The Good Stuff: Quesada’s Oktoberfest is the newest offering by Manuel Quesada. If you’re like me, one thing comes to mind when you hear the word “Oktoberfest”. Beer. Well, beer and bratwurst, but beer first. And that was Quesada’s angle when they created this cigar. A blend that would pair perfectly with a hefty beer. Possible? Who knows. Marketing ploy? Maybe. But let’s dig a bit deeper to see what this cigar is all about. The cigar only comes in 2 sizes, the “Bavaria” which is a 5.5 x 52 double robusto, and a monster of a cigar called the “Uber” which is 6 x 65. The cigar is limited to 500 boxes of each size and will run you between $8 and $9.50 a stick. These were purchased from “La Casa Del Puro” my local shop/lounge.

Size: 5.5 x 52  –  Wrapper: Dominican Cibao Valley  –  Binder: Dominican  – Filler: Dominican Cuban Seed Criollo, Olor Viso, Ligero

Prelight: Now this is a dark cigar. The wrapper on the Oktoberfest is almost pitch black in some spots, and a very dark-chocolatey brown in others. I love seeing inconsistency in color on darker wrapped cigars, it leads me to believe that they are all natural in color and not dyed. This is also on extremely toothy, and oily cigar. What fine specimen. You can see the sun glaring more from the wrapper leaf than the actual band of the cigar. There are a few larger veins running the length of the cigar that I hope don’t pose a threat to the burn and overall experience. The toothy sandpaperesque wrapper then leads into a really stubby double wrapped cap. Seriously, skimming the thick and solid cigar body with my finger feels almost like rubbing my hands on sandpaper. This cigar is thick, heavy, and hard as a rock. The band on the cigar carries a similar overall design that Quesada always uses, but with a nice German flag accent running the entire ring of the band. The big, pronounced, gold embossed “Q” logo is neatly laid in the center of the band is accompanied by some simple back text with the words “Quesada – Oktoberfest – Hand Made – Dominican Republic”.

The wrapper of Quesada’s Oktoberfest gives off little more than a subtle cedar and tobacco mixture where as the foot of the cigar is a very, very strong cedar and spice. It smells a lot of the scent of the inside of a brand new humidor with just a sharp little spice kick at the end. The Oktoberfest clipped cleanly and easily with my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw give fourth a nice, smooth, welcoming cedar and spice flavor. Pretty much an identical match to the aromas I picked up in the prelight.

First Smoke: I was almost expecting to be greeting with a nice pepper kick, but was really surprised when the Quesada Oktoberfest started out with a very smooth,  Earthy, Cedary, nutty, spicy flavor profile. The spice is really neat, it’s almost floral with a very sweet undertone.  The Oktoberfest really doesn’t give out much stationary smoke at all, but it smells incredible. Like a burning garden, or some lightly scented potpourri. The draw on the Oktoberfest is very easy, but not too loose pumping out a HUGE cloud of thick while smoke. And when I say thick, I mean VERY thick. The heavy cloud of smoke takes forever to dissipate. The burnline is very thick and even for the most part, with some larger, not-so-deep waves on one side. The ash left behind is this interesting dark grey and black and extremely tightly compacted. It’s very rare that I see ash this dark in cigars. I read once, somewhere, that this shows the lack of magnesium in the soil in which the tobacco was grown. I have no idea what this even means, but it sounded smart.

Halfway There: Oddly enough, a little of that pepper did in fact sneak into the second half of this Quesada Oktoberfest, but it bowed out just as quickly as it appeared. The flavors are still pretty smooth and consistent. The cigar is weighting in heavily in the cedar area with some sweetness, bittersweet chocolate, and some pasticcio mixed in there. The burnline is still a bit wavy, but I haven’t had to touch up the cigar or relight it. The retrohale is really sharp and coats your nasal passage with a very floral, strong earthy type prime. I am starting to feel a bit of body from this cigar already. Nothing too crazy, but enough to catch my attention early on.

Finish: I started to pick up some really neat gingerbread type flavors in the final third of this Quesada Oktoberfest. The flavors switched up quite a bit actually. The cedar is still there but it is now being challenged by some chocolate, cinnamon, and that gingerbread I mentioned. It’s a strange pairing with the fuller body from this cigar, but it makes for a very enjoyable, and smooth finish. There wasn’t any harshness into the final inch. I kept thinking there was going to be, and because of the flavors I expected there to be, but surprisingly there wasn’t at all. The body had a quick ramp-up towards the end, but it wasn’t anything too powerful. Medium/Full at Best.

Overview: Now did Quesada really come up with a cigar in which the basis of the blend was all about a better beer and cigar pairing? I doubt it. Reason being is, as it is, Cigars and beer already go perfectly well together. Now did Quesada come up with a blend to celebrate the season while keeping possible cigar and beer pairings in mind? Much more likely. Whatever the case may be, Quesada hit the marks when creating their Oktoberfest blend. The marketing is great, the construction is flawless, the flavor profile is complex and very enjoyable. What more could you ask for? I smoked this cigar both with and without beer and quite honestly, it handled itself very well in both realms. Despite having some body, I don’t think that any novice should be scared to try this cigar and I would highly urge any seasoned smoker to get your hands on these cigars. The overall experience and the price point makes it a great addition to anyone’s regular rotation.

Pairing: Obviously I was going to pair this cigar with a German Marzen. I contemplated for a while which one I wanted to shoot for and then decided that I’d go with one of my favorites, Paulaner’s Oktoberfest Marzen. I also decided to drink this out of a full sized Oktoberfest style stein. Couldn’t get much better than that! I am also pretty curious as too just how many beers these steins hold. It’s kinda like the “how man licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop” mystery. Usually during Oktoberfest celebrations, these steins remain full while the party goer drinks filling, after filling. I know I have had my share! So just how many beers does one hold?

Four. Well, About 3.75 to be exact, but I had no problem gulping down that extra .25 before finishing the other 3.75. Paulaner Oktoberfest is a Marzen style brew, brewed at the infamous Paulaner Brewery in Germany. What started as a simple seasonal ale has recently blossomed into a full, year round treat. The 6% ABV beer carries a very sweet, yet spicy malt and citrus flavor which really pairs well with most cigars, especially lighter shade ones. The beer made a great pairing with the Oktoberfest cigar, but I think it would go a lot better with something heavier, like a nice porter or a Bruin.

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I smoked a few of these cigars, but this one in particular was actually sent to me by our good friend Mike at Mikestogies.com. Mike was the man who actually sent over the sticks I did on my first blind review set which you can view here. He’s a great guy, with great reviews.

The Good Stuff: Each year Camacho releases a limited release cigar called the Liberty Series.The tradition started back in 2002 and is one of my favorite annual releases. They retail anywhere between $18 and $22 a stick and come in boxes of 10 individually coffin-boxed cigars. If you’d like to read our review of the 2009, you can see Daniel’s take on it here. Again, the scenery may look a bit different. I am doing yet another review at my favorite local shop, Tobacco Rd.

Size: 6 x 54 (11/18)  – Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatran  – Binder: Honduran Corojo  – Filler: Honduran Corojo and Dominican Ligero

Prelight: The Camacho Liberty 2010 holds true to all the past Liberty series in terms of presentation. The Liberty starts out encased in a dark blue, shiny, painted coffin box. Each box has a sticker with each cigar’s unique number. This one happens to be 775 /40,000. Once the seal on the box is broken I was showcased with a nice cedar scent and a tissue wrapped cigar placed carefully inside the box. Once then tissue is removed you are presented with the standard, flashy, black and silver Camacho band that you would expect. One interesting thing about this band is out of all the 2010 Liberties that I smoked, this was the only one with  a black band. All the rest of them had a dark blue similar to the color of the paint on the box. The band is very similar in design from the previous years. The Liberty 2010 also comes fitted with a nice little foot band that simply states “Liberty Series” in silver on dark blue ink. The wrapper on the Liberty is a very light, very consistent, milky brown. The smaller foot leads up to a much wider body before tapering off to a smaller, rounded cap that matches the size of the Liberty’s foot. For the most part the cigar is very firm to the touch with the exception of the foot. There is a crack at the top of the cigar from the head to about the middle of the band. Mainly just a wrapper crack. It looks as thought it didn’t harm the binder. Normally I wouldn’t review a cigar that already has a crack in it, but this is my third Liberty 2010 from three totally different boxes that have similar cracks. Not to mention I had a few similar issues with the 2009’s I smoked last year. This just must be a delicate wrapper. The wrapper has this immense scent of straight up cedar. It seriously smells like the inside of a brand new humidor. which happens to be of my favorite scents in the world. Some how the foot has an ever stronger cedar scent with just a little whiff of spice. The Liberty cut very clean with my double bladed cutter. Lucky enough, the crack didn’t increase much in size.  The cold draw kicks out this wonderful milky, cedar flavor and leaves behind just a tiny bit of spice.

First Smoke: The Liberty 2010 starts off slightly different than I expected. Instead of being smacked in the face with soft cedar, the cigar starts off bold, with some earthy, leather notes. Not long after the cigar turns into this just massive cedar bomb, holy crap. This is the reason why I love these Liberties. Outside of the cedar there is a slight spice sneaking into the mix. All around this cigar is starting off very smooth and flavorful. The draw is easy, and plentiful, but the main story is the stationary smoke. The Liberty 2010 gives off a ton of cedar scented stationary smoke that even overpowers the other three cigars that are going in the room at the time. The burnline is slightly wavy, but I always have that problem with this size. They almost always fix themselves. The ash is a very light grey with some slight flakes, but overall tightly compacted. The ash held on for a little over an inch before giving way.

Halfway There: One major difference with this year’s 2010 Liberty is a big one for me. The cigar burns so much slower than the previous year. The 2009 was soooo good, but at the price point I was always hesitant to spend the money to buy a cigar that would burn so quickly. The cedar is still rocking very hard into this second third. The spice is still there as well with notes of leather and some really creamy chocolate. The retrohale in this cigar is absolutely amazing. After a few retrohales I swear my nasal passage made me feel as if I have been locked in a humidor for the last 3 days. The body is slowly starting to creep in as well. It’s not full, but it is noticeable. The burnline has completely fixed itself and is holding solid as I expected. The ash is ugly, but the experience is wonderful.

Finish: The cedar has begun to fade a bit into the final third of this Camacho Liberty 2010. The cedar is still the main flavor with the backing flavors of spice, and this really strong leather flavor. The body has really ramped up too, which is totally unexpected.  I’m even getting a slight nicotine kick from this one. There was a slight harsh build up into the last inch but nothing too concerning, it was almost expected.  All in all the cigar finished very smooth, a bit heavier than I expected, and burned much slower taking about an hour and forty five minutes to finish.

Overview: The Camacho Liberty has always been a cigar that I look out for every year. The similar blends are just wonderful. The cost is a little high, but it’s a great cigar, for those special times. The slower burn was great, but it had its own drawback. Towards the end of the experience the cedar starting to get overwhelming and it made me want the tobacco flavors to come in and really take over. The crack really didn’t make much of a difference, and seldom does in this cigar. All in all, it’s a good cigar, at a decent price. But the Liberty is not something that I would put in my regular rotation due to the price, and availability. I do however love to keep a few of these on hand to satisfy those cedar cravings.

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The Good Stuff: The Casa Magna line is the product of two major hitters in the cigar industry putting their heads together to produce a quality line of value priced cigars. Back in 2008, Nestor Plascencia and Manuel Quesada teamed up and produced the shocking sleeper “Casa Magna Colorado” cigar that took top honors as Cigar Aficionado’s cigar of the year. The Colorado version was a Nicaraguan Puro, where as the Oscuro is all Nicaraguan minus the wrapper which is grown in Honduras. Distributed by SAG imports, the robusto I am smoking retails between $5.75 and $7 a stick.

Size: 5 x 52 – Wrapper: Honduran Oscuro – Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan – Body: full

Prelight: The Casa Magna Oscuro is a tremendously dark wrapped robusto sized cigar. The wrapper is very dark, and consistent dark chocolate brown topped off with a rounded double cap. The construction is immaculate. I really had to strain to find the very small veins hidden, and embedded in the body of the cigar. There is only one soft spot located in the dead center of the cigar’s body. The band on the Casa Magna Oscuro is identical to the Casa Magna Colorado with the only differences being the silver color vs. gold, and the word “Oscuro” inlayed on a red ribbon across the bottom. The wrapper of this Casa Magna Oscuro gives off a very strong, and pungent tobacco aroma with an almost floral finish. The foot of the cigar gives off very sweet tobacco notes with earthy hints and spice. The cigar cut off very easily and clean using my Cuban Crafters double bladed perfecto cutter. The cold draw produced some unexpected sweet organic tobacco flavors along with grass and grain.

First Smoke: The Casa Magna Oscuro didn’t start off with the initial burst of pepper I figured it would. Instead it lead me in with a very light and smooth organic tobacco and chocolate flavor backed by a nutty taste mixed with spice and just a splash of pepper on the finish. The draw is slightly tight, but still manageable producing a very nice, thick cloud of brown woodsy smelling smoke. The burnline is sharp as hell and very even with only very subtle waves. The Casa Magna Oscuro does leave behind a nice, hefty trail of spicy tobacco smelling stationary smoke so it may not be the best cigar to fire up around anyone who dislikes smoke. One note is the wrapper is starting to give off a very bitter taste on my lips. I really hope this fizzles out cause its pretty bad. The cigar is burned extremely slow, producing a nice looking medium grey ash with a few slight flakes which held on for about an inch and a half before giving way.

Halfway There: As I had hoped the bitter taste only lasted a few draws and then crawled back into it’s dark little hole where I hope it stays for the remainder of the experience. The second third of this Casa Magna Oscuro had quite a few interesting change ups in it’s flavor profile. The chocolate and cocoa flavors are now the big contenders backed by nut, spice, and a very woodsy taste. The retrohale is very smooth producing a nice woodsy prime. I am not feeling much of a nicotine kick, if any from this cigar so far, smooth all the way. The burnline is still dead even and extremely thin, my only worry now is the harsh build up that may effect the last third of this cigar. I am having slight trouble keeping this cigar going so I am taking hits more often than usual. Hopefully this won’t complicate things further down the road.

Finish: The Casa Magna Oscuro is really starting to ramp up in body now. I am definitely feeling the nicotine at this point. The flavors seem to have outgrown the cigar at this point and have become a bit dull and bready. You can still taste the wood and the chocolate but that’s about it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it lead to a much smoother finish than I had expected with very little harshness into the final inch. The burnline stayed sharp and even the entire smoke, and the only real annoyance was the cigar’s tendency to want to go out on me. It never fully did, but there was a few close calls. All in all it took about 1.75 hours to take down the slow burning little robusto.

Overview: This is a great balanced cigar and an excellent catch at it’s low price. This is no beginner’s cigar. The last third really proved to be a powerhouse that I think would stretch the limitations of the novice cigar smoker. This is one of those everyday rotation cigars you have mixed in when you want that extra stout/full bodied smoke. I would recommend it in singles and for the fair price, even a box pickup.

Pairing: I paired this Casa Magna Oscuro with another favorite of mine, Chimay’s Tripel or White Label. This is a hefty little triple weighing in at 8% alcohol and a whole lot of goodness. This light profile beer contains a perfect mixture of both fruity sweetness and zest making for a great balanced beer. In retrospect, this probably wasn’t the best pairing for this cigar as the abundant chocolate and stout profile wasn’t an even mashup for the beer. This beer would pair much kinder with a light Connecticut or even Cameroon wrapped mild cigar. The Casa Magna Oscuro would be perfect with some Dr. Pepper, iced tea, or coffee.

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