Skip Martin and his team at RoMa Craft Tobac introduced a new cigar at this years PCA trade show. The Baka is the first time RoMa craft has used Cameroon wrapper on one of their cigars, so it was fitting to name this after the Baka people, a small indigenous tribe that lives in the southeast rainforests of Cameroon. Skip actually was teasing all of the cigar social media about this cigar as far back as March of 2019 and it is safe to say it was creating a lot of buzz in the cigar world.
I knew before the year was out, I would have to pick one of these up to review. So the other day I did just that and purchased one of the two vitolas, a Baka Bantu, at Executive Cigar Shop and Lounge here in downtown Melbourne, FL. The initial release has only two vitolas and they come packaged in 24-count boxes.
- Pygmy (4 x 46) MSRP $9.25
- Bantu (4 x 52) MSRP $9.95
RoMa Craft was showcasing the full line at the show which will eventually include a full portfolio of 8 vitolas including:
- Ota Benga (4.5 x 60) MSRP $10.60
- Poki (5 x 50) MSRP $10.45
- Acephalous (5 x 56) MSRP $11.50
- Jengi (5.75 x 46) MSRP $11.40
- Hunter Gatherer (6 x 54) MSRP $12.70
Skip explained to me the reason for the limited introduction was due to the availability of leaf, so they only had enough to offer the Baka in two vitolas for 2019 (Pygmy and Bantu)
The RoMa Craft Baka has a blend described as:
- Wrapper – African Cameroon
- Binder – Undisclosed
- Filler – Undisclosed
Pre-Light Examination
The RoMa Craft Tobac Baka Bantu is a short and stout cigar that has a medium-dark brown wrapper with a pleasant marbling, some decent tooth, and is light on veins. The cigar is solid in the hand with no soft spots detected along the barrel. It is finished with a triple cap.
Initially it looks like there is one band that adorns the Baka, but when removing it you discover it actually two bands. The outer band is fire brick red with the word “BAKA” written in a a unique font. Once you remove that band, there is a white band behind that has the RoMa Craft logo pressed into it.
Running the Baka across the nose, my aroma sensors picked up a mild sweet curing barn aroma along the barrel and baking spice notes off the foot.
I sliced the cap right at the shoulder of the cigar and proceeded to give it some cold draw puffs, that had a perfect restriction in my book and offered subtle notes of earth and pepper.
With this being the first cigar of the day it was time to fire up the Baka and turn it ash. I used a single flame Bic Lighter (this is what Skip uses a lot he told me) and warmed the foot which took nicely to the heat. I drew in the first puffs of what I would say was a light peppery note.
Cigar Review Notes
- First light was peppery especially on the nose
- Pepper pulls back and gives way to a natural sweetness
- Solid light grey ash develops on a bit of a jagged and thick char line
- Mild cocoa powder nuance enters after a half inch
- Full volume of palate filling smoke
- Burns hot to the touch
- Burn hole develops in the barrel
- Ash fell revealing a off centered burn cone
- Nutty aroma
- Touch of cinnamon enters midway
- Vanilla notes grace the palate moving through the second half
- The burn eventually found its way
- Peppery spice starts to grow near the final
- Medium plus in strength
- Total Smoking Time was 50 Minutes
Overall, the RoMa Craft Baka Bantu was a decent short smoke (50 minutes). The flavors were enticing in the early part of the cigar with pepper, sweetness, and cocoa keeping it interesting. As it transitioned through the midway point it added to the sensation with a nutty aroma and cinnamon and vanilla working together on the palate. It had a tendency to burn hot to the touch. The burn, early on, developed a burn hole through the wrapper. This is a cigar I may pick up again and I am certainly looking to see what some of the larger vitolas have to offer. I rate this a 89.
Point Deductions: (-2) Burn Hole in Wrapper, (-1) Off Burn; (-1) Off Centered Burn Cone; (-2) Burned hot to the Touch; (-1) May Buy One Again
