Cigar Info
The United Cigars YAYA was first shown off at last year’s (2022) PCA tradeshow in Las Vegas. After that initial launch which included a PCA exclusive size, the Short Robusto which we reviewed here and gave it a 90, the line was renamed YAYA Bagua. Yaya entered the United portfolio after its hometown launch in 2021 that then led to a branded lounge in owner Carlos Gonzalez’s home town of Santiago, Dominican Republic. The Yaya name has a rich history to the people of the Dominican Republic but an even deeper meaning to Carlos and his family. On his grandfather’s campo, an old lady would roll cigars and the grandchildren would sneak cigars from her. She was lovingly known as YAYA and now the memories that Carlos has of her live on trough the line.
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.
YAYA is rolled at the Tabacalera Magia factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic. It comes in four vitolas: Short Robusto (4 x 54), Robusto (5 x 52), Toro (6 x 54) and Gordo (6 x 60). All come in boxes of 15. The blend uses an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Dominican Cubano binder, and three Dominican tobaccos for filler. The prices of YAYA Bagua range from $8.99 to $10.99.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Factory: Tabacalera Magia
Blender: Undisclosed
Number of reviewers: 5 – Mickey T. (irratebass) John A. (Bostoneo) Alan (Eulogy) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf) Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Price: $9.00
Age: 6 Months
Release Date: September 2022
Contributed by: United Cigar
Initial Impressions – United Cigars YAYA Bagua Robusto
Appearance: 85
“There is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of appearance. The wrapper looks good with a medium-brown hue and soft feel. I do find a number of raised edges on the wrapper and the double cap is very uneven in its application.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Aroma: 88
“Things start off with an aroma of dry earth, leather and tobacco. The cigar is reminiscent of the old west.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
First Third
Flavor: 86
Strength: Mild-Medium
Body/Complexity: Light-Medium
“Fairly mild in flavor with a touch of sweetness from tobacco, gingerbread, mild white pepper, and mineral. It is fairly mild and probably something that I would reach for in the morning.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“Let’s light ‘r up! Bold roast and char notes start the show and begin to mellow out into an oak, vanilla, and leather medium bodied experience. This cigar feels a bit dense on the draw, meaning a bit tighter than I’d prefer, and an awkward burn begins as the line becomes quite wavy as the flakey ash falls on me. At times the flavors become a bit mineral intense, and then back off, as this third ends.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Second Third
Flavor: 86
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“Things get momentarily bland with printing paper, and this concerns me. Fortunately, it is short lived, and I get a nice transition of dry roasted peanuts and a gentle warmth of white pepper.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
“The second portion is slightly less harsh than the first with the oak developing a charred note that is reminiscent of a bourbon barrel. On the finish I still get the burnt cinnamon note along with a bit of saltiness. The flavors are unique but seem off balance.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
Final Third
Flavor: 81
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“A rather slow burning third begins as the draw tightens up a bit more. Dark stewed notes of figs and leather dominate the spectrum here as black pepper notes ramp up considerably as the flavors begins to become indistinguishable in the last couple inches.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“The punch of an espresso shot joins the fray. To balance things out, college ruled paper makes its return to ruin the day. Why couldn’t it be wide ruled? Oh well, moving on and hoping for the best.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Overall Impressions -United Cigars YAYA Bagua Robusto
Draw: 82
“A shallow v-cut gives off very little resistance for draw. One of two things is most likely going to happen for me now; much quicker smoke than I planned, or it gets too hot, and I’m rewarded with tar. Let’s hope I’m wrong.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Burn: 82
“The burn was wavy and got caught up going around some of the larger veins. At times this cigar would go out and needed babysat.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
Construction: 86
“It looked well made if you didn’t stare at it too long. The wrapper had raised edges and the double cap was off centered.” –Alan (Eulogy)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 83
“The cigar started out ok with cream, nuttiness and sweet tobacco, but after two relights it just wouldn’t light again, and I had to pitch it.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)
“Overall, this was an okay cigar for me. I’m not sure if I’d reach for a second given the issues I had with the burn, wavy and prone to going out, and draw, a bit tight but not unsmokable. The first third was the best with tasty oak, vanilla, and leather notes; however, it was a downward slope from there as the body and strength kicked up a few times throughout this session. Ultimately, this cigar ended with a muddled profile of sweetness and black pepper and eventually went out no matter how much it was stoked.” –John A. (Bostoneo)
“I really enjoyed how much the cigar transitioned from beginning to end in terms of strength and flavor. It did start out very mild even for a morning smoke and ended very heavy handed. It is a good cigar but it might be a bit light for an evening smoke or way too strong for a first cigar of the day.” –Alan (Eulogy)
“This was a rough one for me. The cigar started hot and rough and ended much the same. There were flashes of enjoyable flavors at times but they were quickly overwhelmed by heat and bitterness. Surprisingly the best parts were experienced through the nose versus the palate and that gave me hope and kept me going. Based on this sample I’ll be staying away from this one and would not recommend to a friend.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
“This cigar was just not doing it for me. The distraction of burn issues can usually be overlooked, if a cigar offers something interesting in the profile. This particular cigar, for me, was a letdown in the flavor side of things. Maybe I’m just on an episode of Punk’d and Ashton Kutcher is going to jump out from behind a tree. Probably not, but at least it’s done and over with.” –Doug S. (Unpossible_1)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 70
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Mickey T. | 85 | 85 | 85 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
| John A. | 85 | 87 | 87 | 85 | 80 | 80 | 78 | 80 | 82 |
| Alan | 90 | 90 | 92 | 92 | 95 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 92 |
| Jason H. | 85 | 90 | 85 | 85 | 82 | 85 | 92 | 87 | 82 |
| Doug S. | 85 | 85 | 85 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 78 | 85 | 82 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.