Mi Querida

Cigar maker

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

12 brands

Overview

About Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

Steve Saka is highly regarded throughout the premium cigar industry as an experienced cigar maker, prolific author on cigars and black tobaccos, and a dynamic tobacco executive — a résumé that includes working directly for JR Cigar's Lew Rothman and serving as President then CEO of Drew Estate from 2005 through 2013. In 2015, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by establishing the family-held Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust, dedicated to crafting cigars without any compromises — a philosophy the company distills into three words: Puros Sin Compromiso. From the outset, Saka's intention was not to build a broad commercial portfolio but to create a focused body of blending work — each liga developed with clear intent, disciplined leaf selection, and an eye for blends that show movement from first light to final third. Working closely with vegueros across the globe growing hybridized seeds exclusively for Dunbarton, Saka treats every leaf as an ingredient in a precise formula, not a commodity.

All of Dunbarton's marcas are crafted at the legendary Joya de Nicaragua S.A. and Nicaragua American Cigar S.A. factories in the heart of Estelí, Nicaragua, under Saka's direct oversight, with dedicated teams of craftspeople at both fabricas whose sole focus is handcrafting Dunbarton ligas daily. The result is a portfolio — spanning the broadleaf-driven Mi Querida, the refined Sobremesa, the San Andrés-wrapped Sin Compromiso, and the highly curated Muestra de Saka — that has earned a level of critical recognition virtually unmatched in the boutique segment. Dunbarton's cigars have been rated at the very top of hundreds of annual lists, and the company is the only maker to have been named Company of the Year for four consecutive years by the Halfwheel Consensus — a track record built not on marketing, but on a blender's relentless refusal to release anything less than his best.

Company brands

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust brands

Mi Querida

Mi Querida is Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust’s Connecticut Broadleaf–wrapped maduro, made at NACSA in Nicaragua. The original liga pairs Broadleaf wrappers with Nicaraguan binder and filler and sits in the medium‑full to full lane, carrying dominant notes of earth, dark chocolate/coffee and pepper. Later Mi Querida Black variants add a San Andrés binder and mixed Central American fillers for a darker, richer expression. The line runs compact formats like the Gordita (4 x 48) up to hefty vitolas as large as 7 x 64.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Medium-Full to Full
  • Connecticut Broadleaf
  • Earth, dark chocolate/cocoa, coffee/espresso, black pepper, cream, molasses/raisin sweetness
Mi Querida Black

Mi Querida Black extends the Mi Querida family into limited production, pairing a Connecticut Broadleaf No.1 Dark wrapper with a San Andrés Negro binder and fillers from Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Introduced at PCA-level releases beginning in 2022 and produced at NACSA in Nicaragua, the cigar emphasizes mocha and dark chocolate over damp earth with a persistent black‑pepper cadence across a medium‑full body.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Medium-Full
  • Connecticut Broadleaf No.1 Dark
  • Earth, mocha (coffee & chocolate), black pepper, cedar
Mi Querida Triqui Traca

Mi Querida Triqui Traca is the darker, fuller arm of the Mi Querida family. Introduced to regular production in 2019, it uses a Connecticut Broadleaf No.1 Dark corona wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder and a filler that includes a high‑octane Dominican ligero. The smoke leans into earth, dark chocolate and bitter espresso tones with a chewy, oily texture and construction that builds to a full strength by the second half.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Full
  • Connecticut Broadleaf No. 1 Dark (USA)
  • earth, dark chocolate, bitter espresso, sweet loam
Muestra de Saka

Muestra de Saka is Steve Saka’s small‑batch series debuting in 2017 to showcase experimental ligas and unusual vitolas. Each release pursues distinct blending ideas—single‑farm fillers, Nicaraguan puros, San Andrés binders and more—and presentation leans collectible, from individual cedar coffins to small box counts and occasional spiral colitas. Across releases reviewers commonly note cedar, coffee, tempered spice and creamy textures.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Medium-Full, Medium, Medium–Medium-Full
  • Ecuadorian Habano (Grade 1), Ecuadorian Habano (Rosado), Grade A1 Ecuadorian Habano Seed, Ecuadorian Habano, Nicaraguan
  • Coffee, caramel, cedar, tempered spice
Polpetta

Polpetta is Dunbarton’s Broadleaf puro, constructed from carefully sorted Broadleaf chaveta cuts, two long‑leaf tripas, a San Andrés Negro binder and a Broadleaf wrapper. Offered in a single compact 4.00 x 48 Petit, it delivers medium to medium‑full Broadleaf flavors—earth, espresso/coffee, black pepper and intermittent cocoa—while emphasizing cool burn, dependable draw and strong ash retention. It began as an event release and moved into regular production as a flavor‑forward, value‑minded Broadleaf option.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Medium
  • Connecticut Broadleaf
  • Earth, espresso/coffee, black pepper, cocoa, cedar
Red Meat Lovers

Red Meat Lovers is Dunbarton’s Connecticut Broadleaf maduro designed to stand up to red meat and stout pours. The recipe pairs a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with a San Andrés binder and Nicaraguan plus U.S. fillers and sits in the full‑strength lane. Offerings include trunk‑pressed vitolas—Porterhouse, Ribeye, Filet Mignon—alongside a flat‑capped parejo “Beef Stick” and bolder limited variants such as the Fritanga.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Full
  • Connecticut Broadleaf (USA)
  • Earth, black pepper, oak, nuts, sweet
Sin Compromiso

Sin Compromiso is built around a Mexican San Andrés Negro wrapper with an Ecuadorian Habano binder and Nicaraguan filler, typically presented soft‑pressed and sleeved in Spanish cedar. The line skews medium to medium‑full, trading cocoa and espresso against cedar, loam and savory spice. The Paladin de Saka variant pushes firmer press and includes Pennsylvania ligero for a more robust profile.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Medium-Full
  • Mexican San Andrés Negro ("Cultivo Tonto")
  • Cocoa, espresso, cedar, loam/earth, black pepper, savory spice, chicory
Sobremesa Brûlée

Sobremesa Brûlée revisits the Sobremesa liga through an Ecuador Connecticut Shade (G2BW) wrapper over a Mexican Matacapan binder with a selection of Nicaraguan fillers. Introduced in 2019, the line trades some ligero bite for creamier, sweeter notes—cedar, caramel and mocha alongside nutty sweetness. Notable variants include the slightly stronger, aged Brûlée Blue and the trunk‑pressed Wagashi.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Mild‑Medium
  • Ecuador (Connecticut Shade, G2BW)
  • Cream, cedar, caramel/mocha, nutty sweetness
Sobremesa Solita

Sobremesa Solita is a refined take on the Sobremesa liga: an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper over a San Andrés binder with Nicaraguan and Pennsylvania Broadleaf filler. The cigars deliver a creamy core of cedar and cocoa with a tellicherry peppercorn retrohale, sit in the medium‑to‑full strength range, and are noted for consistent construction and a lingering sweet finish. Limited runs such as the Solita Red offer a slightly stronger, age‑forward variant.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Medium to Full
  • Ecuadorian Habano
  • Cedar, cocoa, coffee, cream, tellicherry pepper, sweet finish
StillWell Star

StillWell Star pairs Dunbarton ligas with small‑batch pipe blends from Cornell & Diehl to create a sober hybrid: cigars that preserve structure while introducing aromatic top notes. Variants use Ecuadorian Habano wrappers, San Andrés binders and Nicaraguan long‑fillers augmented by Cavendish, Virginia, Burley, Perique or Latakia depending on the release. Aromatic offerings trend mild to medium, with the peaty Navy expression moving closer to medium; the project has been presented primarily in a 6 x 52 toro.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Mild, Medium
  • Ecuadorian Habano
  • Black cherry/vanilla sweetness, cedar, earth, cinnamon spice, dark chocolate, toffee
Todos Las Dias

Todos Las Dias is Dunbarton’s Nicaraguan puro, pairing a sungrown Cuban‑seed Nicaraguan wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and fillers—notably Estelí and Jalapa. The line smokes full‑bodied and pepper‑forward, with tasting notes of black pepper, earth, dark chocolate and dried figs alongside a sweet chili accent that builds through the smoke. Production entered a hiatus in mid‑2021 related to filler quality, with plans to resume when suitable stock is available.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Full
  • Nicaraguan Sungrown (Cuban‑seed)
  • Black pepper, earth, dark chocolate, dried fruit, sweet chili pepper, leather
Umbagog

Umbagog is Dunbarton’s everyday Broadleaf offering, pairing Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers with Nicaraguan binder and filler and produced at NACSA in Estelí. The core line sits in the medium strength range with notes of earth, coffee/espresso, dark cocoa and black pepper. A Bronzeback variant uses a 2LS Broadleaf priming to amp pepper and meatier spice, and the cigars are commonly offered in 10‑count bundle packaging aimed at regular smoking.

  • Made in Nicaragua
  • Medium
  • Connecticut Broadleaf (U.S.A.)
  • Earth, coffee/espresso, black pepper, dark cocoa, leather, toasted nuts

Lines

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