Mi Querida Puma Negra

You may or may not know Steve Saka. If you don’t know him, allow us to introduce him. Up until 2013, he was gaining legions of fans with Drew Estate when he decided to retire. But in 2015 he started Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust and he was back making delicious top-shelf cigars, including the top rated and hugely popular Sobremesa which we have featured in the past. The Mi Querida (meaning ‘my mistress’ in Spanish) Puma Negra is one chunky smoke with a ring gauge of 60. Hailing from Nicaragua, this impressive cigar features a chocolatey Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper that hugs a zesty Nicaraguan binder and a bevy of long-fillers. Medium to full bodied, expect spicy notes of chocolate with hints of cream, coffee, earth, and leather. Let this smoke coat your palate on a warm spring afternoon with a White Russian.

The Nicaraguan cigar industry originated when Cuban cigar makers escaped the revolution and re-established their livelihood in Nicaragua with Cuban-seed tobacco. Blessed with dark, rich soil, their new home was ideal for tobacco cultivation and Nicaragua quickly became known for cigars that rivaled Cuban quality. Unfortunately, revolution and war came to Nicaragua in the 1980s and devastated the industry, but it’s rebounded dramatically and is once again producing tobacco considered by many to be the finest in the world.

The Esteli Valley is in many ways the heart of Nicaraguan production and is known for its very powerful and spicy tobacco. The Jalapa Valley produces arguably the finest tobacco in the country: somewhat sweeter and less intense than Esteli, but extremely complex. The tobacco of the Condega Valley is often described as a blend of the other two regions.