Quesada 40th Anniversary | Cigar Review

By Cigar Reviews by the Katman on May 23, 2014 • ( 2 )

Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan (Seco, Viso, Ligero)
Size: 5 x 52 “Robusto”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $8.96 MSRP

From Quesada (Matasa) Press Release:
“The 5th generation of the Quesada family is proud to announce the upcoming release of five different vitolas this spring in honor of Manuel Quesada’s 40 years of producing premium cigars. Created by Patricia and Raquel Quesada as a tribute to their father, the Quesada 40th combines secos, visos and ligeros of Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers with a Dominican binder, and will be draped in a wrapper cultivated in the San Andres Valley in Mexico. Three core line sizes consisting of a 5×52 robusto, 6×54 Toro, and 6×65 Toro Gordo will be accompanied by two limited edition sizes: a 6×49 box pressed Toro and a revolutionary new size called a Salomon Press. This exciting new vitola is a Salomon that has been box-pressed only in the center, creating a long valley in the middle of the cigar. The shape symbolizes the geography of the fertile Cibao Valley of the Dominican Republic, which lies between the mountain ranges of the Cordillera Septentrional and the Cordillera Central on the north and south respectively. The region represents the heart of the Dominican cigar industry. The Salomon Press was previewed at the Quesada factory dinner during Procigar. In addition to these five sizes, there will also be a 6.5 x 46 Corona Clasica of a different blend crafted by Manuel himself which will be available only to a select few retailers.”

I know you’re thinking, “What the fuck are you doing, Katman, reviewing another cigar I can’t afford?”
But that’s the MSRP price up top.

The San Andres wrapper is medium coffee/cocoa brown that shimmers in the sunlight. Seams are invisible. Only a few veins. Nicely symmetrical and round. A perfectly executed triple cap. The stick is packed with tobacco but has that perfect amount of give. And the last touch is a nice one: A closed foot.

The double cigar band is not flashy and could fit right in with other Quesada blends. The upper band has the standard Quesada logo and the lower band says, “40th Anniversary.”

I clip the cap and find aromas of strong, and potent, red pepper. I smell sweetness. It also smells like newly mowed grass. I find a bit of coffee along the shaft. And that’s all folks.
Time to light up.

The first puffs bring sweetness and earthiness to the menu. I can taste something fruity as well as a bit of raisin. Red pepper builds slowly.

BTW- I’ve allowed this cigar to rest 3 weeks in my humidor. Should be enough in this day and age of the New Breed Tattooed Ones.

I clear my palate with a few sips of water. The cigar’s flavor profile is starting small and subtle. For a 40th Anniversary, I expected a pie in the face, or something like that.

Cocoa arrives in the nick of time. At the ¾” mark, the sweetness and spiciness make their bones and begin to rise from the ashes. In other words, they are both becoming stronger.

I’m not a big fan of the Matasa brand. I don’t know what it is about some blenders who choose to make a career out of inexpensive blends. You know, the stuff that gets a big PR campaign on the pages of CI’s catalog and ends up costing $40 for a bundle of 20. That’s Quesada. Although, he did show his stuff with the Tributo and the Heisenberg Project. But that ain’t exactly shooting for the moon.

I must apologize for the photos. It is a bright sunny day and the brightness makes the wrapper look more like a caramel color, not the medium brown it is. So it was either allow you to see the oiliness or the color. I have no idea if I made the right decision.

Well, this cigar is going nowhere fast. Closing in on the end of the first third and the cigar is miles away from being really flavorful. Another notch in Mr. Quesada’s belt for producing a blah cigar. Honestly, it will probably blossom in the last third. But a $9 cigar should hit you square between the eyes in the first inch.

The char line has been wavy the whole time and only one correction needed. I smoked a $7 Man O’ War Ltd. Edition – Orange County Choppers by AJ Fernandez last night. A perfect char line throughout. A kitchen sink full of flavor. A great cigar with a razor sharp burn line the entire 6-1/2”. Feels like I’m smoking its red headed, orphaned, little step brother with this Quesada stick.

The second third begins and the sweetness takes some detours. I can taste caramel, black cherry, raisin, crème brûlée (“…also known as burnt cream, crema catalana, or Trinity cream is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel. It is normally served at room temperature.

“The custard base is traditionally flavored with vanilla, but can also be flavored with lemon or orange (zest), rosemary, lavender, chocolate, Amaretto, Grand Marnier, cinnamon, coffee, liqueurs, green tea, pistachio, hazelnut, coconut, or other fruit.”

It is oh so rare that I get that flavor in a cigar. This is the simple version of creamy custard with a hard caramel topping. But as the cigar progresses, I get a bit of hazelnut and cinnamon.

The only thing about all this brouhaha is that the flavors are still subtle. Not flavor bomb material.
Clearly, Quesada knows how to blend a cigar but is still stuck in the 20th Century when it comes to getting a cigar ready to smoke in less than 2 months. In today’s market, if it ain’t ready to go in 2-3 weeks, you lose customers because there is no shortage of cigars that are able to do that very thing.

I read a couple of reviews and no one is going nuts over this cigar. So I am not alone in my principles. (Another movie quote).

I’m at the halfway point and no expectations of flavor bomb status adhering to this flavor profile. It is a nice, smooth cigar with plenty of subtle flavors. But nothing exciting. Either this is all there is or it needs months of humidor time; not the 3 weeks I gave it.

The char line needs regular touch ups which is a big Bozo No No. A $9 cigar should be constructed better than that.

I really wanted this cigar to surprise me with its potential and blending. But alas, I am not. At least not for this dough. I mean, for chrissakes, this is the cigar to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the company and this is what they came up with? Manny Mota!

The last third begins and the char line is perfect. The cap is doing nicely and not allowing for loose tobacco. The wrapper is in fine stead.

If the cigar is going to surprise me, now is the time. I have a list of $5-$6 cigars that all taste better than the Quesada 40th Anniversary. You can take a gander at the list on my home page.

Here are the flavors, in order: Sweetness, creaminess, earthiness, crème brûlée, cocoa, black cherry, raisin, leather, cedar, and spice.

But right after typing the last sentence things begin to happen. The red pepper moves to the front of the line. It has been a background flavor for most of the burn.

Creaminess and caramel surge. So does the fruitiness. And still, it is not a flavor bomb. Is there enough time left on the cigar to accomplish this?

Clearly, a lot of attention was given to the details of the construction of the cigar; except for the burn line. And the San Andres wrapper should really be pumping out big flavors instead of subtle ones.

The A List reviewers gave this cigar a less than stellar review. So it’s not me. And it’s not the humidor time. It is what it is…a mediocre cigar that Manuel Quesada should be ashamed of. Maybe that’s why most of his blends are cheap and mediocre. The man just doesn’t have the magic.

Flavors begin to become more potent with 1-1/2” to go.

The cigar has been medium bodied until this point where it moves up to medium/full. And I get a taste of nicotine. The char line needs a major touch up. This is about the 5th time I’ve had to do this.

The flavor profile moves from very subtle to medium flavored at this point. Too little, too late.
I can’t recommend this cigar. Especially, at this price point. What a shame.