United Cigars YAYA Short Robusto – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Just before the PCA trade show last year, United Cigars announced a new cigar: YAYA. In addition to the new line, they also announced a PCA exclusive size, the Short Robusto. This was the first time United Cigars attended PCA since 2019 and with an even bigger booth. YAYA was first officially sold in 2021 as a house blend for a United Cigars branded lounge owned by Carlos Guillermo. The blend was created for the lounge after three years of sampling tobaccos from the Cibao Valley with the goal of creating a blend that could appreciated at any time of the day.

Yaya is rolled at the Tabacalera Magia factory in Santiago. It is sold in four sizes: Short Robusto 4 x 54 (PCA Exclusive), Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 54) and Gordo (6 x 60). The cigars come in 15-count boxes and retail between $8.99 and $9.99. The blend for YAYA uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Dominican Cubano binder, and three Dominican fillers.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Rothschild
Length: 4″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera Magia
Blender: Undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 4 – Jai P. (Jai) Ryan H. (Ryan H.) Quinn (quinnpins269) Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Price: $8.99
Age: 8 Months
Release Date: September 2022
Contributed by: United Cigar

Initial Impressions – United Cigars YAYA Short Robusto

Appearance: 91

“Very nice looking reddish-brown wrapper with some noticeable veins and a bit of grit to it. The single cap was cleanly laid atop the cigar. The cigar felt to be well packed with no soft spots found.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

Aroma: 88

“The cigar smelled of dusty chocolate milk powder.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

First Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The cigar started off with a texture that I can only call chalky. It reminded me of grade school chalkboards, right when you’d walk into class as teachers were erasing the board. There was a taste of chocolate milk, which really helped seal the grade school vibes.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

“Pretty little guy we got here lit and warming up. Notes of dark coffee and chocolate with a small amount of tobacco, as well as some spice though the nose. The draw is open, just how I like it.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

Second Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“The strength of the cigar ramped up for me in the second third. I would consider it medium/full. Pushing closer to the full side of strength. The earthiness continued to be in the forefront, but I did start to pick up more mineral notes and pepper in the background of the creamy smoke of each draw.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

“The profile is unbelievably smooth. The second third has more coffee and less chocolate with fewer tobacco notes in the profile. The draw is very nice but burn is very flaky and difficult to manage.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

Final Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Leathery, peppery, woodsy, floral hints.” –Jai P. (Jai)

“Being this was a shorter cigar I did not expect there to be many changes between the thirds. The final third was very similar to the second when it came to the earthy and peppery notes being picked up. I did enjoy the second third so it was nice to continue that into the end of the review.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

Overall Impressions – United Cigars YAYA Short Robusto

Draw: 93

“The draw was very acceptable throughout the experience. I got just the right amount of resistance.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

Burn: 86

“The burn was really all over the place and required constant attention.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Construction: 92

“The bunch did have soft spots and likely contributed to the burn problems, but all other departments of construction were very good, nicely applied cap and tight seams.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 92

“Very bold cigar! With a lot of things going on, I was captivated with each puff. It started with some leather and oaky notes on top of a pepper base. The second third introduced some floral notes adding not only to the flavor, but the aroma of the cigar. All these flavors wrapped up nicely for a very tasty smoke.” –Jai P. (Jai)

“I loved the profile, who doesn’t like coffee very manageable amount of spice and chocolate? The draw was very good and contributed a lot to my enjoyment.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

“I would happily smoke this cigar again. The strength by the end was noticeable but enjoyable. I am on the slower side of smoking time but I felt that it was a nice slow burner as well, never needed to relight either. Solid forty-five-minute smoke for me.” –Quinn (quinnpins269)

“The first third of the cigar was decent albeit be in a bit mild in body. But once you got past that it was clear that the tobaccos in the cigar were not ready. The harshness and taste of ammonia made it quite clear that there was not complete fermentation of the tobaccos used in the cigar. This is a fundamental failure. It is not a cigar I could ever recommend or even consider smoking.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 45

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

United Cigars YAYA Short Robusto – Blind Cigar Review