Baka Yelli

In September 2022, The Humidour Cigar Shoppe in Cockeysville, Md. celebrated its 25th anniversary and it did so with a limited edition cigar from RoMa Craft Tobac.

The Baka Yelli is a 6 x 54 box-pressed toro that comes with a price of $15.99 per cigar or $142.37 for a box of 10 cigars, thanks to a 10 percent discount. Production is limited to 500 boxes of 10 cigars.

Like the regular production sizes of the Baka line, the Yelli uses a Cameroon wrapper, a binder of undisclosed origin, and filler tobaccos that come from the Jamastran Valley in Honduras, along with additional fillers of undisclosed origin.

“We have achieved this milestone through the hard work and dedication of our sales associate, who exhibit extraordinary customer service,” said Finnie Helmuth, president of The Humidour Shoppe, in a press release. “We have committed ourselves to 25 years of the ultimate cigar experience offering an incredible selection, first-class customer service, knowledgeable staff, and welcoming smoking lounges. Throughout 2022, we will be taking a look at where we started, what we have achieved, and what our plans are for the future. This is truly a milestone to celebrate.”

The Baka line was first announced in March 2019, when RoMa Craft Tobac announced that it would release the line at the 2019 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, an event known now known as the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Convention & Trade Show. It did just that, showing off seven sizes, though only one would be released at first, with the Baka Bantu shipping in mid-October of that year. In September 2020, the company added the Baka Gran Perfecto by way of a sampler called El Catador de Los Gran Perfectos. That size would then be added as a regular release in August 2021.

The Yelli is the ninth size to be released for the Baka line, as well as the first store exclusive vitola.

The Baka line gets its name from an ethnic group of people that live in the southeastern rainforests of Cameroon.

• Cigar Reviewed: Baka Yelli
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos NicaSueño S.A.
• Wrapper: Cameroon
• Binder: Undisclosed
• Filler: Honduras (Jamastran) & Undisclosed
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Vitola: Toro
• MSRP: $15.89 (Box of 10, $142.37)
• Release Date: Sept. 23, 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: 500 Boxes of 10 Cigars (5,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Thanks to a fine grit from some toothiness, the wrappers on the first and third Baka Yellis that I light up have a ton of texture to them, while the second cigar’s wrapper doesn’t have that same texture and feels like it has a slightly oily slickness to it. In terms of color, the wrapper is a reddish-brown with some mottling that shows by way of slightly darker spots that reveal themselves with some rotation of the cigar to catch different angles of the light. The veins that the leaf has are small and noticeable but not obtrusive, particularly when they get hidden on the back of the cigar. The cigar has a very clean, crisp press and typical box-pressed firmness, meaning it has some give front-to-back, though given that this is a Cameroon wrapper, I’m not squeezing too hard in hopes of damaging what is generally a very fragile leaf. The aroma from the foot isn’t as dynamic as I would have thought, as it reminds me of glazed, Old Fashioned donuts with a bit of pepper on the very tail end of the finish. The more I explore it, the smell does get a bit deeper and opens up its sweetness just a bit but doesn’t veer off into one direction. Across the three cigars I get a bit more of a sugar glaze in one cigar and red apple in the other two. The cold draw on the first cigar is fairly loose with air facing little restriction or obstruction, so much so that it makes me pause out of a bit of shock. The other two cigars are better, either pretty ideal or just a touch open. Like the aroma, the flavor is fairly mild, with a very light flavor of dry leaves and a bit of wood that can trigger thoughts of dry lumber or slightly damp cedar.

The Baka Yelli starts out with a dry profile and, in the first cigar, an open draw that almost commands my attention more than the flavor. Subsequent puffs have a lighter earthiness and more sprinkles of light black pepper, the latter of which really spreads out over my palate in terms of how it coats the taste buds and elicits a unique reaction from the senses. Where the cigar really shines is when it gets the creaminess going early on, softening the smoke and providing a bit of dairy sweetness without sacrificing the other components. After the first clump of ash drops off, I get the first bit of sweetness by way of a light apple cider flavor, which when followed up by a much more peppery retrohale makes for an interesting and enjoyable combination. It’s likely what I would call the first venture into the typical flavors that one would expect from Cameroon, though that first step is a fairly small one. In one sample, it seems like retrohales help to bring out and increase the intensity of the spicier aspects of the blend, and it’s that cigar I find to be the most enjoyable. Flavor is in the medium to medium-full range depending on the sample, the body feels medium and occasionally a bit thin for my liking, while strength is mild thus far. Construction and combustion thus far are both great.

In one of the three cigars, it is in the finish of the puffs at the start of the second third where I begin to get just a bit of the spicy tingle that I associate from Cameroon-wrapped cigars, coming as the cigar rests and my taste buds process the lingering flavor. A retrohale not long after that observation reveals that the peppery aspect has undergone a change that shifts it into a spicier expression, with a bit of red pepper tingle and heat resulting in the process. Counterbalancing the spiciness is a dry creaminess, a flavor that isn’t quite as lush or sweet as typical creamy flavors, but it seems to have the same basic effect on texture of the smoke. Beyond that I find both dry wood and dry earth joining the profile, both of which suggest the Honduran fillers are having a fairly decent effect on flavor, though it’s in only one cigar where I find it clearly enough to realize just what might be contributing those flavors. The back half of the cigar tees off with lots of bright pepper in the nose, with retrohales lighting up seemingly every olfactory nerve I have. There’s also a bit of creaminess surrounding that pepper both through the nose and on the palate, enough to soften but not mute what should be one of the key flavors of the profile. One final change in this section sees the nicotine level kick up a bit, as I can feel a bit of strength coming from the cigar as it gets ready to get into the final third. Flavor and body are both medium-full, while strength is now medium-plus and increasing. Construction is very good and problem-free.

The final third continues with a steady combination of dry woods and black pepper, both of which impart a lingering finish on the tongue and just into the back of the throat. The spicy sensation also continues more in certain cigars than it does others, though the one with the loosest draw doesn’t show the same sensation, leading me to wonder how much the draw might be affecting the profile. Retrohales continue to be the spot to find the best expression of the spiciness, which can seem to be even more complex and nuanced now than it has been to this point. It can also reach levels that would have me peg it as one of the spicier Cameroon-wrapped cigars I have smoked, leaving a lingering tingle that I often associate with spicier foods. That spiciness can turn into a bit of heat at times, making the profile a bit sharper and tougher to enjoy. Some slower puffing can help mitigate that as well as stretching out the smoking time without causing the cigar to go out and need relighting. Flavor is medium-full if not outright full, body is medium-full, and strength creeps up to medium or medium-plus. Smoke production is abundant in the final third, with puffs producing thick, light gray clouds of smoke.

Final Notes

• I have generally liked the clean, fairly minimalist look and subtle embossing of Roma Craft Tobac’s bands, and this is no exception. The secondary band also shows a clean, minimalist look.
• That said, these bands can be tough to remove, seemingly due to the way the adhesive soaks into the paper just enough. Sometimes they slide off, other times I find myself trying to pick up any corner enough to latch onto, all while not trying to damage the wrapper.
• The primary band is actually two bands, and once the red Baka band is removed, a silver star on the main white band is revealed.
• Finnie Helmuth of The Humidour Cigar Shoppe previously served as the president of the IPCPR Board of Directors.
• Only one of the three cigars registered on my nicotine strength scale, though not enough to have me looking for white sugar to neutralize the effects.
• I wish that the draw on the cigar had been better, as I wonder if it would have positively affected the flavor. It also sped up the smoking time a bit, which I don’t think is great for any cigar.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was one hour and 40 minutes on average.
• The Baka Yelli is available exclusively at The Humidour Cigar Shoppe in Cockeysville, Md.