Quesada

The 1997 crop of Dominican tobacco was a banner harvest for the Quesada Family and Manuel Quesada saved a bunch which became the Reserva Privada blend. The Quesada Family grows tobacco that are used for many other companies as well as their own lines. I’ve always enjoyed the blends which gave me a true sense of Dominican terroir. Smoking this blind the cigar looks a bit light which might make me think its mild however you just don’t know until you light up.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed:  Quesada Reserva Privada Toro
• Wrapper: Connecticut Ecuadorian
• Binder: Dominican
• Filler: Dominican, Pennsylvanian
• Size: 5” 5/58 x 54 (Toro)

Appearance and Construction

This toro is greenish with a blemish on the wrapper.  As I give the cigar a squeeze there are noticeable soft spots at the foot. There’s not much nose on the cigar as I give it a sniff and it is rather light in my hand. The look of the tobacco is anemic and lackluster.

Taste and Smoking Characteristics

I use a v-cut and take a dry draw which is airy and loose. With a torch lighter I toast the cigar and the first puff is gritty and charry. Another slow draw which comes off stale and unappealing. I take a retrohale and my sinus gets hit with spice and ginger that ends with graphite on the exhale. There’s some loose tobacco in my mouth which hinders the experience and leaves the quality suspect. The burn line is wavy and light gray ash forms on it.

Midway the toro grips me with heavy oak and a drying sensation along the sides of my mouth. There is an earthy character beginning to develop as I draw off the cigar. A retrohale is less intense than before and I pick up coffee and cocoa with burnt vanilla on the finish.  Notes of nuts and hay develop with a constant chariness in the background. The finish has been continuously short with a fast burn rate. At this point the smoke is in the medium range.

On the final third there is oak and raisin being the predominate characteristics. The draw has begun to tighten up surprisingly which inhibits the flavors coming through. As I take a retrohale to coax out some tangible notes there’s raw tobacco and an earthy finish. The burn line is wavy and there’s notes of hay and earth that turns sharp and bitter. With the smoke dissipating I choose not to relight and put the cigar down as I hesitate to experience more bitterness on the end.

Conclusion

My experience with most of the Quesada blends and tobacco has been pleasant, giving me complex flavors from there mild to full bodied lines. The quality of the tobacco and construction has usually been spot on with whatever I’ve smoked. The Reserva Privada did not deliver the nuances I am used to with their blends and the filler tobacco was loose and lacking. The drying and bitterness was not pleasant, and the charry notes tainted my palate. Maybe there was not enough tobacco from that crop saved to deliver the flavors that were expected however I can only speculate. I will say Quesada has plenty of lines to choose from and I would recommend trying others as they produce some wonderful cigars.

Final Rating: 84pts

This year marks the 10^th Anniversary of the Quesada Oktoberfest cigar. The cigar was created a decade ago to be paired with beer and malty beverages in honor of the Oktoberfest held in Munich Germany. I was fortunate to smoke the first release at Oktoberfest in Munich a decade ago and it indeed paired well with liters of German beer. Since then, I’ve smoked them yearly in different vitolas they’ve released and generally paired them with a beer in keeping with the tradition.

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Quesada Oktoberfest 10 Year Anniversary
• Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas
• Binder: Dominican
• Filler: Dominican
• Size: 5.5”x52 (Robusto)

Blind Review: Quesada Oktoberfest 10th Anniversary

Appearance and Construction

This robusto is a toothy mottled maduro with minimal veins across it. When I give it as squeezes it’s as solid as brick with no soft spots whatsoever. Rolling it in my palm seems a little off from the tooth on the wrapper, but overall construction is quite good.  The foot smells of nuts and earth with a dampness permeating from it. I would say its not the most attractive cigar however it stands out with due to its color and size.

Taste and Smoke Characteristics

My rosewood Xikar is hand and I take a nice slice off the cap to induce airflow. I take a dry draw that’s creamy and nutty. With my torch I light up and my first puff has earthy and maple intonations to start. There’s a malty character developing with wheat and char on a medium finish. I take a retrohale where cinnamon and dark espresso dominate for position in my nose and exhaling there’s leather as the smoke releases. The cigar is in the medium body range with solid white ash.

For a larger smoke it’s burning faster than I would’ve thought. A nice draw gives a combination of graham cracker and salt with a longer creamy finish. The burn line is spot on, and the profile is in the medium to full range. With a retrohale lots of sourdough and woody notes linger in the sinus right before marzipan on the exhale wafts through. There’s cinnamon and allspice with another draw ending in a wood finish. At this point the fullness picks up in the profile with roasted coffee beans and some acidity on the back end of the throat.

There’s charred wood and wheat as I draw on the last third of this robusto. The burn line continues to be razor sharp and the smoke production amps up. I’m getting more of that woody profile that’s almost overwhelming any secondary flavors. I take a retrohale that brings chocolate and coffee to my nose along with a dense oak taste on the sides of my mouth. The profile lingers on the medium-full side which is where it has hovered around for most of the cigar. Another puff and wheat and oak coat the palate with a surprisingly short finish. A slow draw coaxes cinnamon, maple, and more wood notes as I finish the smoke.

Conclusion

This robusto delivered a medium to full profile with predominantly wood, cinnamon, and wheat throughout. The maple and marzipan notes in the beginning intrigued me as I delved into the rest of the cigar, although it never deviated too much from the above profile. What it lacked in complexity it made up for in consistently pleasing tastes.  Finding out this was a Quesada Oktoberfest 10 Year Anniversary I can see how a beverage would be perfect with it.  The combination of the two flavors can enhance each other rather than overwhelm. I would recommend picking a few up when you want to have that malty beverage with your cigar. Prost!

Final Rating: 89

Quesada cigars makes not only some choice lines, but their factory creates blends for many other brands as well. I’ve enjoyed much that comes from them in addition to the companies they’ve worked with. The Quesada 1974 honors the year their factory opened in the Dominican Republic. This toro is a new size to the line that adds to their extensive portfolio. The toro size can give a lot of opportunity to put together several tobaccos in a blend to create wonderful flavors. Read on to see if that’s what happened in this blind review.

Blind Review: Quesada 1974 Toro

Blend Specifics

• Cigar Reviewed: Quesada 1974 Toro
• Wrapper: Ecuadorian
• Binder: Dominican
• Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
• Size:6x 52 (Toro)

Appearance and Construction

This toro has a sizable milk chocolate wrapper with a rounded cap. There are several veins running alongside and to the touch the cigar is firm from top to bottom. In hand this a hefty cigar and rolling it across my palm it glides swiftly having very good construction. The foot is earthy and woody with a faint mustiness.

Flavor and Smoking Characteristics

Using my Xikar VX, I make a V-cut to the head and take a dry draw. I’m picking up mushroom through the filler and salt from the wrapper. I torch the foot and it is airy with pencil lead and salinity. With another puff oak and forest floor bring an earthy almost damp profile. I retrohale and the wood continues with raisin and dark fruits pushing through. The body is medium, and the ash is white with an uneven burn.  For a smoke this size and what seems like a lot of filler tobacco the flavors are appearing quite faint. Graphite, yeast with a short bitter finish come forth as the smoke production is increasing.

The burn continues to be uneven midway, and a slow draw brings a vegetal and perfumy character to the cigar. I’m getting more cedar than oak now on top of cocoa and graphite. A retrohale brings a spicy character that finishes rough through the nose leaving a green taste on the palate. The body maintains its medium profile, not deviating from the beginning. The wood is sharp as I allow the smoke to resonate siding with a nuttiness that emerges. Even at the halfway mark the cigar appears rather linear.

Reaching the toro’s last third the burn line is slanted and there’s notes of yeast and barnyard with burnt notes on the back end. Taking another a retrohale, the mushroom and dampness return with some floral and that underlying vegetal taste that’s rough on the tongue. Charred oak emerges from a slow draw with a waxiness on the finish. The cigars continues to be medium in body with discernible flavors only increasing slightly. A final long draw more char develops with a short earthy ending to the  cigar.

Conclusion

This cigar had several issues that muddled its flavors. The bitterness along with its vegetal notes were rough to taste which is too bad as the mushroom, pencil lead and salt gave a pleasant earthy quality that seemed to be the base of the profile. The floral and woody notes in the last third we’re overshadowed by an unpleasant waxiness that lingered on my palate. I was surprised when I found out this was a Quesada 1974 Toro as I was looking forward to trying one but perhaps, I’ll look toward other cigars in their profile which I find quite enjoyable.

Final Rating: 85