Cigar Review: Quesada Jalapa Robusto

The new small-batch offering from Quesada cigars, the Quesada Jalapa has the same filler/binder blend (Nicaraguan and Dominican filler with Dominican binder) as the immensely popular Quesada Espana. The difference is that these new small-batch stogies are wrapped in a Nicaraguan Jalapa claro wrapper, the result of an experimental crop grown by Nestor Plasencia back in 2002. Limited to only 1,000 boxes of each size, the Jalapa is one of the latest Manuel Quesada creations to hit our shelves here at BCP, so for today’s review I procured a sample of the Robusto (4 7/8 x 50).

The cigar was wrapped in what seemed to be a pretty delicate light-brown Claro wrapper. Construction on the stick looked solid, with a neatly applied triple-cap up top. Pre-light draws gave off a sweet and tangy wood flavor.

After a careful light, the cigar gave off a taste of rich and smoky cedar with a lingering peppery finish. The draw had what seemed like just the right amount of resistance, and the cigar was producing lots of creamy smoke. As I puffed on I picked up notes of cherry wood and leather, and eventually a light and buttery sweetness began to creep into the profile. By the time I reached the 2nd third the ash was up to a healthy 2+ inches.

In the second portion the pepper morphed into a nutmeg-like baking spice and was joined by vivid notes of cream and coffee as the cigar smoothed out to a mellow-bodied profile with rich and juicy flavor. I finally lost the ash at about the 3 inch mark, but the cigar was still burning perfectly and smoking nice and cool.

As I burned into the final third the cigar remained relaxed in body as tasty notes of allspice, cocoa, leather, cream, and savory tobacco made their rounds through an easy draw. This profile stayed consistent and thorough until the end of the smoke.

The Quesada Jalapa Robusto showed really nice balance and had clean-tasting and refined flavors all the way through. The burn on this stick was close to perfect, and the flavor profile had a good amount of depth to it, and nice, subtle transitions during the course of the burn. The laid-back, spicy, and savory flavors of the Jalapa are just begging to be put down for a little nap of 6 months or so. Don’t get me wrong, it was super-tasty as is, I just think this particular cigar is one that has potential to become amazing with a little age. I’m giving the Jalapa Robusto a B+ grade, and I plan on tucking a few of these away in my personal humidor asap.


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