Initial Thoughts
Well if you have followed me for a while you know I’m a big fan of some of the past work of Steve Saka. So when I was able to track down some of his latest line the Mi Querida I have to say that I was very excited! After smoking his Sobremesa it was clear he hasn’t lost his touch for blending great cigars.
Admittedly from his website he states: “Earthy and dense with a long teasing, slightly dirty finish”. For some reason that is very enticing description for the flavor of a cigar. Now if it was describing something else it probably wouldn’t be as enticing, am I right?
Another thing that I love about this cigar is the story behind the name. I’m always fascinated by how brands come up with the names of their products, and if you get a chance go read Saka’s reasoning behind his name of Mi Querida or ‘My Dearest’. You can check out the story here: http://www.dunbartoncigars.com/marcas. So let’s hop into the review and get down to the exciting stuff!
Looks
I’ll be honest, the Mi Querida is not a flashy looking cigar. The packaging is very simple, a dark navy blue band with a gold piping around it. I love the simplicity of the look. The box is equally simple. To me that tells me that all the focus is put on the inside of the cigar. More focus on the blend and the final output than the packaging.
The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is luscious and dark with a great texture to it. A few veins are throughout but the rugged texture gets me excited. There aren’t very many broadleaf wrapped cigars that I have smoked and not enjoyed!
Function
After I nip the cap with my Xikar Xi, I gave the cigar a nice dry draw test to get a preamble to what I might expect throughout the smoke. It has a nice open draw that gives me some nice earthy flavors and pepper coming through up front. The wrapper offers a nice amount of give and bounce back when I squeeze it between my fingers. All and all it passes the first test!
Smoking
Now it’s time to light this one up and see where it stands. All throughout the cigar this Mi Querida smoked perfectly. I never had an issue with the draw and the burn line was nearly flawless. Once during the course of smoking this one, I purged the cigar like I do with all of my smokes to get rid of any built up tar in the barrel. I probably could have gone the entire way without purging, but it really allows the clean flavors to come through again and I love doing that about half way through. Just my own personal smoking preference.
Flavor
Now, to the exciting part, the flavors! On the nose you definitely get a heavy dose of that earthiness that Saka describes on his site. Secondly, I pick up a nice aroma of mocha which I always love. During the smoke I’m able to find that “dirty” earthiness that he describes as well as the mocha / cocoa that came through in pre light inspection. As with most Nicaraguan cigars I’m picking up a nice soft pepper note on the retro that offers a great compliment to the sweetness throughout. Overall, I really enjoyed the flavor profile from this Mi Querida!
Would I Buy It Again?
Without a doubt.
Is It an Every Day Smoke?
I can only hope!
Would I Buy a Box?
Certainly, if I had room in my humidor I would love to stash a box in there!
Conclusion
I’m a huge fan of maduro cigars and this Mi Querida is now in that top list of favorites. I love the complexity to the blend and how well balanced it is. I feel like this cigar would stand up to most of my favorite bourbons and offer them an incredible compliment of flavors throughout. If you haven’t had a chance to try the Mi Querida then I highly recommend you go and track some down.
