Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Quesada 1974 Robusto is medium brown and has a network of slightly raised veins. The seams are smooth but easily visible due to the thickness of the wrapper. The head is finished off with a well applied triple cap. The band is gold, red and black and just denotes the company name. The aroma from the wrapper is wood and stone fruit sweetness while the foot just brings a light wood. The pre-light draw consists of graham cracker with a mellow spice on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The Quesada 1974 Robusto has soft spots throughout and has a wrapper that is between Natural and Colorado in coloring. It has a silky texture to the wrapper with some fine gritty points as well. The aroma is of hay, sweet spices, pepper, soft earth and leather, and it is a subtle aroma.

Pre-light Experience

The Quesada 1974 Robusto has a gold band with red and black accents. Nosing the wrapper, I pick up sweet cedar, faint barnyard and old barn wood. In the foot, there is sweet subdued tobacco.

Pre-light Experience

The Quesada 1974 Robusto has a uniformed medium brown wrapper. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and head finished off with a well applied deep cap. Nosing the wrapper tells cedar and hay. Foot aromas tell deeper notes of cedar and hay. Cold draw tells cedar, hay and nuts.

First Third

The cigar begins with a mix of wood and candied cinnamon. At a half inch in, the cinnamon begins to mellow and there is a very light chalky component joining in. The retrohale brings an even mixture of the wood, cinnamon and chalkiness. At an inch and a quarter, a light floral note joins in as the cinnamon is completely gone from the profile. As the third comes to a close, the floral note has made it’s way into the retrohale with the wood and light chalkiness. The strength in this third was mild.

First Third

The first third begins by delivering some hay, leather, wood and spice notes. It is medium in body, strength and flavors, and it has a slow start in my opinion. It is balanced, but there is nothing that is really grabbing my attention.

First Third

My initial first third impressions are sweet bread with cedar finishing the draw, and an extremely delayed post draw light pepper on my lips and back of my tongue. The retrohale has light baking spices and bread notes, with light plus earth on the post draw. As the cigar progresses, graham cracker mixes with the bread notes on the retrohale, as cedar joins the post draw at the 20 minute mark. In the bottom half, mild chocolate joins the middle of the profile, with the post draw cedar adding tannins.

First Third

The first third’s flavor profile has a slick oiliness to it. Flavors of baking spices, minerals and subtle bread. Retrohaling brings amplified baking spices and minerals. The finish is a tongue sticking cedar and mineral combination. Strength is near medium-full and body medium.

Second Third

The second third continues on with the wood and light chalkiness while the floral note is now only present on the retrohale. At a quarter inch in, the chalkiness begins increasing. The retrohale now has the chalkiness ahead of the wood while the floral note has dropped out. As the third comes to a close, the chalkiness has moved slightly ahead of the wood. The strength is now mild-medium.

Second Third

I am in the second third of the cigar now and it is delivering some similar and yet lacking notes of hay, wood and soft spices. The cigar is still smoking at a medium level for strength, body and flavors, and I will say the cigar is balanced.

Second Third

Sweet cedar defines the retrohale moving into the second third. The bread on the main draw is still present at light plus, with cedar finishing each draw with tannic accents. In the bottom half, the post draw adds earth with some charred notes.

Second Third

Second third is more of the same mineral and baking spices focused formula but less noticeable bread notes. Strength is still hovering over medium-full and body consistent medium.

Final Third

The final third continues on with the chalkiness slightly ahead of the wood. At a quarter inch in, a slight floral note returns to the retrohale. At a half inch in, the floral note returns to the mouth draws. At an inch in, the wood takes the lead over the chalkiness. The strength in this third remained at mild-medium.

Final Third

The final third is similar to that of the second third. It is smoking fast as a cigar and I am getting some wood, hay and grass notes. There is a finish of soft earth, but the cigar itself just smoked itself in the end. It was fairly cool to the end, which was surprising, but the draw was quite loose and the cigar was medium in strength, body and flavors.

Final Third

The final third begins with toasted earth which almost immediately takes over the palate. Some tannic cedar joins the middle of the flavor profile as the cigar settles in.

Final Third

Nothing new happening within the last third. Still primarily mineral and baking spices with the bread note essentially gone. Strength and body finishes medium.

Burn

The burn line was straight the entire way. The ash dropped at the halfway point and then held on until the cigar finished.

Burn

The burn was fairly good from start to finish, but the cigar itself smoked quite fast. I don’t think it had time to burn poorly.

Burn

The first third develops an uneven burn that develops into a canoe, requiring a touch-up. In the bottom half of the first third, the burn is uneven again requiring a second touch-up. In the last third, there is mild tunneling that requires another touch-up.

Burn

Very good burn performance aside from a couple quick touch-ups. Everything else was smooth sailing.

Draw

The draw was quite snug. A draw tool brought short windows of relief, but it would return to significant tightness.

Overall

If I recall correctly, this was originally a European release that was then released to the States. This would make sense with the low strength profile. I really liked how the cigar started with the wood and candied cinnamon and really wish that lasted longer than just the initial inch. After that it was wood, chalkiness and a floral note that came in and out. I also wish the draw wasn’t as tight as it was. I’d like to revisit this Quesada 1974 Robusto to see how it smokes with a better draw, but as it is, it’s a decent cigar. For people that enjoy low strength cigars with a mellow flavor profile, I would suggest giving this a try.

Draw

The draw was in the resistant spectrum and I would say roughly 2 notches resistant.

Overall

The Quesada 1974 Robusto is an interesting cigar. It definitely does not excite, but at the same time it does not crash and burn from the get go. There is nothing to the cigar to make it truly bad, but at the same time there is nothing to the cigar that makes it worth your while. The flavors are lacking in complexity and depth, and the flavors that are present are monotonous from start to finish. I have no problem with a cigar that does not show transitioning, but you better have some complexities and depth if that is the case. The construction seemed off and the cigar really smoked itself. I took my time as best as possible on this Robusto and it still smoked super fast. It is hard to see a cigar like this that is supposed to pay tribute to the company’s history and launch in the Dominican Republic.

Draw

Each puff has a slight resistance to it, making it a perfect draw.

Overall

The flavor profile started out quite promising on the Quesada 1974 Robusto with varied notes of bread, cedar, baking spices, light pepper, earth, graham cracker and sweet leather. Unfortunately, the profile declined for the remainder of the cigar with largely cedar notes in the middle third, and a bitter earth in the last third. My overall experience was average. What surprised me was the total smoking time which was 1 hour and 6 minutes. Given that a typical Robusto smokes 1-1/2 to 2 hours, it fell outside of my normal experience.

Draw

The draw was perfect, giving me the ideal air flow.

Overall

The Quesada 1974 Robusto was an overall average tasting cigar with very good construction. The first third’s slick and oily delivery of baking spices, minerals and bread was a good starting point. However, as the cigar continued, it mainly became the same spice and earth character without the bread to break up the monotony. Purchase a couple to try, but probably no more than that.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.65

Cost/Point

$1.76

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

3.78

Cost/Point

$2.63

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$1.84

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

6.00

Cost/Point

$1.66

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Quesada 1974 Robusto