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Quai d?Orsay Coronas Claro
Size: 142mm x 42 ? Corona
Smoke time: 62mins.
Note: The cigar was bought as a single and I?m assuming it?s a Claro and not Claro Claro. (Age unknown). This cigar if often refered to as a beginners cigar. I don?t think that description is strictly true. Granted, the Claro is light to medium and can be easily smoked by a beginner, but to get at this Coronas full potential it really needs to be smoked slowly and gently, and which takes a little time to master. QdO are not available in the UK and are generally refered to as ?French taste? cigars. They are produced as a lighter bodied smoke primarily for the French market, but the idea that the French have a taste only for light cigars is very misleading especially when France is the biggest importer of Bolivar. I just think the French look at cigar smoking in a slightly different way to us. We try to pair a drink to compliment our cigar. They pair a cigar to compliment their Chateau wines and liqueurs. The French also enjoy the benefit of a two hours lunch break, and so I guess a lighter cigar would be a good choice after a meal at that time of day.
Appearance: Elegant yet sturdy. The wrapper was the customary smooth pale Claro utilised by QdO. There were no real surface veins and just one very small green blemish. The general attractiveness of the cigar was further accentuated by the minimalistic orange band.
Construction: Very good. Firm yet yielding along the barrel with a neatly applied triple cap. The pre-draw was perfect and the smoking draw spot on delivering a light but satisfactory volume of creamy and pleasant smoke. The ash was characteristic Cuban grey, and apart from one wayward moment early on, burned straight, compact and firm. No re-lights required.
Flavour: The pre-draw aroma was musky, heady tobacco and I must say I really liked it, like earth after rain it had a really clean smelling quality about it. The initial flavour came as a total surprise as I was expecting something vegetal in the smoke, but got Greek yoghurt instead, light, clean and deliciously honeyed. Honey pretty much characterised most of the first third and was punctuated by occasional notes of acidic tartness similar to raspberries and orange marmalade. Nearing the end of the third, the honey began to sour and the familiar Cuban ?twang? began to make itself known along with a delicate almost discrete woodiness. In retrohale I was able to pick out some sweet pepper and a taste (smell) something akin to vanilla. In the second third the sour honey base became more ?toasted? and from then to my mind the cigar lost its way a bit, becoming just toasted tobacco ? which wasn?t unpleasant ? but just straight tobacco. In the final third the flavour intensity shifted rapidly from light to a good solid medium, the flavour itself however was just a deeper version of what had proceeded. Removing the band I managed to split the wrapper which then began to unravel and there I called it a day.
Overall: Goodish Cuban. Good start but not a great finish. Certainly one I think worth trying again as a single sometime, but as a box, no. The QdO Panatelas however is a different story and still one of my favourite cigars.
Size: 142mm x 42 ? Corona
Smoke time: 62mins.
Note: The cigar was bought as a single and I?m assuming it?s a Claro and not Claro Claro. (Age unknown). This cigar if often refered to as a beginners cigar. I don?t think that description is strictly true. Granted, the Claro is light to medium and can be easily smoked by a beginner, but to get at this Coronas full potential it really needs to be smoked slowly and gently, and which takes a little time to master. QdO are not available in the UK and are generally refered to as ?French taste? cigars. They are produced as a lighter bodied smoke primarily for the French market, but the idea that the French have a taste only for light cigars is very misleading especially when France is the biggest importer of Bolivar. I just think the French look at cigar smoking in a slightly different way to us. We try to pair a drink to compliment our cigar. They pair a cigar to compliment their Chateau wines and liqueurs. The French also enjoy the benefit of a two hours lunch break, and so I guess a lighter cigar would be a good choice after a meal at that time of day.
Appearance: Elegant yet sturdy. The wrapper was the customary smooth pale Claro utilised by QdO. There were no real surface veins and just one very small green blemish. The general attractiveness of the cigar was further accentuated by the minimalistic orange band.
Construction: Very good. Firm yet yielding along the barrel with a neatly applied triple cap. The pre-draw was perfect and the smoking draw spot on delivering a light but satisfactory volume of creamy and pleasant smoke. The ash was characteristic Cuban grey, and apart from one wayward moment early on, burned straight, compact and firm. No re-lights required.
Flavour: The pre-draw aroma was musky, heady tobacco and I must say I really liked it, like earth after rain it had a really clean smelling quality about it. The initial flavour came as a total surprise as I was expecting something vegetal in the smoke, but got Greek yoghurt instead, light, clean and deliciously honeyed. Honey pretty much characterised most of the first third and was punctuated by occasional notes of acidic tartness similar to raspberries and orange marmalade. Nearing the end of the third, the honey began to sour and the familiar Cuban ?twang? began to make itself known along with a delicate almost discrete woodiness. In retrohale I was able to pick out some sweet pepper and a taste (smell) something akin to vanilla. In the second third the sour honey base became more ?toasted? and from then to my mind the cigar lost its way a bit, becoming just toasted tobacco ? which wasn?t unpleasant ? but just straight tobacco. In the final third the flavour intensity shifted rapidly from light to a good solid medium, the flavour itself however was just a deeper version of what had proceeded. Removing the band I managed to split the wrapper which then began to unravel and there I called it a day.
Overall: Goodish Cuban. Good start but not a great finish. Certainly one I think worth trying again as a single sometime, but as a box, no. The QdO Panatelas however is a different story and still one of my favourite cigars.
I recently read a good piece about Qd'O's history and background and have been quite intrigued by this brand since. Nice to hear how they go.
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