This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Unstolen Valor is actually blended by Raul Disla, the production manager at Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA) in Estelí, the factory that makes his Mi Querida, Mi Querida Triqui Traca, and Umbagog lines. Mi Querida Triqui Traca took our #1 cigar of the year on our Top 25 list for 2019. This is actually the first Muestra de Saka not to be rolled at Fabrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua S.A. The story goes that Steve Saka asked Disla to come up with a collection of his favorite personal blends. Saka fell in love with this blend and asked asked Disla for it to be a part of the Muestra de Saka line. The name “Unstolen Valor” refers to the fact that Steve does not want to take credit for blending the cigar. It only comes in one size, a 6 x 52 Toro and the blend is a Nicaraguan puro. Other cigars in the Muestra de Saka line include: Exclusivo, Nacatamale, Unicorn, #NLMTHA.
Flavor: 90 Strength: Medium Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Very strong notes of baking cocoa, very slight earth.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“Initial light brings a mouthful of smoke that follows a smooth easy draw. Strong body, medium finish. The draw leaves a dry mouth feel. I’m picking up baking cabinet spices, roasted coffee bean, creamy texture, burnt dried wood bark, and a sweet cayenne pepper.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Second Third
Flavor: 91 Strength: Medium-Strong Body/Complexity: Full
“The second third brought what I consider a wonderful transition in both flavor and body. The body brought on a substantial increase which I found a lot more alluring. The retrohale finally had something to it. It was fairly woody with just a hint of green peppercorn. The flavors were still in the earthy category but absence of the minerals note at the beginning. Leather and wood were the main flavor components, but there were plenty of others like an array of kitchen spices; some cumin and paprika. It was the beginning of this section that found me loving this cigar and not wanting to put it down.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“Into the second third, the cayenne and burnt tree bark has dissipated, however the mouth feel of the smoke is full of the baking spices, citrus, and a butterscotch-y cream. Nice retrohale by the way.” –Randy B. (randobush)
“Ended strong just like it began roasted flavors stayed all the way through and at times going into a dark pretzel taste. Again, would get this strong blast of sweetness off the wrapper which was interesting.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
“Final third has some citrus lingering and heavy baking spices still. Not digging the feel left on the tongue during the final third, reminiscent of licking a dirty ashtray. Retrohale remains pleasant throughout ” –Randy B. (randobush)
Overall Impressions
Draw: 94
“Using my typical v-cut, this cigar gave an impeccable draw.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Burn: 88
“Good even burn, no touch-ups.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
Construction: 93
“I could find nothing to fault with the construction. It looked and felt wonderful, and the smoking experience pretty much matched that appearance.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
Overall Strength: Medium-Strong Overall Body/Complexity: Full Experience Overall: 92
“Very good full smoke. Excellent roasted flavor mixed with pepper and a nice sweetness at times. If you like full-bodied smokes I would recommend this one.” –Jake P. (Jake P.)
“I would have given this cigar a ‘very good’, but the last end, you got that odd chemical flavor. Over all it was a good experience, flavors were good, a bit one note however. Another observation was that it seemed to coat my mouth. Kind of an odd feeling. Other than that, it burned great, had a nice solid dark gray ash, the draw was great, it was on the mild side, I think it would work great with a morning coffee.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“While I wasn’t all that impressed with this cigar at the beginning it really came to life in the second third. Once that happened I was really into the cigar. The transition into the second third came rapidly, and I’m sure my expression and happiness at that time was visible to anyone around. Even thirty minutes after smoking this cigar, the remains were still felt and tasted on my lips, and I was pretty darn close to heaven. This is something I can easily place into my rotation. And man does it burn for a long time.” –Isaac M. (The Nothing)
“This is a good cigar overall. I would smoke it anytime, but not necessarily crave it like I do some cigars.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Blind Cigar Review: Dunbarton T&T | Muestra de Saka Unstolen Valor
Summary
"While I wasn't all that impressed with this cigar at the beginning it really came to life in the second third. Once that happened I was really into the cigar. The transition into the second third came rapidly, and I'm sure my expression and happiness at that time was visible to anyone around. Even thirty minutes after smoking this cigar, the remains were still felt and tasted on my lips, and I was pretty darn close to heaven. This is something I can easily place into my rotation. And man does it burn for a long time." -Isaac M. (The Nothing)
