54 Quai d'Orsay

One brand took centre stage at the "Festival del Habano" in spring 2017: the Quai d'Orsay brand. It is still relatively young, having only been launched exclusively for the French market in 1973. For more than 40 years, the brand led a rather shadowy existence, quite unjustly. This is now set to change with the introduction of two new formats with mild and elegant tobacco blends and the complete reorganisation of the presentation. Attractive and elaborate cigar rings and decorations produced using high-quality printing technology now adorn the cigars and boxes.

Quai d'Orsay No. 54

Quai d'Orsay No. 54 has a length of 133 mm with a ring gauge of 54 and is the first cigar with the "Edmundo Grueso" format from Cuba. Incidentally, the name of the brand refers to the famous street on the banks of the Seine in Paris, where the company SEITA, a partner of Habanos S.A., had its headquarters in the 1970s.

Tasting report

Cigars on the outside: Robust, oily wrapper.
Cigarsinside: Medium rolling, good workmanship.
Smoke: Creamy with a slight sweetness. Lots of smoke volume.
Flavour: Grass, wood, earth, toast and coffee.
Burn: Good burning behaviour

Ratings

What Cigar Aficionado says about it

"The old Quai d'Orsay brand, which was developed exclusively for the French market in the 1970s, was only available in a handful of formats and was considered to be rather mild to medium-bodied. However, the Cuban cigar monopoly recently launched a completely new Quai d'Orsay, transforming it from a regional cigar into a global brand. The bands and boxes have been redesigned, the line has been given two new formats - thicker vitolas designed to appeal to a wider market - and the cigar has been reblended to give it more character. Today, the brand can be found all over the world, and we found the No. 54 quite remarkable. Today's Quai d'Orsay, while different, is still not a powerhouse, but a subtle and refined Cuban cigar that is one part sweet and one part savoury, like a salted caramel praline. " Cigar Aficionado, 01.01.2019