Muestra de Saka

Steve Saka developed The Bewitched as a deliberately beguiling liga—Ecuadorian Habano over a San Andrés negro binder with selected Nicaraguan/U.S. long fillers. It began life as an Owl Shop anniversary release and graduated into the regular Muestra rotation, shipped as a 6 5/8 x 48 prensado with a spiral colita and coffin packaging nodding to its origins. The wrapper’s dark, slightly oily surface and the binder’s savory backbone push flavor toward espresso and caramel, cedar through the midsection, and a restrained peppery baking‑spice on the finish. The pressed toro silhouette favors texture and balance over blunt force, aiming for an even draw and elongated burn line; a small number of sampled sticks have shown intermittent burn quirks. Overall, The Bewitched rewards measured puffs—coffee and caramel up front, cedar in the center, and a tempered spice that keeps the profile nuanced rather than aggressive.

The NLMTHA is an experimental, small‑batch lancero from the Muestra de Saka bench: a true 7 x 38 designed to test proportion and blending in a slim format. The lancero format tightens the airway and concentrates flavors, so cedar and tempered pepper read with a faster, more incisive delivery and transitions that feel brisker than larger vitolas. Where it succeeds the cigar rewards with a clean draw, fine smoke texture and a focused, almost clinical flavor line—sometimes with hints of cinnamon or light sweetness—while the lancero’s technical demands mean sample‑to‑sample variation in surface oil and finish can appear. It’s less about brute strength and more about precise, lancero‑scale expression.

Exclusivo was conceived as Saka’s inter‑regional Nicaraguan tribute: a toro that pulls filler leaf from all four major Nicaraguan growing areas and bales each component through extended aging before assembly. The result is a medium to medium‑plus smoke with a sweet cedar and cinnamon opening, a custardy, crème‑brûlée‑like midsection and a restrained pepper finish with toasted‑nut and citrus accents. When well made the cigar rewards patience with layered flavor and balance; early pressings drew some notes about uneven draw or burn, but the blend’s intent is clear—showcase aged, terroir‑forward Nicaraguan character rather than raw heat.

Krakatoa is an espresso‑leaning, small‑batch release from the Muestra stable, rolled as a single 6 x 48 vitola and presented in cedar coffins with a spiral colita cap. Built around a Grade A1 Ecuadorian Habano wrapper atop a Nicaraguan sungrown binder, the tripa mixes Broadleaf grit with Criollo and Corojo ligero to produce toasted cedar and coffee up front, an immediate baking‑spice/black‑pepper bite, and a heart of earth and cocoa balanced by salted‑nut accents. Strength sits in the medium lane with moments that push toward medium‑full; construction and burn are widely praised, and the blend emphasizes clean transitions—pepper and spice into coffee and chocolate, then cedar and tightening pepper late.

Nacatamale was built as a single‑farm demonstration—filler from one Jalapa farm handled to show depth and clarity without blending multiple regions. The cigar emphasizes texture: a silky, creamy cedar opening with a touch of cinnamon and developed sweetness that steadily gives way to black‑pepper spice and leather on the finish. Construction and presentation were treated with care—initial runs shipped in slide‑top coffins—and the blend’s intent is restraint: spice framed by cream and cedar rather than blunt force, a focused example of Jalapa character when processed deliberately.

Unstolen Valor stands out in the Muestra run as Raul Disla’s Nicaraguan puro: wrapper, binder and filler from Nicaragua, produced at NACSA and presented as a single 6 x 52 toro in its own coffin. The cigar is notable for a disciplined, layered pepper spine—moving from green peppercorn brightness into Tellicherry‑style black pepper and finishing with lighter white‑pepper notes—while a cedarlike sweetness, earth and occasional cocoa keep the spice controlled. Construction and finish are uniformly praised, yielding an even, balanced delivery that evolves rather than simply overwhelms.