Quay d'Orsay Limitada 2019 Senadores Test

Test of the Quay d'Orsay Limitada 2019 Senadores. Available from 3 February 2021 in the Swiss Casa del Habano and one week later, on 10 February 2021, in the Habanos Specialist Stores. CHF 475 per box containing 25 cigars. That's a really great price! Length of the cigar: 157 mm, ring 48, format Hermosos No. 2 (Grand Corona). Find the cigar on Google > Please read my personal impressions in the conclusion.

Tasting notes

Fact sheet on the test

• Format: Hermosos No. 2, Grand Corona (length: 175 / ring gauge: 48)
• Tobacco: Complete Cuba
• Boxing Date (BD): ABR 20 ( April 2020)
• Price: CHF 475 per box containing 25 cigars (CHF 19 / pc.)
• Find the cigar on Google >

What is „retronasal“?

Retronasal cigar enjoyment enhances the flavour. What it is, why it works and how to do it please read here. Take a look at the ZiZo vacuum technology in particular. Incredible enhancement of cigar enjoyment!

What is the „R+ ZiZo vacuum technology“?

This is the consummate pleasure of a cigar. Hard to describe. I'll try. Here's an example: a baby sucking on a dummy. Try this technique with a cigar. Very little smoke gets into the mouth. But it passes over the tongue and goes straight through the nose. I tried it with about 10 cigars before I mastered it. Please be very careful with this technique when practising: the smoke hit the back of my larynx several times. That was really bad. But now that I can do it, it's a perfect technique for enjoying a cigar.

What is umami?

This means „savouriness“, „spicy“, „essence“, „meaty“. This mixture of taste sensations is perceived on the centre of the tongue. You can find a good article about this on Wikipedia. 

Recommendation for ageing: The box in the humidor for at least 2 years. Single specimens in a tubo, also 2 years in a humidor.

Cuban cigars and the important ageing phase: testing this Limitada

Cuban cigars are super tasty for the first 1 - 3 months after rolling. After that, the cigar begins to mature. The tobacco used is not yet ready for tasting. Cuba has too few resources. The tobacco cannot mature as long as it should. The cigars are rolled and hardly have a resting phase. Depending on the brand and format, the maturing phase in the humidor at home takes between 2 and over 8 years (or even longer). Very important: this is not a fault of the cigar.

If you buy single copies

Place the cigar with the cellophane in the humidor. If your cigar does not have cellophane: Put them in tubos and then in the humidor. Or you can put the individual cigars in a Zippo bag and put a small Boveda inside. You then seal it and place it in the humidor. Cigars that are stored open without cellophane or a box lose their flavour very quickly. This is demonstrated in this article with experiments.

What is the boxing date of the cigar (BD)?

There is a stamp on the back of the box. There you can see when the cigars were placed in the box. From this point onwards, Cuban cigars are excellent for tasting within 1 - 3 months. If you have not bought a whole box, please ask your retailer for the boxing date.

Note: The boxing date can also be affixed in other places. E.g. on the outer carton.

Conclusion from the test

My test of the Quay d'Orsay Limitada 2019 Senadores was very exciting for me. The box date is April 2020 and they are now about 10 months old. These 10 months have done the cigar a lot of good. Assuming it really is April 2020. Why am I sceptical? Because I have already experienced a few inconsistencies with Cuba cigars *. Perhaps the cigars that have now arrived in Switzerland were only rolled two months ago. In terms of flavour, both could be true.

Germany has had the cigars on the market for some time (and they are out of stock). The cigars were probably actually rolled last year in April. This is because the COVID-19 pandemic did not allow deliveries to take place as planned. In any case: this cigar is really great!

As the smoke progresses, it becomes a little more acidic and slightly astringent. This is not a fault of the cigar. The tobacco simply continues to work, even if it is a Limitada in which the tobacco used has been stored for at least two years.

The cigar has a maximum strength of 2.5/5. I recommend a minimum ageing period of 2 years.

Here is an article on the topic White dots on the ash.