Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Firecracker is dark brown and has a couple of small, slightly raised veins. The seams are smooth but easily visible due to some color variations and vein placement. The head is finished off with a double cap with the top cap having a long twisted tail to look like a fuse which is traditional for the Firecracker project. The single band is the normal Mi Querida band. The aroma from the wrapper is wood, damp earth and cocoa. The foot provides wood, damp earth and white pepper. The pre-light draw brings wood, a floral note, some raisin sweetness along with a medium level spiciness on my lips and the tip of my tongue.

First Third

The cigar begins with some dark wood, cinnamon and slightly creamy cocoa. At a quarter inch in, the cinnamon is replaced by black pepper and the whole profile becomes a bit heavier. At a half inch in, the wood is really the featured flavor as the black pepper and cream are in the background while the cocoa note has faded away. The first third is over quickly as the wood and cream pair up with the pepper in the background. The strength in this third was slightly above medium.

Second Third

The second third continues with the creamy wood and supporting black pepper. The retrohale provides more wood along with some cocoa. At a quarter inch in, some char joins the wood as the cream decreases a bit. At a half inch in, the black pepper picks up to become even with the charred wood. As the third comes to a close, the charred wood and black pepper are even with a slight amount of cream in the background. The strength in this third remained at slightly above medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the cream drops out of the profile leaving the charred wood and black pepper. The retrohale is now a slightly charred wood along with some cream. At a quarter inch in, the cream rejoins the profile as the black pepper is now very faint with the charred wood up front. As the cigar comes to a close, the char picks up a bit. The strength in this third remained at slightly above medium.

Burn

The burn line was slightly skewed through the first half and then straightened out the rest of the way.

Draw

The draw was perfect with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Firecracker was a short experience in time and good on flavor. Wood, black pepper and cream were the primary components with some char and a slight amount of cocoa as well. Construction was really good. I’ve heard that this tweaked Mi Querida blend will be available in other vitolas in the future and I’m looking forward to smoking a longer version to see how the profile progresses. If you can still find these, grab them, but there should be another run so they should become available again. If you’re looking for some strength and darker flavors in a short smoking time, this is a great option and I could see smoking many more of these in the future.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

7.07

Cost/Point

$0.85

Scoring System

Personal Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Firecracker