Quesada 40th Anniversary – Cigar Review

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As I was building my list of the top 25 Boutique/Small Batch cigars for 2014, it was brought to my attention that the I should sample the Quesada 40th Anniversary. I am always open to new input and took the advice of my site and social media followers and purchased a Quesada 40th Anniversary. I am glad I did as this cigar deserves to be in the list for sure. I will also note that there were over 1274 new cigar blends introduced in 2014 and it is not possible to sample them all, but with all the social media reaction, I added this to the list.

I sampled this cigar on Christmas eve in the middle of the grand 7 fishes dinner, also knon as La Vigilia, at my daughter’s house. If you are not familiar with this Italian tradition you can check out the article on it here.

To say the least it is a 4 – 5 hour eating experience and half way through we take a nice hour plus break which was the opportune time to smoke the Quesada 40th Anniversary.

The Quesada 40th Anniversary is a cigar that honors Manuel Quesada’s 40 years in the cigar business. It was the creation of Manuel’s daughters, Patricia and Raquel to pay tribute to their father. The cigar line come in 5 vitolas which represents the 5 generations of the Quesada family.

The Solamon Press is quite a unique cigar. Unlike normal Salamon vitolos the Quesada 40th Anniversary Solamon is boxed pressed in the center.

According to Halfwheel.com:

The Quesada 40 Anniversary is a beautiful cigar.  It has a dark magnificent looking wrapper with  no veins, tight seams, and wonderful satin feel to it. The wrapper is Mexican San Andres. the binder is Domincan and the filler is made up of Dominican and Nicaraguan leaves. What is very special is that the filler leaf is a combination of seco, viso, and ligero which explains a lot about the fantastic flavor profile it delivered. The cigar is a well packed stick with a perfectly applied triple cap and a closed foot. The box shape has rounded edges.

Before lighting it up, I gave it a dry draw and was presented with some nice earthy flavors. I fired it up and there was coffee and a peppery cedar flavor to start. I presented a nice tangy flavor after the exhale and had a grassy undertone. As it burned through the first third the wrapper oils developed very quickly.  The foot was giving off a woody aroma.

It’s Christmas eve as i mentioned and rain has started here in Jacksonville Fl.  I hope Santa finds his way.  The first plates of the feast of the 7 fishes were awesome so far.

The ash is medium grey and it has a solid burn line so far. I didn’t want to say at first but there is a buttery flavor coming in which was there in the background but now it is more up front in the profile. The ash fell around the inch mark. It is such a nice blend with the tang and coffee flavors I am getting. There is cedar in the mix also. The balance of flavors is delectable.

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As it transitions into the second third the tang is shifting more to an orange peel flavor and the there is a lingering cedar on the tongue with an ever present light spice on the retro-hale. The aroma has also shifted and it is hard to detect what I smell. The smoke is getting real creamy almost seltzer like. Mid way through the 2nd third the burn got a little wavy but it fought back with no touch up. A sign of a well constructed cigar. I guess it was telling me to slow down and enjoy.

There is a  cold front coming in tonight in Jacksonville as the breeze is cool and the rain drops are  dancing on the leaves. It is a wonderful evening to smoke such a fine cigar.

As it moves into the last third, the Quesada 40 Anniversary started to mellow into a spicy almost cinnamon flavor and the aroma was sweet and caramel. I wanted to eat the cigar  at this point. It finished with the strength and spice cranking with the latter now tingling my tongue.

Overall this was an amazing cigar and as I mentioned I am so happy I was convinced to sample it before the final list of my top 25. It is a full body and full flavor cigar that should be enjoyed after a meal.  It makes me want to find the Solamon and try it, but if I do I think I will get two so I can keep one in the humidor for next years 7 fishes dinner.

– Boston Jimmie