Saga Golden Age Yamasá by De Los Reyes Cigars

Today, we review the Saga Golden Age Yamasá by De Los Reyes Cigars. The Golden Age Yamasá is a limited edition cigar that debuted at the 2023 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Saga is a brand owned and produced by the Reyes family in the Dominican Republic. The Reyes family launched the Saga brand in 2015, and one of the first brands was a Dominican puro known as the Saga Golden Age. The Reyes family has nearly 170 years of experience in all aspects of cigar making. They built their reputation as tobacco growers and tobacco brokers in the Dominican Republic, so it made sense to go to market with a Dominican puro. Now, the Reyes family takes the next step with the Golden Age by introducing the Golden Age to Yamasá.

Yamasá is a region in the Dominican Republic where many have tried to grow tobacco but have failed. Monica Kelner, daughter of Henke Kelner and wife of Augusto Reyes, has been able to grow tobacco in that region. The tobacco used for Saga Golden Age Yamasá comes from Monica Kelner’s farm.

Closed box of the Saga Golden Age Yamasá

Without further ado, let’s look closely at the Golden Age Yamasá and see what this cigar brings to the table.

Saga Golden Age Yamasá by De Los Reyes Cigars – Cigar Review

SPECIFICATIONS

Blend and Origin

As mentioned, the Golden Age Yamasá is a Dominican puro highlighted by a wrapper grown in the Yamasá region. The tobacco used for the wrapper comes from a crop that was harvested in 2019. Future editions of this blend will feature wrappers harvested from other years.

Wrapper: Dominican (Yamasá)
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: De Los Reyes S.A.

Vitolas Offered

The Golden Age Yamasá is available in one size – a 5 5/8 x 47 Gran Corona. The cigars were packaged in ten-count boxes, and 5,000 boxes were produced.

Appearance (*)

The Yamasá wrapper of Golden Age Yamasá wrapper has a red tint. According to De Los Reyes Cigars, the red color comes from the Hematite minerals in the Yamasá soil. Sometimes, the Hematite minerals are referred to as “bloodstones.” The surface of the wrapper has a slight amount of mottling and a slight amount of toothiness. Some prominent veins were visible on the wrapper. Any visible wrapper seams were on the thin side. The cigar is finished with a very small tail on the cap.

Close-up of the Saga Golden Age Yamasá

PERFORMANCE

Pre-Light Draw (*)

A straight cut was used to remove the cap of the Golden Age Yamasá. I opted to leave the tail affixed as it was easier just to cut the cap off. Once the cap was removed, it was time for the pre-light draw. The cold draw delivered a mix of cedar, cream, natural tobacco, and a touch of black pepper. Overall, this was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to light up the Golden Age Yamasá and move on to the smoking phase.

Tasting Notes

The Golden Age Yamasá opened with notes of cedar, natural tobacco, black pepper, and earth. During the early stages, the cedar and natural tobacco notes moved into the forefront, while the black pepper and earth settled in the background. The retro-hale delivered additional layers of both cedar and black pepper.

As the Golden Age Yamasá moved into the second third, natural tobacco slowly began to take control as the primary note. These natural tobacco notes got richer. Meanwhile, the cedar notes receded into the background, joining the pepper and earth notes. As the cigar burned past the midway point, there was a gradual increase in the black pepper notes.

The final third saw the natural tobacco notes remain grounded in the forefront. The gradual increase of the pepper notes continued, and as the cigar experience winded down, it became the most prominent of the secondary notes. Meanwhile, notes of earth and cedar were rounding out the flavor profile. The cigar came to a close with a firm, cool nub.

Burn

The Golden Age Yamasá performed quite well in terms of burn. This cigar maintained a relatively straight burn path. There was a slight amount of waviness on the burn line, but this proved cosmetic more than anything. The touch-ups required were not excessive. The resulting ash wasn’t overly firm, but it wasn’t loose or flakey either. This was silver-gray ash. As for the burn rate and burn temperature, both maintained ideal levels.

Bun of the Saga Golden Age Yamasá

Draw

The draw of the Golden Age Yamasá also performed quite well. This ash had a touch of resistance to it, which is something that I like. At the same time, it was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

Overall, the Golden Age Yamasá delivered a medium-strong, medium-bodied experience from start to finish. There was a slight uptick in the intensity level of both attributes along the way, but in the end, the Golden Age Yamasá did not move out of the medium range. Both strength and body balanced themselves nicely, with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)

De Los Reyes has done some of the best packaging in the industry. It’s never over the top but truly has a “simple elegance” to it. The Golden Age Yamasá is no exception.

Open box of the Saga Golden Age Yamasá

The banding scheme builds on the Saga Golden Age. It features De Los Reyes’ signature Saga band with the stencil cut out of the words Saga. The secondary band references the Golden Age but has been extended to include a reference to YAMASÁ. The cedar box has a vista on it with two masks. I can infer that these masks have something to do with Dominican culture. The small paper insert that tells the cigar’s story is also a nice touch.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Golden Age Yamasá is an excellent extension of the Saga Golden Age line. It’s not an overly complex cigar in terms of flavor transitions and flavor nuances, but it is a cigar that delivers excellent flavor. The flavors also don’t fizzle out and are present right to the nub. The Gran Corona format worked quite well for this blend. Saga has mentioned plans for future releases of this cigar with different vintages, and I hope that happens because I love comparing them. The Golden Age Yamasá is a cigar I can recommend to any cigar enthusiast. It’s a cigar I would buy and smoke again. Coming in at 90 points, it earns a Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence designation.

Summary

Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Cedar, Earth, Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Excellent