Pre-light Experience

The cigar comes packaged in an individual cedar coffin, so that’s the first thing you’ll notice. In regards to the cigar itself, the wrapper is medium brown with a few raised veins. The seams are very smooth and nearly invisible. The cap appears to be a double with the top one finished off with a very short twist. There is a foot band that is yellow ribbon that has the line name in red and black. The aroma from the wrapper is a smoky (Mesquite?) and slightly damp wood note. The aroma from the foot is very much the same. The pre-light draw is a light mixture of leather and hay with a mild spicy tingle on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Muestra de Saka Nacatamale has a nice oily sheen to the Colorado Maduro wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, uniformed bunch and roll and head finished off with a thick double cap. Aromas from the wrapper give damp earth and rich cedar. Foot aromas provides white pepper, rich nuts, cedar and jammed stone fruits. Cold draw reveals white pepper on the tip of the tongue, hay, cedar and nuts.

First Third

The cigar begins with a heavy wood note that is paired with a spicy cinnamon. At three quarters of an inch in, the cinnamon has eased up on the spice level slightly, but it is still pretty full force on the retrohale along with the wood. After a few more draws, that smoky wood component I was getting from the pre-light aroma is making itself known. At an inch and a quarter, the cinnamon has really dropped back and is very mellow in the background while the smoky wood is dominant up front. The smoke has a nice chewiness to it. The strength in this third was right at medium.

First Third

Initial flavors bring forth heavy cedar and cinnamon. Spice in the sense of more conventional dry white pepper spice shows roughly half an inch in namely on the rear palate. At the same time, other notes of dried nuts and slightly gritty dry earth comes through. Retrohaling gives deeper notes of cinnamon and sharp cedar. The finish is comprised of lingering cedar and white pepper on the rear palate. Strength is hovering around medium-full and body medium.

Second Third

The second third begins with the smoky wood note along with a slight creaminess. At a half inch in, a slight coffee note joins in with the smoky wood and creaminess. At an inch in, there were a few draws that brought a cherry sweetness, but it was short lived. At an inch and a half, the coffee has left and some ashiness joins the profile of smoky wood and cream. The strength in this third was slightly above medium.

Second Third

The second third still is wood and spice forward with cedar and cinnamon up front. The profile also becomes grittier, tasting increased levels of gritty earthiness. The finish, in addition to the lingering cedar and white pepper, also picks up the cinnamon spice. Strength moves to a consistent medium-full, while body stays medium.

Final Third

In the final third, the smoky wood notes continues to be up front along with some creaminess in the background. At a quarter inch in, some wood bitterness joins in. At an inch in, things heat up a bit bringing some mintiness to the profile. The cigar finishes out with this same profile of smoky wood with a little cream and some mintiness, The strength in this final third was medium-full.

Final Third

The last third loses out on some complexities such that the profile is now namely a medium-full and medium spicy cinnamon, dry wood, and dry gritty earth. The spice level also permeates through the retrohale, providing fairly intense white pepper but also nice nuts and bread notes.

Burn

The burn was slightly wavy the entire way. The cigar went out on me once in the first third and required a re-light. The ash held on in about one inch increments.

Burn

Perfection in every way. Slow and cool burn, razor sharp burn, solid ash marks. Picture perfect.

Draw

The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.

Overall

This was my first experience with a Muestra de Saka, and I can see how it fits within the portfolio. Lots of smoky wood throughout with a nice cinnamon component in the first third. I would have liked the cinnamon to have soldiered on longer, but that wasn’t the case. In the second third, the cigar became a bit more linear in flavor. Construction was pretty good aside from a re-light. The strength was medium to medium-full the entire way, so more experienced smokers would probably be a better fit for this one. It’s a cigar worth tracking down, though I wouldn’t see this being my preferred choice from the brand as the Sobremesa still holds that place for me.

Draw

Again, perfection in every way. The ideal resistance and airflow.

Overall

My overall impression of the Muestra de Saka Nacatamale is that it is a familiar Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust flavor profile centered around deep spice and earthiness with nothing short of amazing construction. But the cigar lacks sweetness and other notes that I have become familiar and somewhat expectant of (such as chocolate). If the cigar had more depth in those named items, I believe the profile would be more rounded without being so spice and earth forward. But hey, Saka probably already sold out of these.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.47

Cost/Point

$2.47

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$2.34

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Muestra de Saka Nacatamale