Vitola: No. 448- 4” x 48 ring gauge
- ~$9
- Samples provided by Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
Background
It’s been a couple years since I did my review of the Mi Querida Triqui Traca, a bolder follow-up to the original Mi Querida, which was my Cigar of the Year when it came out. At the time I reviewed the TT, I found it very enjoyable, but not quite as pleasing to my palate as the original…which is just fine, because according to Steve Sake (Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust owner and head honcho), it’s not intended to be “an ideal smoking experience for all, but rather…a lira intended for those who crave the heaviest of madero smokes.”
The Mi Querida Triqui Traca uses Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, a Nicaraguan binder, and a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro No. 1 Darks wrapper. The Dominican filler leaf is described as “a unique, high octane ligero.”
I’ve had this blend numerous times, but recently Dunbarton sent me a couple samples of the No. 448 size, a vitola that blew me away in the original Mi Querida, so I decided to take it for a spin as a “cigar extra” piece. If your local shop doesn’t carry Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust products, you can get them on our sponsor’s website, Small Batch Cigar.
Notes
It is somewhat remarkable how oily and shiny the wrapper leaf was on this little cigar. It was absolutely beautiful to look at and the oiliness smoothed out the slight rough toothless I could feel under my fingertips. It smelled of rich leather and earth, while the foot had more earthiness along with hints of cocoa powder and espresso bean.
The prelight draw was good and had flavors of leather, jalapeño pepper, and earth in the mix. Once fired up, I got lots of earth and leather up front, along with a touch of sourdough bread and orange peel riding on a thick, full-bodied smoke. The retrohale had black pepper and roasted nuts.
I paired this short smoke with some Russell’s Reserve Bourbon, a product of Wild Turkey. Bourbon is by nature at least somewhat sweet, but in this pairing, I didn’t get a lot of sweetness from either cigar or whiskey, possibly because the cigar is just that full-bodied. There certainly was some element of sweetness from the Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper, but it was held well in check by the rest of the blend.
Mi Querida Triqui Traca is still a great full-bodied cigar. If that’s what you had expected with the original Mi Querida, then this is what you should buy. I personally still prefer the medium-to-full original, but this was a delightful little cigar to smoke on a very warm winter morning on my front porch.
Note: If you were paying attention a couple weeks ago I said I had “reviewed my last cigar on this front porch”…and that was true. Not all these reviews and articles get posted in order. It was kind of fun to find a review I had written there, but not posted yet.
