MaytagMan
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Cigar Snapshot Podcast Episode 25
Quesada Q d’Etat Molotov
Size: 5 x 38/58/44 (Perfecto)
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
About:
I found the following description of the Q d’Etat Molotov on the SAG Imports website:
“The Q d’Etat line represents a symbolic revolt against the unfair taxation practices and mistreatment of the premium cigar industry. The brand is intended to create awareness of the dangers increased government regulation and taxation will produce, specifically the FDA’s desire to regulate premium cigars.
There will be three sizes, released at different dates, of 1,000 ten-count boxes. Each box will contain a form to register for membership in Cigar Rights of America.”
Pre-light:
The cigar is a squat perfecto with the tobacco at the head narrowly bunched but unfinished. Refer to the picture in the podcast episode webpage to see exactly what it looks like. The head of the cigar actually resembles a lit fuse, which is an appropriate reference to the cigar’s name. The wrapper is deep brown and is quite mottled with some very dark brown to black splotches. There were no apparent defects in the cigar, and I did notice that it was extraordinarily firm to the touch – it did not have the gentle springiness that I am accustomed to feeling in a cigar.
AROMA: The prelight aroma was much less “in your face” than I expected it to be. There were some very light woodsy aromas, along with some more specific notes of pencil shavings.
TASTE: The prelight taste had a distinct furniture varnish note that dominated the flavor profile. There were also notes of fermented fruit and a very slight floral note.
1/3:
Despite being very firm to the touch, the cigar had an excellent draw right from the beginning, and produced a nice volume of smoke. There was a subtle spiciness at the beginning that seemed to be very deep in the flavor profile. It felt like it kind of settled underneath my tongue and kind of just sat there. I tasted a slight sweetness on the wrapper, and as I smoked the first third, I got a distinct fruit-like character.
2/3:
As the cigar progressed through the increased ring gauge portion of the perfecto, the flavor profile “widened out” for lack of a better term. The fruit-like characteristics backed off a bit and a creamier undertone came in, along with some smooth leathery-like qualities. The retrohale was slightly sharp, with some vegetal components. The ash was medium-light gray and very firm.
3/3:
The flavor profile in the final third remained relatively consistent with the second third of the cigar. Though I was expecting the flavor profile to ramp up a bit or at least intensify a little bit in the final third, the only real change that I noticed was the addition of some dry woodiness. The construction continued to be spot-on, and I was able to smoke this cigar until I burned my fingertips on the nub with no bitterness or heating up.
Overall:
Fist of all, I did like the size of the cigar – not only was it visually appealing, but it smoked well and would be very manageable even with a limited time frame. Based upon the name and the visual connection to the Molotov Cocktail, I was expecting this to smoke like a spicy firebomb. Instead, I found it to be rather low-key, but refined at the same time. The SAG Imports website says that the cigar is “Medium-full in strength (closer to full)”. Based upon the samples that I smoked, I would be more inclined to describe this cigar as sitting right in the middle of mild and medium.
Quesada Q d’Etat Molotov
Size: 5 x 38/58/44 (Perfecto)
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
About:
I found the following description of the Q d’Etat Molotov on the SAG Imports website:
“The Q d’Etat line represents a symbolic revolt against the unfair taxation practices and mistreatment of the premium cigar industry. The brand is intended to create awareness of the dangers increased government regulation and taxation will produce, specifically the FDA’s desire to regulate premium cigars.
There will be three sizes, released at different dates, of 1,000 ten-count boxes. Each box will contain a form to register for membership in Cigar Rights of America.”
Pre-light:
The cigar is a squat perfecto with the tobacco at the head narrowly bunched but unfinished. Refer to the picture in the podcast episode webpage to see exactly what it looks like. The head of the cigar actually resembles a lit fuse, which is an appropriate reference to the cigar’s name. The wrapper is deep brown and is quite mottled with some very dark brown to black splotches. There were no apparent defects in the cigar, and I did notice that it was extraordinarily firm to the touch – it did not have the gentle springiness that I am accustomed to feeling in a cigar.
AROMA: The prelight aroma was much less “in your face” than I expected it to be. There were some very light woodsy aromas, along with some more specific notes of pencil shavings.
TASTE: The prelight taste had a distinct furniture varnish note that dominated the flavor profile. There were also notes of fermented fruit and a very slight floral note.
1/3:
Despite being very firm to the touch, the cigar had an excellent draw right from the beginning, and produced a nice volume of smoke. There was a subtle spiciness at the beginning that seemed to be very deep in the flavor profile. It felt like it kind of settled underneath my tongue and kind of just sat there. I tasted a slight sweetness on the wrapper, and as I smoked the first third, I got a distinct fruit-like character.
2/3:
As the cigar progressed through the increased ring gauge portion of the perfecto, the flavor profile “widened out” for lack of a better term. The fruit-like characteristics backed off a bit and a creamier undertone came in, along with some smooth leathery-like qualities. The retrohale was slightly sharp, with some vegetal components. The ash was medium-light gray and very firm.
3/3:
The flavor profile in the final third remained relatively consistent with the second third of the cigar. Though I was expecting the flavor profile to ramp up a bit or at least intensify a little bit in the final third, the only real change that I noticed was the addition of some dry woodiness. The construction continued to be spot-on, and I was able to smoke this cigar until I burned my fingertips on the nub with no bitterness or heating up.
Overall:
Fist of all, I did like the size of the cigar – not only was it visually appealing, but it smoked well and would be very manageable even with a limited time frame. Based upon the name and the visual connection to the Molotov Cocktail, I was expecting this to smoke like a spicy firebomb. Instead, I found it to be rather low-key, but refined at the same time. The SAG Imports website says that the cigar is “Medium-full in strength (closer to full)”. Based upon the samples that I smoked, I would be more inclined to describe this cigar as sitting right in the middle of mild and medium.
