No. 1 Cigar of the Year 2023 – Mi Querida Black PapaSaka

The third blend in Dunbarton’s tobacco love affair that is Mi Querida, the ‘Black Label’ has seen one of the more unique launch trajectories from the company to date. The blend was first seen in 2021, going by the name Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Limited Edition “EM” Maduros and being an exclusive for JR Cigar’s 50th anniversary celebrations. In 2022, it returned as the Mi Querida Black SakaKhan, going on to win Cigar Dojo’s No. 5 Limited Cigar of the Year. Finally, the PapaSaka arrived in 2023, marking the first truly new addition to the line since its 2021 debut.

Despite self-claimed aficionados often touting the unique differences afforded between sizes in a given line, most tend to deliver predictable results; once you get to know the general impact of each commonly used vitola, you can begin to predict the effect it will have on the blend at hand. There’s certainly nothing wrong with this approach, with manufacturers often looking for consistency across a line. But then there’s the PapaSaka, which we found to be quite unique in terms of size extensions. Sure, it’s listed as having the same Broadleaf wrapper and four-country interior blend; however, due to leaf proportions and positioning (and any other tobacco wizardry that company owner, Steve Saka, has up his sleeve) of the PapaSaka’s 5⅝″ × 48 format, the experience truly stands on its own within the Mi Querida Black line.

For starters, the PapaSaka is balanced, flavorful, and complex, ticking just about any box you’re likely to have on your maduro-focused checklist. It has a way of growing on you like an album that requires multiple listens to fully absorb. Of course, these typically end up being the most impactful experiences, as the journey itself makes for a more enduring connection. The cigar is punchy yet harmonious, hitting an incredible “sweet spot” that lasts from the half-inch mark through the midsection, providing incredible levels of high-intensity flavor and lingering sweetness, with a full-tilt profile that operates in the realm of raw peppercorn, sweet loam, chocolate pastry, punchy cinnamon, and fruit-forward pour-over coffee.

Mi Querida Black PapaSaka Breakdown

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