Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black SakaKhan – Blind Cigar Review

Cigar Info

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust released their second line in 2016, Mi Querida. This was their sophomore release following the Sobremesa the year before. Since it’s release, Mi Querida has seen many iterations and spinoffs and line extensions, more so than the Sobremesa line. “Mi Querida” translates roughly from Spanish to “my mistress.” The latest cigar in the company’s Mi Querida line is the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black SakaKhan.

All Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida cigars are rolled at the Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. (NACSA) factory in Estelí. This factory has ties with the Oliva Tobacco Co., not to be confused with the Oliva Cigar Company, one of the largest supplies of tobacco in the world.

Since its release, the Mi Querida line has expanded to 12 different sizes, a stronger extension called the Mi Querida Triqui Traca in 2019, which was an extension of the Mi Querida firecracker for United Cigars, and now the Mi Querida Black. This latest line was announced earlier this year and uses a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, Mexican San Andrés negro binder, and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua. Owner Steve Saka has said that the Mi Querida Black will come in more vitolas next year, but the only one to see shelves this year was the one shown off at the 2022 PCA Trade Show, a 7 1/4 x 54 double corona called Sakakhan.

Here is an excerpt from a Facebook post where Steve Saka talks about the origins of the name Sakakhan:

The price for the Mi Querida Black SakaKhan is $15.95 per cigar production is limited to 3,500 boxes of 10. One thing to note about the Mi Querida black blend, this isn’t technically the first time it’s been sold. Last November, Saka released a cigar for JR Cigars 50th anniversary that used the Mi Querida Black blend, but in a different size. Pricing was also slightly less for the JR release.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Double Corona
Length: 7 1/4″
Ring Gauge: 54
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: USA Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Mexican San Andres
Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua
Factory: Nicaraguan American Cigar S.A. (NACSA)
Blender: Steve Saka
Number of reviewers: 5 – Kevin A. (Kevin A.) Kevin J. (maninblack77) Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi) Chad M. (Chad Tchad) Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Price: $15.95
Age: 3 Months
Release Date: August 2022
Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff

Initial Impressions – Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black SakaKhan

Appearance: 96

“This large cigar is beautiful to look at. The brown wrapper has hints of red throughout. Looking closer, at the wrapper, I find veins that are thick and a tooth that are lumpy to the touch. The seams are a little loose but even and the cigar is finished with a triple cap with the excess tobacco tied into a knot.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Aroma: 93

“The aromas from the cigar are pretty complex in the pre-light. Raisins, coffee, chocolate, and toffee, while the wrapper cigar has hints of oak, natural tobacco, leather, and barnyard. The pre-light draw has leather, earth, and espresso notes, with just a hint of coco in the mix. I can’t wait to get this one burning!” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)

First Third

Flavor: 91
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“The opening few puffs give off a lot of coffee bean notes with light woody characteristics on the finish. At about the inch mark the flavors, on the palate, transition into a tart-tangy sweetness that is hard to define. The woody note stays around becoming more defined as oak. The retrohale has strong rich aromas to it. Something in the back of my mind has me thinking back to smoking a pipe with friends… The body of this cigar is medium while the finish is long with a note of a warm winter fire.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)”

“Holy crap!! This thing starts off with a bang! Black pepper and dark coffee greet me as I light it up. Thankfully the black pepper tapers off and the coffee and earth notes really take off. At times there is a bitter coffee note, almost like coffee that has been roasted too long. This comes and goes the first third and isn’t the most enjoyable flavor. The burn is also hard to maintain.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

Second Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“A natural creamy sweetness is coming through in the second third. The star of the blend is still a heavy minerally earthiness but it is a bit smoother now.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

“There is a ton of smoke coming off this cigar it is a true smoke bomb. The black pepper spice is present, not lighter. There are now notes of salt peanuts with earthy coffee flavor coming to the forefront of flavors. Retrohale light black pepper.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

Final Third

Flavor: 93
Strength: Medium-Strong
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“The final part of the cigar is the best yet! Damp earth, espresso, and dark chocolate are all there, with just a hint of leather on the finish. The retrohale has returned with the strong black tea and anise, while the pepper notes actually fade slightly. Overall, a sweetness develops that smooths out what would normally be edginess on these flavors at this point in the cigar. Burn and draw are almost perfect, and the thick blue smoke continues to pour off the foot.” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)

“The same deep mineral earth flavor remains at the forefront of this blend. The sweet creamy not from the previous third has expanded into a slight floral sweetness.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

Overall Impressions – Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black SakaKhan

Draw: 92

“Through the first third of the cigar, the draw was a bit too tight and lacked smoke production. After the first third the cigar did open up and allowed for a lot more smoke and an easier draw.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

Burn: 94

“Burn was wavy at times and needed some touchups.” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

Construction: 96

“This was a beautifully rolled cigar using well-aged and fermented tobacco. The ash was bright white with some small areas of gray. The ash held on for about an inch before I rolled it into the ashtray.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

Overall Strength: Medium-Strong
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 94

“The cigar looked great during pre-light inspection with zero detectible flaws. The performance was outstanding from start to finish with a very enjoyable combination of flavors, including black tea, espresso, and anise. The dark chocolate and sweetness of the finish was a major deal and allowed this cigar to close with a bang!” –Kevin A. (Kevin A.)

“If it weren’t for the fact that this cigar had me woozy, I’d rank it higher. I’d love to see this in a smaller vitola, perhaps a Robusto or Corona Gorda. If you love these powerful cigars and have a couple of hours to kill, this cigar is definitely for you. Rich bold flavors with a ton of strength. Not sure I’d smoke this again, especially in this vitola. Anxious to see what this was. Happy holidays to all of our readers out there!!” –Kevin J. (maninblack77)

“This was a joy to smoke. The flavors had clear transitions and all worked well together. It was full of flavor and body but never overpowering. It would be a nice cigar for anyone that is a fan of a flavor profile that is sweet and rich with nice smoky characteristics. It would pair perfectly with a warm cognac and a nice fire. It may not be an everyday smoke for me but I would keep a few to share with some close friends.” –Estevan Z. (TheRealBanzi)

“The first 2/3 of the cigar was excellent but the last third did die down in flavor. This was a really long cigar and smoke this for me took away from the smoke. It starts of strong spice and black pepper. It transitions from the spice to salted peanuts and earthy coffee flavor to then end with just a coffee flavor.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)

“This was just a solid classic earthy Maduro. The strong mineral, earth’, and dirt flavors were the baseline throughout the entire cigar. Occasionally a sweet creaminess or slight floral hint would add a touch of interest but this was just a pretty old-school earthy stick.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 125

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Mi Querida Black SakaKhan – Blind Cigar Review