Mi Querida Black 'SakaKahn' review by Don José
Hey team, Don José here back with another review.
Today we have the
SakaKahn aka Mi Querida Black
by DT&T
If this is your first time here, my reviews rate each cigar on 10 factors and each factor gets a rating out of 10 giving me an overall out of 100. The 10 factors are: Construction, Draw, Burn, Flavour, 1/3 overall, 2/3 overall, 3/3 overall, Journey (how well it flows), Complexity & Value for money.
Intro
So.. If you have been following me for a while then you will likely know how excited I am to be reviewing this cigar.
I have been an avid promoter of Steve Saka's cigar's since the DE days and have tried my very best to smoke every release DT&T have put out, not an easy task sometimes thats for sure!
This cigar hasn't been sitting in the humidor long and I was trying to decide if I should review it yet or wait a little.. then Steve posted a photo to his FB page of his wine paired with this cigar on his holiday(?) in Switzerland and I thought well, that seems like a sign.
Overview
The SakaKahn is the 3rd release in the Mi Querida line, It was only just released in August and is officially from "Very limited" stock.
As all Mi Querida are, the SakaKahn is wrapped in a Connecticut Broadleaf, what is different from the previous releases however is that this release features fillers from Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua and a San Andres binder!
Next year, this blend is expected to be offered in multiple sizes, but for 2022 it’s just the single size.
Like Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s regular Mi Querida line, it is made at Nicaragua American Cigars S.A. in Estelí, Nicaragua.
Details:
Brand: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
Size: 7.25 x 54
Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A. (NACSA)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf No. 1
Binder: San Andres Negro
Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua
About the wrapper.
Connecticut Broadleaf is grown in the open sunlight, mostly in the Connecticut River Valley.
it grows as a short, bushy plant with very wide leaves, hence the name, and being grown fully exposed to the sun causes the leaf to grow thick and full of sugars.
After curing they get very dark so it is among the prized wrapper leaves used to make many maduro cigars.
The plants are stalk cut meaning the entire plant harvested at one time.
let's get into the review.
First thoughts
This is a great looking cigar, nice dark wrapper and a little pig tailed head. It has the classic Mi Querida band, but in black. The cold draw has earth and natural tobacco along with a good helping of sweetness. Let's fire it up!
Construction
Near flawless construction, apart from a tiny little blemish in the wrapper.
Burn & Draw Not surprisingly, outstanding draw and burn. Sharp burnline, fine white ash and a good thick draw throughout.
Flavour & Complexity Pepper and spice and plenty of it, as well as; cedar, molasses, earth, dark fruit and some nut. As you might guess from that flavour list, the complexity is great, smoothly weaving flavours in and out and progressing in strength of flavours as it burns.
Strength 89% - Full
Enjoyment / Journey Have I ever not thoroughly enjoyed a DT&T cigar?? (No. the answer is no) Great progression, interesting blend, plenty of boldness and spice - Whats not to love.
Overall An outstanding cigar and IMO the best of the Mi Querida line to date. As common in Saka blends there is a solid punch to this stick, so might not be for everyone, but if you like bold cigars or are a fan of Saka blends like me, then you will want to get your hands on one of these. That said however, they are not currently available to purchase in New Zealand, but I do believe there are some coming... for a very select few, that may or may not be in a club of some sort...
I rate this cigar 94 points.
A look at the numbers.
Construction -- 9/10
Burn -- 10/10
Draw -- 10/10
Flavour -- 9/10
Complexity -- 9/10
First 1/3 -- 9/10
Second 1/3 -- 9/10
Third 1/3 -- 10/10
Journey -- 10/10
Value -- 9/10
About the author
Joe Murdie aka Don José has been reviewing cigars in New Zealand for over 10 years now, originally as a writer for NZBlokes, a mens magazine.
Outside of Cigars Joe is an international award winning film-maker based in Wānaka, OTA.
