Muestra de Saka, Sampling Greatness

Muestra de Saka, Sampling Greatness

Quite a few years back, I had a mentor who helped me progress in my young career. Whenever I completed a project or looked for advice on a decision, he would always ask me one question. Would you put your name on it? For me to say yes, I had to be absolutely sure that the project or decision was near perfect. Putting your name on a product is much more than just a label. It is usually associated with great work, skill or precision. But for others to associate a product and a name as great, the name has to mean something. Steve Saka in the cigar industry is one of those names you associate with good cigars. Today I’ve got the Muestra de Saka, translated in English as “Sample of Saka”. This cigar uses filler tobaccos from all four of the primary growing regions of Nicaragua: Jalapa, Condega, Ometepe, and Esteli. I’ll be smoking the Nacatamale 6×48 size. The coffee brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is nicely oiled with some visible flat veins a twist fin cap and a yellow band on the foot. The cold draw is semi-sweet chocolate, coffee and woods. Off the foot, you get a nice dose of chocolate, cedar, cream and a hint of spice. An inch in the flavors begin to harmonize, giving us a smooth rich chocolate, creamy cedar, hint of coffee and soft black pepper. The retrohale is a very pleasant spicy chocolate. In the middle portion of this cigar, the chocolate and cedar compete for the dominate flavor while almonds, pepper and a splash of coffee provide great support to this flavor profile. Into the final third, the pepper starts to build just a bit but not enough to overpower the smooth complex profile. The final puff was excellent with no bitterness or bite. The Maestro de Saka starts medium and builds medium plus to full in body. The burn is great and the draw provided plenty of smoke. This cigar was delightfully different than I expected. The profile provided a great smoking experience and the flavor was unbelievable for a cigar with such body. With the Muestra de Saka being a limited run, I’d advise you to stock up on this one. This is a great occasion smoke, any day smoke or all the time smoke. Because of the bold flavors and complex blend, the possibilities for pairings are endless. If you are looking for a sit back with your feet up and relaxing experience, look no further than the Muestra de Saka and enjoy the Goodlife…

– David Harvey