This is our 4th cigar review of a Tabac Trading Co. product. Today we feature the company’s Saciar cigar. Patrick Potter of Tabac Trading Co. describes the Saciar offering as:
“Saciar: (English: To Saciate) Is one of the more unique blends offered by Tabac Trading Company. Blended by Patrick Potter under the supervision of Guillermo Pena of La Perla Tabaclera in Esteli, Nicaragua. Originally dubbed TABAC Blend #18, the same Saciar was chosen purely because of the effect produced from this cigar. Everyone who tested this cigar reported experiencing the oddest thing, a sense of satiety.”
If you missed Patrick on the Taking It To The Nub show, you can watch it here. It was a great show and you can see the man behind these beautiful cigars.
Available in a single 5.5 x 56 vitola, the Saciar blend is a closely guarded secret of Patrick Potter. All we know is has no ligero in the blend. Patrick notes that he replaced the ligero with a stronger viso and also used some seco. No matter how much I tried to ply out of him the wrapper leaf, he refused to give it up. This guy must have been a trained soldier before he went into cigars.
That didn’t stop yours truly, from digging around the internet universe. I came across a fun video review from Cigars Daily that sates the wrapper is a Sancti Espiritu (Holy Spirit) leaf. Now if you are wondering what that is, I will tell you – it is a a hybrid of Criollo and Pelo de Oro (lost seed of Cuba). This is the same wrapper used on the L’Atelier that Pete Johnson made. Without validation from Patrick we will just say it is still secret. By the way, go watch the Cigars Daily video, he is hilarious.
On another note; Patrick told me “I grew my own criollo seed in Condega in 2018 which we called 2018 Criollo Vuelta Abajo”
The Saciar comes packaged in 50-count boxes and carries an MSRP of $12.00/cigar.
For this review I sampled two of these fulfilling cigars.
Pre-Light Examination
The Tabac Trading Co. Saciar is a beautiful medium brown cigar that has a fine oily sheen and is light on veins. Smooth to the touch, it is solidly packed and is finished with a well applied triple cap. The foot shows it has some dark leaf in the blend.
A single band adorns the cigar using a bright red, white, black, and silver motif. The name “SACIAR” is boldly printed in the center of the band.
The pre-light aromas are quite enticing, including sweet and pungent notes along the barrel joined with a plum fruit and pepper off the foot. Wow, this is just screaming to light it up, but first I needed to continue to “date” the cigar some more and proceed to some cold draw puffs.
Using my double blade cutter I sliced the cap straight across the shoulder and gave it some pre-light puffs that had a decent restriction and offered notes of earth and a growing cinnamon spice note.
Reaching for my triple flame torch, I warmed the foot gently, bringing it to an even orange glow as i drew in the first naturally sweet and cinnamon filled smoke. Follow along as I burn the Saciar to ash!
Cigar Review Notes
- Initial light offers sweetness and cinnamon notes
- Light grey ash forms on top of a slightly wavy and medium char line
- An Amaretto (almond liquor) aroma starts wafting of the foot
- Mild savory spice briefly adds to the mix
- Cigar develops a bit of an off burn which required a touch-up
- Ash fell during the touch-up revealing a flat but centered cone
- Profile maintains into the midway point with sweetness and light spice
- Burn is behaving after the touch-up
- Buttery cream notes appear midway
- Mild cinnamon spice deep in the second third with a nice hint of cocoa
- Finishes smooth and clean on the palate
- Medium in Strength
- Total Smoking Time was 1 hour and 45 minutes to the nub
Overall, the Tabac Trading Co. Saciar was not an overly complex cigar but it did have pleasant flavors and aromas throughout the journey. I can understand why Patrick says this gives you a filling of satiety. It is not going to kick your ass with strength or heavy pepper or spice. It does not throw a complex set of flavors at you, but instead, maintains a delectable array of sweetness, light spice, and pleasurable nuances. From a construction perspective, it did have a jagged burn and went off burn early requiring a mild touch up. This is one I would offer to an enthusiast of any experience and feel it is worth grabbing a fiver of. I rate this a 90.
Point Deductions: (-1) Jagged Burn; (-1) Off Burn Early; (-1) Required Touch-Up; (-1) Flat Burn Cone
