Saga Solaz Cigar Review and Pairing

De Los Reyes Cigars introduces the Saga Solaz. Solaz is a Spanish word that means Leisure after work. A fitting term to describe enjoying a cigar. The Saga Solaz is the perfect cigar to enrich your day. This Dominican-produced cigar has a blend of Criollo, Olor and Piloto Cubano tobacco wrapped in a selected Ecuador Shade Claro. The cigar blend delivers elegant flavours into a rich and creamy balanced smoke.

Vitola: Robusto

Length: 5″

Ring Gauge: 50

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Binder: Dominican Republic

Filler: Dominican Republic

Factory: De Los Reyes S.A.

Blender: Nirka Reyes

Saga Solaz Cigar Appearance

The Solaz Connecticut has a Light brown smooth wrapper with a few veins and seems visible. A dry wrapper releasing good moisture as you remove the cellophane. Then the head has a well-applied and deep triple cap.

The cigar has two bands. 

The baseband is gold and black with the name on the lower half.The second has the brand name in gold with a burgundy strip. The band has a distinctive 70's look.

Saga Solaz Connecticut Dry Aroma and Pre-light Draw

Dry Aroma

Light spice scents

Earthy moisture

Nutty, nutmeg spice

Creamy coffee foam

Herby vegetal scents

Barnyard and fresh hay

Nutmeg spice

Herby and vegetal

Light Coffee latte aroma

Hints of sweetness mixed with toasty creamy scents

Pre-light Draw

Herby

Nutty

Light spice

Earthy dryness with moisture

The draw from a v-cutter is smooth, light and easy.

The aroma from the wrapper is a light mix of herby, earthy moisture. It has classic scents of barnyard hay and light spice. And the pre-light draw has blended herbs and nutty aromas. You could pick up a light spice from the tobacco moisture.

The band style is very 70’s with gold on brown motif and the Solaz font with a retro feel.

Saga Solaz Connecticut First Puff

The cigar lights up with toasty, nutty flavours accompanied by creamy latte flavours. The first tastes are creamy with a light draw delivering light to mild, balanced flavours.

Connecticut develops more toasty oak flavours paired with herbs and caramel. The light nutmeg spice taste fades to the background. The retro-hale has light spice with oak and warm caramel tastes. The cigar strength remains light to medium.

As the cigar evolves, aromas of barnyard and musky oak develop. The light sweetness resembles creamy biscuits and baking spices. It tastes like warm baked white bread.

Strength Mild - Medium

Body and Complexity - Medium

It is a light to medium smoke. But, the cigar delivers full flavours with every puff. There is a good balance between the light spice and fruit sweetness. The Chardonnay white wine serves the perfect palate coating to add more sweetness.

Prominent flavours

Oak

Baking spices with nutmeg

Earthy moisture with barnyard hay

Very light coffee - Creamy Latte coffee

A touch of smoked paprika, or smokey spice, develops in the cigar. I did smoke the cigar a bit warmer to pick up the extra spice.

Creamy finish with light spice around until the next draw. The retro is creamy. The mouthful of smoke has satisfying caramel with a sweet and spice flavour blend.

Burn

A perfect burn, with zero maintenance required.

It's a cigar you can smoke slow to enjoy the Connecticut flavours. Or, smoke a bit warmer to pick up the added flavour depth and complexity. Smoking warmer releases great volumes of smoke.

The cigar stays lit even after walking away for a minute or two.

Construction

Perfect construction without any cracks. The thin cigar wrapper burns even.

Saga Solz Connecticut Robusto Smoking Evolution

The oaky notes turn to toasty fresh bread and caramel with loads of creaminess. The herby and spice flavours linger balanced with creamy butter and cinnamon tastes. There is caramel but more toasty with a very light sweetness.

The cigar offers consistent flavours that settle into a wonderful creamy Connecticut cigar. The spice fades to give way to rounded toasty and warm caramel flavours that stay to the end.

Moving towards the third the profile becomes fuller. The cigar develops into toasted baking flavours with a more medium-strength profile.

Baking spices, caramel and light coffee foam tastes harmonize into a smooth-flavoured experience. There is a bit of sweetness present, highlighted by the wine sugar.

Saga Solaz Connecticut Robusto Final Third

The last part transforms into a smooth experience.

The toasty caramel develops into cured meat and slow-cooked meat flavours. The nutmeg also becomes more prominent toward the end.

The entire smoking progress is smooth. The Saga Solaz Connecticut has consistent flavours. Each puff develops light sweetness, nutmeg spice, warm caramel and baking spices.

The strength stays mild while the cigar delivers an even flow of flavour development. The Intensity and flavour presence also depends on the cigar smoking temperature. Smoking slower developed more subtle flavours. While a hot smoke released oaky and bolder toasty flavours.

Draw

The draw was perfect, with the right amount of resistance. This Connecticut has an easy, light draw.

Light and easy

Saga Solaz Connecticut Robusto Conclusion

It is a brilliant Connecticut. This cigar offers flavour depth and over an hour and a half of smoking enjoyment.

The mild flavours offer depth without being overpowering. The flavours and transitions make it a great cigar to pair with almost any drink.

A very enjoyable Connecticut cigar.

It is a cigar you could smoke any time of the day with a slow burn while delivering flavour complexity.

In the final, the cigar has meaty and light charred toasted tastes with herby notes.

I didn't pick up any bitterness. It depends on your pairing. Tea or coffee could be more earthy and acidic which can lead to bitterness.

The buttery wine mouthfeel counters any way out of spice or bitterness.

Saga Solaz Connecticut Robusto and Chardonnay Pairing

Chardonnay Scents

A Chardonnay always gives expressive scents to your glass. Usually, unwooded chardonnay is less buttery compared to the big oaked Chardonnay wines.

An unoaked chardonnay will be lighter-bodied. The wine has more fresh fruit flavours, while the oaked Chardonnay is expressive.

Oaked Chardonnays are full-bodied. These wines offer vanilla, butter and even caramel flavours from the oak ageing. The wine climate also affects the fruit's tastes and flavours. Warm climate Chardonnays express tropical fruit. While cooler climates Chardonnays have more citrus on the palate.

Chardonnay Taste

The Chardonnay paired with Connecticut is a lighter style. It shows all the typical Chardonnay qualities without the intense oak-aged characteristics.

The wine tastes buttery and nutty with prominent banana peel scents. It has a full Chardonnay aroma without the oaky finish.

The wine has a delicious buttery smoothness with hints of nuts and bananas. There is enough body in the wine to coat your palate. A lighter-style Chardonnay is one of the best wines to pair with a cigar.

The pairing always has a creamy smooth mouthfeel. The wine has oaky and butter notes that pair incredible with a cigar's toasty taste.

Saga Solaz Connecticut Robusto and Chardonnay Pairing

The pairing is brilliant.

The wine adds a full-bodied butter and sweet fruit flavour to compliment the cigar. Each sip of wine enhances the toasty and meaty qualities of the cigar. The wine releases a sweet, spicy barbecue taste with the cigar. The wine's sugar and sweetness tend to add expressive flavours and tastes to most cigars.

Something sweeter paired with a cigar will often lift underlying cigar flavours.

It's a favourite.

No matter what Chardonnay you choose, Chardonnay and cigars work. Even Champagne or Bubbly wine with a Chardonnay base will go with any cigar for a super pairing.

The pairing has a tasty buttery and nutty flavours. The cigar's meaty flavours blend with subtle wine sweetness and light spice for a smooth, flavourful finish.

Saga Solaz Connecticut Robusto Conclusion

The Saga Solaz Robusto is a brilliant easy-smoking classic Connecticut cigar. Expect mild strength, but full of flavour. The cigar has consistent subtle and complex notes to the end.

Overall, the cigar is consistent and enjoyable. A Connecticut with classic flavours.

The cigar starts with toasty oaky flavours. But develops warm caramel with nutmeg and baking spices almost from the start. The result is a combination of creamy smoothness with light sweetness and spice on the palate.

Construction is good

The cigar strength is medium the entire smoke with loads of flavour.

To wrap up, The Saga Solaz Robusto has a classic Connecticut shade profile. Stock up to enjoy this everyday cigar. Pair the cigar with coffee or your favourite festive season drink.

I would smoke this Connecticut again and keep stock for an easy everyday smoke. A lighter cigar. full of flavour.

To smoke a Saga cigar,

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Try a Saga Solaz Connecticut Robusto