn’t the prettiest, and that he doesn’t know if he’ll ever make it again. It’s a rare look at the R&D side of cigar making: blends that don’t fit their original project but are too good to throw away.

Shokai Bushido also gives a hint of where Takumi, Dunbarton’s next Ecuadorian Sumatra project, might be headed. If you want to know more about how Saka thinks, check out our podcast episode with Steve Saka and our exclusive interview with Jeff Borysiewicz and Steve Saka on the Black Angus cigar. New to terms like liga and capa? Our Cigar Glossary has you covered.

Source: Information in this article comes from an announcement by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust founder Steve Saka, shared on Instagram via @epicureansmokes. Additional details come from Cigar Dojo and the Cigars Daily Cigartopia 2026 event page.