Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida

By Tony Casas | August 22, 2016

It’s stormy out today and I love it. Anything beats this heat. This week I take a look at Dunbarton Mi Querida paired with a bottle of Stone’s Farking Wheaton W00tStout.

The Good Stuff:

By now the dust has settled and Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust has been focused on releasing new blends to follow up it’s debut launch of the Sobremesa. At the front of center of their releases at this year’s IPCPR show in Las Vegas was the Mi Querida. Steve Saka, the master blender for Dunbarton, has stated that the Mi Querida is the type of cigar that most people would have expected him to create. Full flavor, and a bit dirtier in comparison to the Sobremesa. The term Mi Querida translates into “My Dearest”, but in other regions such as Nicaragua the term refers to “secret mistress” which could play into a dirty little secret which could be used to describe the blend.

The blend itself starts out with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, which Saka is known for, over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. Unlike the Sobremesa which was produced at the Joya de Nicaragua facility, Mi Querida is produced at the NACSA (Nicaraguan American Cigar S.A.) factory. Mi Querida comes in four regular production formats: Fino Largo (6 x 48), Ancho Corta (5 x 52), Ancho Largo (6 x 52), and the Muy Gordo Grande (6 x 56) which all come packaged in boxes of 20 and run between $9 – $10 a stick. There are also 4 limited formats planned for the near future. I purchased these from our good friends over at 2 Guys Smoke Shop (who still have plenty in stock). You can also find more information about Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust by checking out their website here.

Size: 6 x 48
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium Full
Price: $8.99
Pairing: Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout (Imperial Stout 13% ABV)

Prelight:

The Mi Querida is a beautiful looking cigar. Starting out with the wrapper which is a very rich, dark brown in color with lots of patchy, darker, almost black areas scattered throughout it’s body. The texture is pretty toothy with a good amount of oil while the wrapper itself is very dense and hard. The wrapper is laid seamless over itself while only a few smaller veins are noticeable as the body of the cigar leads up to a beautifully round double cap. The cigar as a whole it pretty heavy, and feels incredibly tightly packed as it has almost no noticeable give as I squeeze it between my fingers. The cigar is polished off with an absolutely beautiful, elegant, modest royal blue and gold embossed band simply stating the cigar’s name “Mi Querida” printed across the front.

The wrapper of the Mi Querida gives off some slight cocoa and tobacco aromas while the foot of the cigar is much more pungent with a good amount of pepper, musk, and earthiness. The cap cut very clean and easily using my Xikar double bladed cutter. The cold draw produces a very musky, malty, dirty mixture of flavors.

First Third:

The Dunbarton Mi Querida start out with a much more shallow black pepper blast than I was expecting. After the first few puffs the pepper completely exits the experience while the cigar showcases some bold musk, cocoa, and earthiness over some light vanilla, and subtle sweetness. The draw is slightly stiff on this particular cigar, but hasn’t been on any others that I smoked in the past so it gets a pass on this one. After getting about and an inch in it completely opens up too. After that, each tiny puff fills my mouth with thick, white smoke while the cigar itself gives off very little stationary smoke as it rests in my ashtray. The burn line is burning solid with the exception of one large wave that isn’t really concerning me at the moment. The ash is a tightly compacted bright white and medium gray which held on for about in inch before falling into my ashtray.

Second Third:

As I venture into the second third of the Dunbarton Mi Querida the musk and earthiness really start to take over the experience with the backing flavors being pecan, soft sweetness, cocoa, and vanilla. While it hasn’t been overly complex up to this point, I can honestly say that I am really digging this flavor profile as it fits my personal preference very well. The retrohale really brings back some of that spice and a nice oak thats been buried in the profile. The body is in the medium/full range at this point while the strength is slowly creeping into medium/full as well. The burn line has completely corrected itself without any use of my torch, while I close out the second third with nothing in terms of a nicotine kick. And just to follow up, after that first inch the draw has been killer, and effortless.

Finish:

Into the final third of the Mi Querida and the cigar has really ramped up in body. The cigar now leads with the musk and earthiness as it has before, with the addition of more cocoa and spice with the backing flavors of vanilla, cocoa, and nut. I’m really into this profile. The Mi Querida burned like a dream all the way down to the nub with no harshness, nor any extra added heat, and I smoked this puppy down until my fingertips burned.

Overview:

I absolutely loved the Sobremesa, and I can honestly say that the Mi Querida really gave it a run for it’s money. In my opinion, while both cigar’s performed incredibly, the flavor profile of the Mi Querida is much more up my alley and is something I could see myself smoking on the regular. The burn was flawless, the flavors incredible, and the price is on point. I don’t think I could really ask for more from a cigar.

Pairing:

Stone’s Farking Wheaton w00tStout has a strange name. But when you realize Drew Curtis (founder of fark.com), Wil Wheaton (yes, THAT Wil Wheaton), and Greg Koch (CEO &  Co-Founder of Stone) is behind this beer, it starts to make a little more sense. Coming in at 13% ABV this massive Imperial Stout isn’t for the faint of heart. Stone’s Farking Wheaton w00tStout leads with a very bold palate of dark chocolate, roasted malt, espresso, pecan and spice with a very heavy mouthfeel before finishing just as bold with loads more dark chocolate, espresso, and a bit of booze with a cocoa aftertaste. While the nuttiness and cocoa weren’t bold in the  Mi Querida, the pairing really helped bring those out a bit more while add some sweetness to the cigar as well creating an excellent pairing. In all honesty, the Mi Querida is one of the first cigars I’ve had that really pairing well with, well, with itself. The flavors are solid, and the cigar adds a great moistness to the experience without the addition of a drink. If I had to pair it with anything else I think a Belgian Quad, or Strong brown ale would be suitable.