Muestra de Saka The Bewitched

During the last couple of years, there have been two new Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust releases that started as exclusive releases created for a retailer’s major anniversary and then went on to get a widespread, nationwide release.

One of those cigars is the Mi Querida Black SakaKhan, which was originally released as an exclusive for JR Cigar in celebration of the retailer’s 50th anniversary. The other is the Muestra de Saka The Bewitched, a blend that was originally released as the Owl Shop 75th Anniversary cigar.

The Bewitched is a 6 5/8 x 48 box-pressed parejo with an Ecuadorian habano wrapper over a Mexican San Andrés “Cultivo Tonto” negro binder and fillers from Nicaragua and the United States.

“For those of you who know Zack (Photakis) and his shop, please know we do so with his blessing,” said Steve Saka, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s founder, in a press release. “In fact, he is the one who said this cigar was too good to not share it with our other accounts, so please thank him on my behalf. I was ecstatic that Zack blessed my crafting more because from the moment I finished this liga I was spellbound by it, so much so I decided we would call the release ‘The Bewitched’ because of how it so captivated my own palate: So intricate, so harmonious, so refined, so difficult to define, yet so difficult to ignore. Everyone I smoked made me want to smoke another.”

Here’s what I said when I reviewed the cigar in August 2022:

I definitely don’t think of Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust as a company that struggles with construction, but the three Muestra de Saka The Bewitched cigars I smoked had their issues. The best sample managed to make it halfway through the cigar before the burn issues started to become more common, though the other two had more problems staying lit. Even with me trying to keep a very deliberate smoking pace, each cigar went out at least once in the second half. At times, the flavors were very developed and enjoyable, but there were plenty of puffs where it felt like the flavors were being muted in a way that is similar to a cigar that is burning too hot. Yet, after each puff where I noticed this, I’d look at the cigar to see if the ash was bright red—it wasn’t—and I’d pay attention to the temperature of the smoke, it was normal. I’m curious to know if some time in the humidor will help to work through these issues, but as of now, I feel like I haven’t gotten anywhere close to what the complete profile of The Bewitched is supposed to be.

• Cigar Reviewed: Muestra de Saka The Bewitched
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A.
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano)
• Binder: Mexico (Cultivo Tonto San Andrés Negro)
• Filler: Nicaragua & U.S.A.
• Length: 6 5/8 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 48
• Vitola: Toro Extra
• MSRP: $19.75 (Box of 7, $138.25)
• Release Date: June 8, 2022
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Redux: 1

This particular The Bewitched was put in my redux box once I completed the original review last August. It’s been stored in the coffin, meaning the cigar itself hasn’t seen any light in more than a year. I bring that up because the cellophane looks like it could be a new cigar. I had forgotten how aggressive the box press is for this cigar. There’s an above-average amount of veins, but I find the flat planes of the cigar to be so distracting that I don’t really notice the veins. The aroma from the wrapper is medium-full and has some smells of paint along with creaminess, a scent that reminds me of a bag of beef jerky and the scent of Fruit Roll-Ups. The foot is also medium-full in intensity, though it smells very different. There’s a burning charcoal scent that reminds me of going to a cookout, along with some brown sugar sweetness that accents it, but the foot smells like a one-two punch. Cold draws are medium-plus with apple cider over leather, white pepper, apple and some vinegar-like accents. It’s medium-full in intensity with a slightly open draw.

The Bewitched starts with toastiness, crackers, creaminess and rice flavors before saltiness, citrus, mineral flavors and white pepper emerge during the finish. It’s an impressive enough opening, simultaneously telling me that the flavors are mature and that the cigar has plenty of life left. About 20 minutes in, I’m completely caught off guard when a chunk of ash falls with me barely a half-inch into the cigar. Dry crackers and creaminess lead the main flavor through the first part, though I find that eventually gets replaced by something that reminds me of a latte: coffee, creaminess, and some burnt flavors. There’s a mild amount of white pepper and some saltiness, though both are restrained. The finish has leather and mineral-laden earthiness over some brown sugar sweetness, bread, black pepper and starchiness. Retrohales have popcorn, saltiness and a palate-cleaning-like sharpness, almost like the tingling of some horseradish. After the smoke has left my nostrils, I tend to find a much sharper profile with corn whiskey flavors coming through. Flavor is medium-full, body is medium-full and strength is medium-plus. Outside of the ash continuing to fall a bit early, the cigar does fairly well with construction. The draw is a bit open, and I’m forced to make one touch-up to help with combustion, but the issues are more annoyances than problems.

Around the halfway mark, I notice that the strength is starting to hit me. It seemed like it ramped up shortly after the end of the first third, but it didn’t seem to gain that much intensity after that. A lot of the latte-like elements of the profile are there, though the saltiness is playing a much larger now compared to before. Secondary notes include earthiness, bourbon and some mineral flavors. The finish is smoother and starchier with nuttiness, bamboo shoots, hay and black pepper. Retraohaling seems to reduce the impact of the creaminess, allowing for nuttiness, some pizza crust-like bread, earthiness and an oily salami flavor. The finish is much sweeter thanks to an uptick of caramel, which joins earthiness and creaminess. Flavor peaks at full shortly after the halfway mark, before dropping back down to medium-full. Body and strength also peak at full during the second half. Multiple touch-ups are needed to help with both smoke production and the evenness of the burn.