Pre-light Experience

Aaron: The wrapper on the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka is between medium and dark brown and has some thick veins present. The seams are a bit raised and the caps are decently applied and finished with a tightly wound pigtail. The band is the traditional design for the brand and carries the black and silver color combination for this sub-line. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of dark earth and bakers chocolate while the foot brings cedar, cocoa powder and mild spice. The pre-light draw brings cedar and light bakers chocolate with a spiciness on my lips that is dull but full.
Seth: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka is a beautiful looking cigar. A great looking Broadleaf, clear maduro in coloring, with medium sized veins throughout. Nice finished cap. Firm throughout with a leather texture. Aromas of rich earth, licorice, leather, tobacco, spices, oak and stone fruit.
John: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka comes in cellophane and has a UPC sticker with an integrated tear space so it remains intact when opened. The cigar has the single Mi Querida primary band, and has the additional artisanal complication of a curly pigtail cap. I weighed the cigar at 13.8 grams and the humidity measured by a HumidiMeter Pro was 61.9%. Aromas from the wrapper included musty barnyard and wood. From the foot, some sweet, airy fermented tobacco and raisin.
Jiunn: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka has a Maduro wrapper shade. Wrapper quality looks excellent, given its thick and hearty nature. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Aromas from the wrapper give a mixture of barnyard funk, cocoa and rich cedar. Cold draw reveals toasted nuts, red pepper and hay.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka

First Third

Aaron: The cigar begins with a full body delivery of toasted oak, dark earth, bakers chocolate and baking spice. At a half inch in, some meatiness becomes present. At three quarters of an inch in, the baking spice transitions to black pepper. The retrohale is toasted oak, earth, bakers chocolate and mild black pepper zing. At an inch and a quarter, a light creaminess becomes present. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and dark earth are even up front, with the black pepper and bakers chocolate in the middle and creaminess and meatiness in the background. The strength was slightly above medium.
Seth: The first third starts out with some nice mineral and earth qualities. There is some richness present, but also some peppery spices. Bits of tobacco, and dry wood present as well. Medium-full in strength and body.
John: The first few puffs bring flavors of mild earth, sweet tobacco and graham cracker in the center. Mild, lingering spices greet me on the post draw and stay with my palate between each puff. Chocolate and leather add complexity on the finish as the first third settles in. About an inch in, the flavors really start to harmonize with everything at roughly the same strength level. Stewed fruit sweetness comes into the retrohale by the halfway point.
Jiunn: The first third provides a rich and full bodied smoking experience. All the key markers of a quality broadleaf is there. Semi-sweet chocolate, minerals, wafer cookies, leather, toasted nuts and mild sprinkling of black pepper spice. Retrohaling pulls all these notes in an amplified manner. The finish cakes the palate in all the right ways. Strength is medium.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka

Second Third

Aaron: As the second third begins, the bakers chocolate mellows to the background. At a quarter inch in, the meatiness picks up a bit. The retrohale is now toasted oak, earth and mild black pepper. At an inch in, the bakers chocolate and creaminess have departed. As the third comes to a close, the toasted oak and dark earth are even up front with the black pepper and meatiness a bit behind. The strength has bumped up to medium-full.
Seth: The second third continues with those mineral and earth qualities. Peppery spices more present, and pairing with that rich earth and coffee profile. Bits of tobacco, and dry wood also. Medium-full to full in strength and body.
John: Graham cracker leads off the second third, with stewed fruit sweetness to follow and mild earth combining with wood into the post draw. Baking spices settle into the center of the retrohale at medium strength. I find a heavy earth finish after the re-light, which fades after a couple of purges.
Jiunn: The second third doesn’t lose a step. It’s still a full bodied and rich tasting experience with all the earthiness and sweetness you’d hope for in a broadleaf. The profile does kick up the spice just a tad but it’s not all that material. Strength remains medium.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka

Final Third

Aaron: As the final third begins, the black pepper mellows a bit. At a half inch in, the toast level increases a bit, binging some light wood bitterness with it. The retrohale is now just toasted oak and earth. At an inch in, the black pepper picks up and is a bit ahead of where it was previously. As the cigar wraps up, the toasted oak and dark earth are even up front with the black pepper a bit behind and the meatiness a bit further behind with some wood bitterness in the background. The strength remained at medium-full.
Seth: The final third is fairly in line with the second third. Lots of minerals, rich earth and peppery spices. Some coffee beans as well. Bits of tobacco, and dry wood on the finish.. Medium-full to full in strength and body.
John: Sweet earth to start the last third with tobacco notes adding complexity. The profile remains consistent, with earth and baking spices making up the post draw. Creamy earth is present in the retrohale as the last third continues.
Jiunn: The final third is still quite good. The profile’s consistency holds strong, providing the same full viscosity mouth feel and all the rich flavors. Strength and body finishes the same medium and full, respectively.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka

Burn

Aaron: The burn line was straight throughout and the ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.
Seth: Great burn throughout. Rolled well.
John: The burn had some challenges, starting out straight but going out in the second third, requiring a re-light. The cigar went out a second time in the second third, requiring another re-light. No issues through the last third.
Jiunn: Burn performance was perfect. Even burn, ample smoke production, tight ashes and cool burning temperature.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka

Draw

Aaron: The draw was perfect, with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.
Seth: Beautiful draw.
John: I cut with the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust single blade cutter, what else? The draw was at most one notch towards the resistant spectrum which put it right in the ideal zone for a perfect draw.
Jiunn: Draw performance was on point, providing the ideal balance between air flow and resistance.

Overall

Aaron: The cigar began with a full body delivery of toasted oak, dark earth, bakers chocolate and baking spice. Some meatiness joined in a bit later and then some creaminess a little further along. The second third saw the bakers chocolate and creaminess depart. The final third saw the toast level increase and some wood bitterness join in. The construction was absolutely perfect. The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka had a nice flavor profile through the first two thirds with an enjoyable flavor combination. The final third dropped off a bit. The peppery meat through the second third was reminiscent of the Sobremesa. A definite step up for me over the SakaKhan, this thinner ring gauge created a nice concentration of the flavor delivery. With how heavy the cigar is, it’s probably not a frequent smoke, but one I’d definitely come back to when I’m looking for that dark and heavy experience.
Seth: I enjoyed the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka, and I would prefer this over the SakaKhan. The size is more appealing, and I believe the flavor profile is more pronounced. It’s still a little strong for me, but a nice offering that I would smoke in the evenings. I don’t know why, but it made me think of the Dirty Rat when I was smoking it. Beautiful cigar.
John: The Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka really popped in this size. Each third offered a different combination of flavors which were balanced and integrated well to keep me engaged through the entire review. The draw was perfect, while the cigar went out on me twice in the second third, requiring two re-lights. Price point aside, this is another great offering from Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, and with the prices of Connecticut Broadleaf, I think the pricing is in line with the market. I’d happily pick up another one of these in the future. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 13 minutes.
Jiunn: This Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka was great. You really can’t ask for more in a Connecticut Broadleaf experience than this. It has all the earthiness, sweetness and dankness that you should desire. I also love a good Corona Gorda-ish size. This one is well worth grabbing at least a fiver of.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.82

Cost/Point

$2.34

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$2.66

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.87

Cost/Point

$2.32

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

7.17

Cost/Point

$2.23

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black PapaSaka