Quesada 35th Anniversary

The Quesada 35th Anniversary is the newest creation of the Quesada family and Matesa, though this time blended by the youngest and fifth generation of the family. It is a limited edition commemorative cigar, recognizing Matesa's 35th Anniversary (ironically). There has been some hype around this stick recently, as it comes from the same family that brought us last year's "Cigar of the Year," the Casa Magna Colorado. Time to get down to business and see if this stick can really hold it's own in a cigar business currently booming with LE sticks.

Sitting outside on a brisk day with a good friend and BOTL. The stick was lit with a torch, cut with a Palio, and accompanied by water.

Pre-Light - Beautiful dark, oily, chocolate colored wrapper on this stick. The box press feels nice in your hand. Nice easy draw, with a cinnamon flavor.

First Third - The lighter draw gives off a nice cloud of smoke, and the first few puffs produce a dark, almost subdued chocolate and full bodied wood flavor. The burn is nothing special, but has a pretty tight ash. A more pronounced coffee flavor (little bit of cream, no sugar) fills this stick out -the complexity is interesting. The dark cocoa in the background is making it for me.
Second Third - The as began to get 'flaky' and eventually dropped, though not until about an inch an a half. The flavors continue to change, but the same coffee, cocoa, and wood flavors are predominant. Bitterness appears here and there, though it is more tied to the cocoa so not a bad flavor. The ligero in here is sneaking up on me and I'm feeling the strength a little bit in the back of my throat. Really enjoying it so far.
Third Third - I really have nothing bad to say thus far. The cocoa and wood are dominant in the last third, with the coffee close behind. Though they have become a bit more 'muddled' I am still enthralled with this cigar. The burn is a bit uneven, but fixes itself -no biggie.
Conclusion and Score - The flavors in this cigar were immensely enjoyable, the smoke nice and thick, and the draw fantastic, though the burn left a bit to be desired. I loved the dark, smooth complexity in flavors, especially the cocoa and coffee. I really had a tough time putting it down, and would have to score this a hearty 92. Though age may mellow this stick out and bring out some more complexity, I think it is a fantastic smoke now. Definitely one of the smokes out right now I would have no problem shelling out the $12 for. Worth a try for sure if you can find it!

PS thank you to the BOTL who sent me this stick, making me promise to do a review. I loved it and was happy to comply!