Buy the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida at Famous Smoke Shop
- Size: 4.75 x 56 (Short Gordo Grande)
- MSRP: $177.99 (box of 20); $9.85 for a single
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Wrapper: USA Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf
- Binder: Nicaraguan
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Body: Medium / Full
- Strength: Medium
- Humidor Time Prior to Review: 3 months
- Cigars Smoked Prior to Review: 2
- Source: Purchased with Personal Funds
- Date Smoked: December 26, 2018
Today’s review is of the Mi Querida by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust. I was intrigued by this brand because it was started by Steve Saka, who played a large roll behind the Liga Privada line by Drew Estate. If you are searching out a review of this cigar, then you likely already know all about Steve, so I’ll skip the history lesson and launch into some particulars on this blend. Here is the obligatory language, shamelessly taken directly from the simple and excellent Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Website:
Mi Querida (pronounced “me kay-ree-dah”) literally translates as “my dearest”, however it is a rather provocative word within Nicaragua used to expressly describe your secret mistress. While this may sound like an oxymoron, it is not. It is not uncommon in the culture for a man to have a mistress that is both known by and basically approved of by his wife, whereas the “Mi Querida” is the woman who neither his wife or mistress know about or would ever approve of. Cigar wise, it represents my personal maduro desires: a robust, extremely flavorful liga comprised of rich Nicaraguan leaf hand rolled in a 100% naturally fermented, heavy Broadleaf capa. Earthy and dense with a long teasing, slightly dirty finish, Mi Querida is delightfully lush and full bodied on the palate offering an extremely satisfying experience for the most passionate of cigar smokers.
Mi Querida is handcrafted at the recently renovated NACSA cigar factory under the stewardship of their new Master Cigarmaker Raul Disla at my direction. Packaged simply in understated boxes, this brand is an expression of the greatest value possible for the hardcore cigar enthusiast. As always, the pace of its production is being dictated by the tobaccos themselves and therefore it will be limited in its availability via Select Purveyors for the foreseeable future.
I bought this cigar because it was a DT&T product and I managed to snag it on sale. I ended up paying an even $5 a stick, which is a good savings off the MSRP. I do like a Broadleaf wrappered cigar, and I’ve been smoking on some Liga No. 9s and T52s lately, so I thought that this Mi Querida may be an interesting reference point.
Appearance and Pre-Light Aromas
The aptly named “Short Gordo Grande” vitola a beautiful dynamite stick of a cigar, with dark rich coffee bean brown wrapper, tight yet visible seams, and some veinage running through the wrapper. The cigar feels light for its size, and but appears to be firm and evenly packed. The wrapper has a nice tooth to it and is visibly oily. Topping tings off is a simple double cap.
Sniffing the wrapper I mostly get earth and a light sweetness. From the foot I get sweet hay and earth.
I clip the cap and take a test draw. The draw is free and easy. On the prelight draw I get flavors of raisin, earth, and cedar.
I start toasting and light up. Start time is 1:25 P.M.
The First Third
I take a few puffs. Initial flavors are earth and milk chocolate with a finish of lingering black pepper. The retrohale is peppery. The aroma is tangy and distinct, reminding me of a Carolina barbecue sauce.
5 minutes in and the flavor profile opens up. Notes of aromatic cedar become apparent on the draw, but especially on the retrohale. The finish is dry and woody.
So far the cigar is smoking great. The draw is free and easy, and the burn is almost perfect. Already a quarter inch or so of dense pale gray ash is forming. The resting cigar smoulders along merrily, perfuming the air with its tangy scent.
The body is a solid medium. Flavorful, but not a flavor bomb. This is whether you are talking about the amount of body or the complexity of the flavors. Still, I’m enjoying this smoke and it’s burning like a champ.
It’s the day after Christmas and the last day of my 6 day “staycation”. This year we hosted Christmas dinner at our house, which was a straightforward and successful affair. I cooked a ribeye rib roast for the first time, and it came out pretty good. If I could go back and do it again, I’d pull it out of the oven a few minutes earlier and wouldn’t bother tenting it in aluminum foil. I monitored the temp in oven via a digital meat thermometer and pulled it at 126 degrees. It continued to cook after I took it out of the oven, and my thermometer peaked at 138; the high side of medium rare. Getting it closer to 130 would have been my personal preference, but the center was still pink and juicy.
Speaking of pink and juicy, our Mi Querida is smoking nicely. On the flavor front I am getting a tiny amount of creaminess, deep earth, dark toast, black coffee, indistinct wood, and some cedar and pepper on the retrohale. Aside from those initial milk chocolate notes, I’m not detecting much sweetness in this blend.
It is another absolutely beautiful day in Southwest Florida. The start of my vacation was wet and windy, but the past few days have been just spectacular. Clear blue skies, plenty of sunshine, and balmy temperatures have been perfect for cigars and general outdoor enjoyment.
We have a flavor update: nuts have entered into the equation along with some dark chocolate. Both are welcome additions. The cedar and wood have backed off a little. The cigar is firing on all cylinders as we enter the second third.
Second Third
Smoke time is right around 25 minutes. Smoking quickly, but the Mi Querida is burning almost perfectly, with only a slight wave in the burn line. A beautiful tight light gray ash has formed. Smoke output is excellent and so far the construction is excellent too.
The flavors continue to be solid as well. The core is still earthy, but there is black coffee, dark cocoa, toasted nuts, and oak supporting it. The retrohale continues to be woody with a little cedar, and a tiny portion of black pepper that lingers in your nose. No huge flavor transitions so far, but an enjoyable stick.
I’m now getting a little of that bbq sauce tang on the finish and in the retrohale as I slowly expel the smoke. It’s subtle now, and I noticed it more on a couple of the Mi Queridas I smoked earlier on in preparation for this review. You could perhaps describe it as a tangy cedar, but it’s a little different. More tang and less cedar.
At the 40 minute mark I decide to decant the ash. It pops off into the ash tray with a tap of my index finger. The burn has grown wavy a couple times, but on both occasions it has self corrected.
I’m feeling the effects of some strength. Not a ton of strength, but I’m definitely relaxed. Body continues to hover around medium, edging up into medium full territory. An Osprey circles and chirps overhead. A large metallic green fly hovers by my ash tray before buzzing away in the breeze.
The flavors continue to be very dry with this cigar. Usually I associate Broadleaf wrappers with a fruity sweetness, but I haven’t gotten that here. The rich brown wrapper glistens with oil in direct sunlight.
As if on cue, I get a little hint of raisin on the draw now. Just a little bit that mingles with the coffee, tanginess, and some dark chocolate. I like my sweet cigars, so this is another welcome transition. The burn line has wavered a little, and depending on what side of the cigar I’m staring at we have entered the final third.
The Final Third
Smoke time is just shy of an hour.
I watch as the high spots of the wrapper slowly pull back as the cigar begins to self correct. A self correcting cigar may very well be the 8th wonder of the world. I have yet to take a flame to this stick after the initial light.
Strength has continued to slowly build in this cigar. I’m not nauseous, and it’s nowhere near uncomfortably strong, but I’ve got a good buzz going. I don’t seek out notoriously strong cigars, but I enjoy the calming sensation that a medium strength cigar can bring. That’s definitely happening with the Mi Querida.
Sweetness has also edged up a notch or two. It’s still a pretty dry flavor profile with that deep earthy core, but the aforementioned raisin and dark chocolate are still present, balancing the savory and tangy flavors. The cigar has always been smooth, but at this point it is exceptionally smooth. No pepper on the retrohale. Cedar is still present on the retrohale, but it is more mild and the smoke passes easily through my sinuses.
I’m currently reading “Girl Boss” by Sophia Amoruso. It’s not what I typically read, but at the end of the day it’s a memoir and autobiography of a female tech entrepreneur. I have enjoyed many books about tech entrepreneurs, and one of my new years resolutions is to read more books written by women. I figure this would be an easy start, and I was right. It’s an easy read, but also a little sad since her company went out of business after the book was published. I’d be curious to see what she would write about being a “Girlboss” with this new development.
As we cross the threshold into the final 2 inches of the cigar the flavors continue to be solid and the cigar continues to smoke cool. The burn line has returned to even. Aromatic cedar has pushed back and is once again a strong flavor in this stick, but I’m still getting a little sweet raisin and dark chocolate along with plenty of earth and coffee.
The band on my cigar has been loose and I’ve slowly pushed it back as the cigar has burned down. We are finally to the point where it must come off. The band pops off easily and it looks like they have opted for self-adhesive bands rather than drops of cigar glue. No complaints with the self adhesive or with the simple design of the cigar band.
As we enter the last inch the flavors begin to muddle, but I still get plenty of cedar, earth and coffee. The more delicate secondary flavors have washed away, but this is after an hour and 25 minutes of smoking so that should come as no surprise.
The cigar continues to smoke cool and clean down to the nub, which is still solid and not squishy, so I’ll continue to puff on it as I pen some final thoughts.
Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust Mi Querida Cigar Review – Final Thoughts
The Mi Querida has proven itself to be a smooth and enjoyable cigar. Construction has been excellent with my 5 pack, especially for this thick 56 ring gauge smoke, and the cigar delivers a rich earthy experience as advertised. The flavors are relatively simple, and I don’t get a ton of transitions or complexity. But the core flavors are good and the transitions present are enjoyable.
If you are looking for an extension of the T52 and No. 9 lines, then I think you will be disappointed as the Mi Querida lacks the complexity, transitions, and sweetness of these cigars. But I don’t say that to crap on these cigars. This blend is half the price of the Liga Privada lines, and represents a more accessible smoke. It is completely different from the Liga line, and it should be examined on its own merits. I think it’s a good cigar in its own right. It could very well be a daily cigar or at least a regular rotation stick if you are trying to stay under the $8 mark.
Final Score: 4.1 out of 5 or a “1” on my 0-2 scale. I’d buy it again but would go for another 5 pack rather than a box.
Final Smoke Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
I recommend purchasing the Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust Mi Querida at Famous Smoke Shop. Please consider that purchasing things through any of the links on this website, including Amazon.com, helps support the website and keeps it going. Any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Leave a Reply