Mi Querida

Mi Querida by Steve Saka

Size: 6 × 52
Vitola: Toro (Ancho Largo)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Fillers: Nicaraguan (Estelí, Jalapa, Condega)
Flavor Notes: Dark chocolate, damp earth, black pepper, espresso, molasses, burnt sugar, leather, anise, woodsmoke, mineral-rich grit
Pairing Notes: Espresso, barrel-proof bourbon, molasses cookies, dark beer, grilled short ribs, spiced rum, root beer float, smoked almonds
Manufacturer: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust; produced at NACSA (Nicaraguan American Cigars S.A.), Estelí, Nicaragua

Privada Storytelling

Mi Querida translates to “my mistress”—and once you light one, the name makes perfect sense. This is Steve Saka’s boldest love letter to Broadleaf: dark, sultry, and unapologetically earthy. It’s the cigar he made after walking away from the corporate cigar world, with no one to answer to but his own obsession with quality. In Privada, we honor cigars born from rebellion and deep personal vision. Mi Querida isn’t meant to please the masses—it’s built for those who know what real flavor tastes like when nothing is held back.

Flavor Journey

From the spark, it’s an earthy thunderclap: dark chocolate, heavy loam, and bitter espresso. The retrohale is all black pepper and burnt molasses. As the cigar warms, leather, smoke, and wood creep in, swirling around a molasses-meets-anise core. Midway, the body intensifies but never overpowers—notes of charred sugar, mineral, and subtle sweetness battle in perfect tension. The final third is a dense crescendo: smoked meat, bittersweet cocoa, and a flinty finish that clings like a memory.

Why It Belongs in Privada

Because Mi Querida is what happens when an uncompromising palate goes rogue. It’s not made for shelf appeal—it’s made to be smoked. For Privada, it’s a badge of authenticity. Steve Saka built this with raw materials, raw passion, and no filters. It speaks to the soul of the cigar smoker who doesn’t care what’s trending—only what’s true. It’s one of the few cigars that punches this hard while staying balanced, and that’s no accident.