4. Mi Querida Triqui Traca No. 648
Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Nicaragua American Cigars S.A.
- Wrapper: U.S.A. (Connecticut Broadleaf No. 1 Dark Corona)
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua and Dominican Republic
- Length: 6 Inches
- Ring Gauge: 48
- Vitola: Grand Corona
- MSRP: $11.75 (Box of 20, $235)
- Release Date: September 2019
- Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
- Original Score: 91
Since it debuted in 2015, Steve Saka's Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust brand is no stranger to our Top 25—Muestra de Saka took tenth place in 2017, while Sin Compromiso Selección No. 2 and Mi Querida Firecracker grabbed the tenth and 15th spots respectively last year—but at fourth place, the Mi Querida Triqui Traca is the highest Dunbarton's ever placed on our list.
Named after a Nicaraguan term for firecrackers that are tied together, the new blend is rooted in another release from the company, namely the Mi Querida Firecracker, a 3 1/2 x 50 petit robusto released in 2018 as part of Two Guys Smoke Shop’s Firecracker Series that is itself a slightly stronger version of Dunbarton's original Mi Querida line. Although the Triqui Traca brand currently consists of only two vitolas, Saka has stated that that a smaller 4 x 48 vitola may be added sometime this year.
Profile-wise, the Triqui Traca is full of rich and nuanced flavors, with notes that include dark and bitter chocolate, charred meat, cinnamon, graham cracker sweetness and black pepper. However, one of the blend's most impressive and enjoyable aspects is its balance, which easily takes the new release to a whole different level, as evidenced by the fourth place finish it earned on this year's list. — Brooks Whittington.
