Vitola: Toro
Size: 6″ x 52 ring gauge
Price $14.95 MSRP
Purchased at Maxamar’s Cigars
Background
Some of you may (or maybe not) be aware I’ve been away for the last couple weeks. I was recovering from carpal tunnel surgery and writing or typing wasn’t that easy, but I’m back. Today I’ll be looking at the Muestra de Saka Exclusivo. Dave explains what this new line is in his review here. This was the first one of these I tried.
Prelight
The cigar comes packed in a nice, but simple cedar coffin. The band is a simple ribbon on the foot stamped with the name of the cigar. The wrapper is a ruddy dark brown in color with a good amount of oils and tooth to it. When I gave it a squeeze it was fairly firm with no soft spots. When I put my nose to the wrapper I got a light aroma of leather with a light hay from the foot. After clipping it and taking a cold draw I got notes of sweetness with a fairly tight draw.
Flavor
It starts off with flavors of leather and wood with a slightly sweet finish. There was some spice but it wasn’t very intense. The cigar was firmly medium strength to start. I didn’t really note much change in flavor as I moved into the second third. The strength stayed the same. When I got into the final third I noted flavors of leather and wood with some cinnamon thrown in. The sweetness on the finish intensified as well.
Construction
I didn’t have any problems with burn, except it took a little doing to light up. The draw was overly tight and the smoke felt thin during the first two thirds. It did open up in the final third but not a lot.
Value
For a limited production from a small manufacturer the price isn’t that bad at all.
Conclusions
I think the draw definitely hampered my enjoyment of this cigar. I also think that it reminded me a lot of the Sobremesa (which I don’t care for & is one of Dave’s favorite cigars) also played into it. I’m not saying that either are bad cigars, just they don’t suit my taste. That’s the great thing about having so many choices is there is something for everyone. If you do like the Sobremesa I’d definitely tell you to get your hands on one or more to see what you think of it.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 1.5/2
Flavor: 3/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 7.5/10
