Quesada’s Jalapa is the follow-up release to their incredibly successful Seleccion Espana line. The Seleccion Espana was a blend released in Europe which catered to their more common, Cubanesque flavor profiles. Well, some of these cigars managed to find their way into the hands of people here in the states and the buzz about this blend blew up. I personally smoked my fair share of them. Quesada had to react. Since the Espana was a European release  Quesada then took the blend, and basically took the blend and swapped the wrapper, and then released it into the US. The Espana carries a very rare, very pricey Ecuadorian Arapiraca wrapper making the price of the stick much higher. This is fine in the Cuban-filled European markets, but the US needed something that would drop the price down while maintaining or enhancing the cigar’s flavor. What they came up with was a Nicaraguan Jalapa wrapper which the US is much more familiar with.

This limited edition cigar comes in 3 sizes: Robusto (4 7/8 x 50), Belicoso (6 1/8 x 52) and Prominente (7 5/8 x 49). They are packaged in boxes of 10 and limited to only 1,000 boxes of each format. Although this cigar was released last year in August they can still be easily found on a lot of shelves across the states for between $8 – $9.50. The blend starts out with a Nicaraguan Jalapa wrapper, Dominican Binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican Fillers.

Considering that we are dealing with Quesada and the MATASA factory, it goes without saying that this cigar carries top notch construction. The wrapper starts out with perfectly consistent, with a honey-brown color that really showcases all the oils the Jalapa carries. The slender body is polished of with a beautiful, round triple cap. Seriously, you can rub the oils from this cigar off on your finger tips.  Although the wrapper feels a bit fragile the cigar didn’t give much as I squeezed it between my fingers. Right off the bat I am greeted with lots of sweetness and some strong black pepper. The pepper faded right away and then left me with a very smooth, very creamy cedar, sweet, earthy tobacco flavor. One thing I enjoyed about the Espana was how remarkably smooth the experience was and the Jalapa mimics that experience every step of the way. As the cigar progressed notes of cashew and even some really soft mint came and went while the finish was just as smooth and creamy as the start. I never had any issues with the burn on any of the Jalapas I have smoked. In fact, the ash and burnline have been some of the best I have seen in recent cigars. It took me a little over an hour each time to take down the Robusto format and about an hour and half on the Belicoso. Needless to say I enjoyed every minute of it. The Jalapa left me with no nicotine kick or harshness. I have smoked about 10 of the Robusto and a handful of the Belicoso. Although I have never smoked the Prominente, I would have to say the Belicoso was my favorite from the two I had smoked. It produced a smoother experience with, what I felt was more cedar character.

So is the Jalapa a good replacement for the Espana? In a value and market sense, totally. Is it better than the Espana? In my opinion it is not. I absolutely LOVE the Espana, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good cigar. In fact, It’s a GREAT cigar. And for the price point I think that this stick, despite it’s availability should find it’s way in anyone’s humidor. It’s light, balanced, and smooth while it carries a lot of bold flavor that will appease any palate.

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These pre-release samples were graciously sent over from our good friend @terencereilly82. Excitement for a new Quesada blend started forming when @Quesadacigars dropped a bomb of a tweet announcing the first new blend from the MATASA (Manufactura de Tabacos S.A.) factory in the Dominican Republic. This isn’t just your average everyday blend though, this blend has a purpose.

The Good Stuff: Q d’etat is a play on the concept of “coup d’etat”, an attempt to help unite cigar smokers in support of their rights. The concept formed after a retail store in Springfield MO lots it’s right to smoke within it’s own store due to a lack of exemption file. Sadly, this is happening all over the US as cigar smokers and retailers are constantly having to fight for their smoking rights. In total, there will only be 1,000 boxes of the Q d’etat released, in 3 different sizes. The first is the “Molotov” which is obviously based off the Molotov Cocktail fire bomb used by the Fins against the Russians. This size will run $7.95 a stick, will be available in boxes of ten, and the release is set at some point in January. Details on the other two sizes in the line have yet to be released.

This is an interesting concept and can easily be taken the wrong way. The release in no way is created to incite violence, but to inspire cigar smokers and retailers to take action and do their part to protect their rights. In fact, each box will contain a registration form for the Cigar Rights of America. If you are unfamiliar with CRA, then you need to get with it. Check them out and do your part!

Size: 5 x 44/58 /38 –  Wrapper: Dominican  –  Binder/Filler: Dominican

As you can see by the pictures, the Quesada Q d’etat Molotov does in fact, look like a small Molotov. I really can’t wait to set this thing on fire. The cigar starts out with a smaller gauged round (44rg) then quickly expands into a wide bodied cigar (58rg) before a long, slender taper down to about a 38rg before being capped off with a very interesting compressed nub cap which represents the “rag” portion of a Molotov Cocktail. Interesting indeed, this cigar really does look like one. The format is really intriguing and I really can’t wait to light it up and see how well, or how badly it performs. Size aside the Q d’etat Molotov is wrapper in a crazy oily, dark and medium brown wrapper. This cigar is so oily it looks wet. The wrapper is very thick and firm and despite being a crazy size that I can imagine it pretty difficult to roll, the construction is impeccable. No soft spots, no flaws, and only two smaller veins no longer than an inch each. These samples do not have bands, but here is an ide of what the final band will look like:

And here is a sample from the inside of lid of the box:

The wrapper on this Quesada Q d’etat Molotov gives off a really sweet, oaky aroma while the foot of the cigar bears a very spicy and peppery tobacco aroma. The cap cut clean and crazy easy using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw is a very interesting cashew and tobacco with just enough spice and pepper to east my lips and tongue. The draw is much looser then I initially thought it would be too.

First Smoke: Quesada’s Q d’etat Molotov starts off with a ton of really bold tobacco flavors. Outside to the tobacco I picked up hints of chocolate, spice, some deep strong oaky/cedar flavors, and just enough pepper to leave a slight tingling sensation on my lips. I’m also picking up a slight saltiness from the wrapper. The draw, is perfect. Which was pretty much the main thing I was concerned about due to the cigar’s strange size. It fits very comfortably in the hand as well. The Q D’etat only leaves behind trace amounts of cedar scented stationary smoke while it sits in my ashtray. The burnline is even for the most part with only a few small waves leaving behind a very tightly compacted medium and light grey ash. The ash held on for about an inch before giving way into my lap. That’s right, I screwed that one up. This picture is close enough to the end of the first third to get away with it.

Halfway There: After reaching the bulb in this Q D’etat Molotov, the cigar really started to smooth out. The bold tobacco flavor is now just an afterthought as the dark chocolate, cinnamon, and spice flavors take over. There is a bit of that oakyness still tossed in there as well. The retrohale is a lot spicier than I expected, priming my nasal passage with a very sharp oak and spice. The burnline is still pretty even, and I am already feeling a nice little nicotine buzz from this little cigar.

Finish: Finishing up the final third of this Q D’etat Molotov and it’s still going strong. One thing to note is there is a tiny bit of sap coming from the cap of the cigar. So little I barely noticed it, so it really didn’t impair the experience at all, I just thought it was worth mentioning. On the same note, keep in my this is a pre-release so it may even be slightly young which may explain the sap. This little cigar goes out with a bang as the flavors began to ramp back up as well as the body of the cigar. The main flavor is not this crazy strong oaky/cedar flavor which is still being backed by the spice and cinnamon as well as some natural tobacco. Don’t let the size fool you, this cigar packs quite a bit of a punch, not to mention it burns incredibly slow. It took me about an hour and a half to smoke this little guy down to the nub with no harshness at all. The cigar finishes off really nice, clean and smooth, leaving me with a nice little nicotine buzz.

Overview: This cigar was an interesting one. The format and the blend on the Quesada Q D’etat isn’t something you encounter too often. The size, although strange, really makes for a comfortable and controlled smoke while the bolder, more robust blend suited my tastes perfectly. This isn’t really a cigar for a smoking novice, but I really think the more seasoned smokers will be able to appreciate the hard work, and the complexity of the smoke. The flavors and the change-ups really keep you entertained while the experience as a whole is enjoyable. The price point on these cigars make them a perfect cigar for your everyday rotation. I really can’t wait to try this blend in other formats. Needless to say Quesada has done it again. After last year’s success with the Seleccion Espana, Oktoberfest, and Domus Magnus I really expected great things from the company and couldn’t wait to see how the next blend would turn out. I don’t think the Q D’etat trumps those three blends, but it fits in perfectly with them and I would highly recommend picking these up once they are released. Boxworthy for sure, especially at that price.

Pairing: It almost seems like this beer and this cigar are made for each other. I paired this Q d’etat Molotov with a beer that often shows it’s face around this blog, New Belgium’s 1554. 1554 is a Brussels’s style black ale that fits perfectly into the winter season, but is luckily found year round. Brewed at the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado this 5.6% ABV “enlightened” ale boasts flavors of dark chocolate, malted nuts, and caramel with a smooth creamy finish. Pair it with your next maduro, you won’t regret it.

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