Cigar Review – Quai D’Orsay No 50

The Quai D’Orsay is stepping into the forefront of the limelight by introducing the new exclusive vitolas the Quai D’Orsay No. 50. Quai D’Orsay was first created in the early 70’s as a Cuban cigar made specifically for the French market. The purpose of the cigar was to embody the French Luxury lifestyle. As the years passed on so did the production of this brand. More and more cigars became extinct only to be subsidized by the very limited production of a few regional releases.

Roll forward about 40 years and this brand is making a comeback. The release of the Quai D’Orsay No. 50 and 54, marks a revitalization of the brands old ways of making quality cigars. The factory name is No. 50 but most refer to this exotic release as the Petit Robusto. (A short version of a robusto, usually 4.5 inches with a 48-50 ring gauge.) The new shiny band marks the re-design of the brand.

Ring Gauge: 50

Length: Just around 4.3 inches

Strength: Medium

The Wrapper, Binder and Filler: Cuban

This is a short 30-45 minute smoke. For me it actually took about 25 minutes, as I was just cruising through while doing work on my own. However, almost certain if you smoked this among friends or business colleagues and took your time you can stretch it to 45 minutes.

At first inspection the wrapper was a  nice hue of light brown shade with minimal amount of veins. The cigar roll was tight but upon further inspection I noticed that some places near the head and the foot were firmer then the rest of the cigar. I decided to use the perfect draw tool to create a punch in the center of the cigar. I did not want to take any chances with an awful draw to ruin the experience of this cigar.

1/3 of the Cigar: I used a match to light just the tip of the cigar. I rotated the cigar in a clockwise motion to get the entire foot lit. I then proceeded to gently blow on the center of the cigar to allow the flame to spread out evenly. After the initial few pulls I picked up some vegetable like mineral and earthy notes. No sweetness, just pure herb like presence. As the burn continued the cigar transformed into prunes and cedar. The burn was also a lot cooler and no spices were brought in through the smoke. The draw was good, but I did notice at times that some part of the foot would burn faster than the rest of the cigar. This for me ruined the visual aspect of the cigar.

2/3 of the Cigar in: Usually around this point most Cuban cigars would intensify in flavor profiles. I usually picked up notes of Dark chocolate, vanilla, honey and creamy flavors in the past. Not this time. The flavors remained very mineral like. At times licorice and cumin would seep through. At other times I got salt and moss. It was not something I was honestly looking forward to or expecting.

3/3 of the Cigar: By this point the burn was pretty spot on as was the draw. The tight roll of the cigar contributed to the nice light gray ash that remained through the entire smoke. It finally fell off towards the end of the head. The burn remained cool throughout the cigar, and no point did it get spicy or overpowering. I attest that to the ash remaining on the cigar, allowing the burn to remain cooler then normal. Towards the end I noticed nice notes of cashew and marzipan. Also picked up some light citrus that was a very pleasant way to end the night.

Overall: 80/100 – Overall this was not the most awful smoke, but out of the 25 minutes it lasted me about 18 were not great. Honestly the last 7 minutes did not really make up for the rest of the cigar. I have not head the original early 70’s Quai D’Orsay cigars, so it’s hard for me to compare the revitalization of the brand, but I doubt they were this forgetful.