Introduced in 2019 by RoMaCraft Tobac, the Baka is named after the Baku, a small group of people living in and around Cameroon. Until date, Baka has come out roughly once a year, but sizes were limited. This year in 2021, 2GuysCigars.com was lucky enough to get all 7 sizes in the line. Admittedly, I was skeptical to smoke one having reviewed the Baku Bantu in 2019 I stated, “It’s not RoMaCraft to me as there is something missing in my mind from the cigar. Maybe it’s the strength I’ve grown accustomed to in the brand as this stick didn’t punch me in the face as I had expected it to” before adding, “if you take what I expected out of the equation I love the flavor on the cigar especially with the retrohale.” At the time I noted it was a contradiction, and I scored the cigar perhaps too highly at a 91.
Now that we have them back in stock I smoked a few yesterday and another today in order to file this review.
Cigar Review: Baka
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Not Disclosed
Filler: Not Disclosed
Length: 5″
Size: 56
Size: Acephalous
The Look: Packaged in 24 count wooden boxes in the same style as other RoMaCraft lines the box features the silhouette of Africa. Like most Cameroon wrappers, the cigar won’t win any beauty contestants, but it is definitely better looking the the initial release 2 years ago. The band of red and white, denotes Baka and stands out nicely against the subtly oily wrapper. In the hand the cigar is firm with a hefty weight to it and a well packed foot.
The Notes: The cold draw reminds of butter cookies, specifically the no name supermarket brand which was always better than the name brands in my opinion. There is also a tea component and orange rind present as well on the Baka Acephalous. The aroma of the foot has a damp cedar component along with tea and a subtle citrus. Once we toast and light the foot we are treated to a salt and red pepper taste as we prepare to enter our journey.
Smoking the first third reveals a cigar much more complex than I remember the salt from the first light carries over with a salted potato chip feel before pulling back considerably as notes of pine nuts develop. On the finish there are elements of red pepper flakes and leather that aren’t as noticeable if you puff slower and don’t over smoke it. The retrohale has a sharp bite to the nostrils, but once it dissipates there is a maple syrup sweetness that lingers.
Moving into the second third the pine nut taste of the first third transition into almonds with hints of tea and cedar. The complexity of this cigar is really intriguing and I noticed it on the 3 that I have smoke from this most recent release. The finish of the cigar sees some saltiness return so have a beverage on hand when you smoke these. There is a nice contrast as well as there are continued glimpses of red pepper and cinnamon.
The final third sees the nutty notes change up once again to peanuts fresh out of the shell along with continued tea and cedar components. The red pepper has been relegated to the retrohale though it is significantly less than that of the first two thirds where it is joined by an abundance of cedar.
The Finish: When people tell me if they try a cigar and aren’t a big fan, I always tell them a cigar deserves more than one shot. This is a perfect example as this time around the cigar is wonderfully complex with nice flavor changes. What could cause something like this? It could be mood on the day smoked, something you ate or something you drank. The result is a new found favorite from Skip Martin and Mike Rosales. The Baka is definitely worthy of smoking again.
Score: 94
Price: $11.69 / $248.99
Baka Acephalous
Baka Acephalous Foot
Baka Acephalous Burn
