Muestra de Saka The Bewitched Cigar Review: A New World Masterpiece from Steve Saka
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Overview
A departure from our Cuban series, but an essential one. The Muestra de Saka "The Bewitched" is a boutique, small-batch cigar from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, the acclaimed Nicaragua-based operation founded by industry legend Steve Saka — former president of Drew Estate and one of the most respected blenders in the modern cigar world. The Muestra de Saka line (Spanish for "sample" or "showing") represents Saka's most personal and experimental work: ultra-limited releases blended without commercial compromise, produced in tiny quantities, and distributed almost exclusively through specialist retailers. The Bewitched is among the most celebrated releases in the line — a full-bodied Nicaraguan puro of extraordinary complexity that has earned near-universal acclaim from the cigar press and aficionado community alike. This is not a cigar you stumble upon. It is a cigar you seek out — and the search is absolutely worth it.
Cigar Profile
- Origin: Nicaragua
- Manufacturer: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust (Steve Saka)
- Factory: NACSA, Estelí, Nicaragua
- Format: Toro (52 ring gauge × 6" length)
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro (San Andrés-style, dark and oily)
- Binder: Nicaraguan Jalapa
- Filler: Nicaraguan Estelí, Jalapa, Condega
- Strength: Full
- Smoking Time: 75–90 minutes
Tasting Notes
First Third
The Bewitched opens with a cold draw that immediately signals something exceptional: dark chocolate, espresso, dried black cherry, and a deep, almost jammy dark fruit sweetness that is distinctly Nicaraguan in character. Once lit, the first third delivers a bold, confident opening: roasted coffee, dark cocoa, leather, cedar, and a pronounced black pepper spice on the retrohale that announces the cigar's full-bodied intentions without apology. The draw is perfect — open, cool, and generous. The construction is flawless.
Second Third
The mid-section is where The Bewitched earns its name and its reputation. The complexity is genuinely bewitching: dark plum, fig, bitter chocolate, roasted nuts, charred oak, dried herbs, and a developing cinnamon and baking spice that weaves through the profile with remarkable persistence. There is a natural sweetness — almost like dark treacle or molasses — that provides a counterpoint to the cigar's considerable strength and keeps the experience balanced and engaging. The burn is razor-sharp, the ash dense and pale, holding in long, impressive columns that speak to the quality of the leaf and the precision of the rolling.
Final Third
The final third is a sustained, powerful crescendo. Tar-dark espresso, dark chocolate, charred cedar, black pepper, dried dark fruit, and a long, warming spiced finish that lingers on the palate for an extraordinary length of time after the last draw. Strength is unambiguously full by the close — this is a cigar that demands respect and rewards it in equal measure. One of the finest final thirds of any cigar, Cuban or New World, that we have reviewed in this series.
Scores
| Category | Score (out of 10) |
|---|---|
| 🌿 Construction & Draw | 10/10 |
| 🔥 Burn & Ash | 10/10 |
| 👃 Aroma | 10/10 |
| 👅 Flavour Complexity | 10/10 |
| 💷 Value for Money | 7.5/10 |
| ⭐ Overall | 96/100 |
Note: The Muestra de Saka The Bewitched is rated for experienced smokers only. Its full-strength profile and intense complexity are not recommended for those new to premium cigars. Value for money reflects its boutique, ultra-limited pricing — the quality fully justifies the cost for those who can find it.
Recommended Pairings
🥃 Bourbon Pairing
The Muestra de Saka The Bewitched is the most complex and highest-rated cigar in our entire review series — Cuban or otherwise — and it demands a bourbon of absolute distinction. Our definitive pairing is William Larue Weller (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection) — a wheated, unfiltered, cask-strength bourbon of legendary status with a profile of dark caramel, dried dark fruit, vanilla, toasted oak, and a warming spice that mirrors The Bewitched's own extraordinary depth with remarkable precision. The wheated mash bill's natural sweetness provides a beautiful counterpoint to the cigar's bold Nicaraguan pepper and dark chocolate intensity, creating a pairing of genuine world-class status.
For an equally outstanding but more accessible alternative, Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year or Booker's Bourbon will both stand up magnificently to The Bewitched's full-bodied power. For those who prefer a high-rye profile, George T. Stagg is a thrilling match — two titans of their respective crafts in direct conversation.
🥃 Scotch Whisky Pairing (Bonus)
The Bewitched's dark fruit, chocolate, and spice profile makes it a natural companion for a heavily sherried Glenfarclas 25 Year or a GlenDronach 18 Year Allardice — both Oloroso sherry-matured Speyside malts whose dried fruit, chocolate, and oak character harmonise with the cigar's Nicaraguan complexity in a deeply satisfying way. For the peat lovers, a Lagavulin 16 Year is a bold and thrilling alternative — smoke meeting smoke at the highest level.
☕ Non-Alcoholic Pairing
Only the finest, most intense coffee will do: a Yemen Mocha single-origin espresso or a cold brew concentrate from a dark-roasted Guatemalan or Sumatran bean — both have the natural chocolate, dried fruit, and earthy depth to keep pace with The Bewitched's extraordinary flavour profile. A rich dark hot chocolate made with 90% cacao, a pinch of cayenne, and a touch of sea salt is an indulgent and surprisingly effective companion for the final third.
🍫 Snack Pairing
Single-origin Madagascan dark chocolate (85%+) with its distinctive red fruit and intense cocoa character is the natural companion for The Bewitched's dark fruit and chocolate profile. A small glass of vintage Oloroso sherry or a 20-year Tawny Port alongside the final third elevates the experience to something genuinely extraordinary. For a savoury option, aged Manchego with a drizzle of dark truffle honey is a bold and rewarding pairing.
Suggested Occasion
The Muestra de Saka The Bewitched is a cigar for the rarest and most significant of occasions — not because it is merely expensive or prestigious, but because its complexity and intensity demand the time, attention, and setting that only the most special moments provide. A landmark personal milestone, a once-in-a-decade celebration, or simply an evening set aside specifically to experience one of the finest cigars the New World has ever produced — these are the occasions The Bewitched was made for.
It is also the ultimate cigar for the collector and connoisseur who has explored the full breadth of the Habanos catalogue and is ready to discover what Nicaragua's finest tobacco, in the hands of one of the world's greatest blenders, can achieve. The Muestra de Saka line occupies a unique position in the premium cigar world — boutique, uncompromising, and produced without regard for commercial convention. Smoking The Bewitched is an education as much as a pleasure.
For gifting, the Muestra de Saka The Bewitched is the ultimate statement piece for the most serious aficionado in your life. Its rarity, its reputation, and the story of Steve Saka's uncompromising vision make it a gift with genuine meaning and weight. Pair with a bottle of William Larue Weller or Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year for a gift combination of almost mythical status among bourbon and cigar enthusiasts alike.
Cuban vs. New World: A Note
The Muestra de Saka The Bewitched sits outside our Cuban review series, but its inclusion here is deliberate and important. The finest New World cigars — and The Bewitched is unquestionably among them — do not merely compete with the great Habanos; they offer a genuinely different and equally rewarding experience. Where Cuban cigars tend toward elegance, restraint, and a terroir-driven subtlety, the finest Nicaraguan cigars like The Bewitched offer a bolder, more muscular complexity that is entirely their own. Both traditions deserve a place in every serious humidor.
Final Verdict
The Muestra de Saka The Bewitched is the highest-rated cigar in our entire review series — Cuban or New World. It is a cigar of extraordinary construction, breathtaking complexity, and a flavour profile that evolves and rewards across its full 75–90 minute smoking time in a way that very few cigars, from any country, can match. Steve Saka has created something genuinely special here — a cigar that lives up to its name in every possible sense. Seek it out. Clear your evening. Pour something exceptional. And prepare to be bewitched.
Rated 96/100 — Masterpiece. The Highest-Rated Cigar in Our Series. Essential.