REVIEW: Quesada Oktoberfest

So I'm a little late on this review as October is officially over, but I'm going to post it anyway...the Quesada Oktoberfest. I saw these sticks on display at this past year's IPCPR tradeshow and I was immediately drawn to the design and the dark wrapper. Germany holds a special place in my heart, as it is the country I was born in, as well as a country I have visited many times growing up. To see the German flag incorporated very nicely into the cigar band was an instant attraction for me.

Quesada is a relatively new company to me as I have only smoked two of their other blends. One I liked a lot, one I hated, so I'll leave it at that. Time to light up another Oktoberfest and see what it brings.

Specifics
Vitola: Robusto Extra
Length: 5.5
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Dominican Cibao Valley
Binder: Domincan
Filler: Domincan
Price: $8
Smoking Location: New Havana Cigars
Beverage: Water

Pre-Light 

Just like I said above about the attractive band design on this cigar, the stick itself holds up well on the eye test also. The wrapper is VERY oily and has a ton of tooth to it. If you like the look of dark cigars, you're going to love this one. The stick was firm when I squeezed it, but not to hard, so I figured it would draw well. The pre-lit aroma contained cedar and earthy scents and the cold draw tasted as such also.

First Third   

My Quesada Oktoberfest opened up a little rough with the first few puffs being quite bitter. After the bitterness subsided, my flavor palate started to pick up what I would describe as some very dark flavors. Think of burnt coffee and earthy musk and you'd be on the right path. The finish was slightly different and had some charred wood notes to it. If those flavors sound good to you then you will be very happy with how this cigar starts off because they are strong in flavor. For me it's not really my cup of tea and I was having a hard time enjoying it. The strength of the cigar's nicotine was in the medium range.

Second Third  

The second third of my My Quesada Oktoberfest was pretty much the same as the first third except for the charred wood flavors on the finish seemed to intensify and creep into the front of each draw. It was kind of camp fire-y to me and again, was not really what I was looking for. The other flavors of burnt coffee and earth were still prevalent but started to fade off a bit. I should also mention that my particular stick needed a few touch ups along the way to keep the burn straight. I'd guess that might have something to do with how oily this wrapper is. The strength was the same as the first third; a solid medium.

Final Third and Final Thoughts 

I'm not having much luck with final thirds on my reviews recently and this one kept the streak going. During the final third of my Quesada Oktoberfest, the cigar started to make my mouth feel very dirty. The smoke was thick and hot, not thick and mellow like I've written about in reviews past. The flavors stayed the same and were very in your face right until I put the stick down (again, if this dark flavor is the profile you enjoy, and I know many do, make sure you try this cigar for yourself.) Just as consistent as the first two thirds, the strength was solid medium.

 

My final thoughts on the Quesada Oktoberfest? I smoked one one of these in early October that my friend Pat (@oneputter on twitter) hooked me up with at my football tailgate. It was outside and the air was slightly cool and after I finished smoking the stick I thought, "Hey this is a pretty good cigar." The one I smoked for this review was inside and with me fully paying attention to it and only it, and it was a different story. Maybe there are some consistency issues with this blend or maybe this cigar is just better for an open air environment? Either way this cigar was disappointing this time around.

Would I buy it again? I'll keep smoking Quesada products because I like what they are doing (especially the Espana line because it is awesome), but I think I will pass on buying any more of these.

Would I buy a box? At this point I would not buy a box.

Dan