1974 is the year Manuel Quesada began making cigars, and so the Quesada 1974 blend is an homage to the company’s founding.
Back then, things were hardly glamorous for the fledgling cigar company. As the story goes, they started operations as Manufactura de Tabacos, S.A. (MATASA) in a Santiago with "$100, a chair, and a phone," along with three rollers. Then, the company was making cigars for Antillian, a brand distributed to the U.S. through Miami. The company grew, survived the cigar boom and bust in the 90s, and eventually created their own family brand that we can now smoke today.
It wasn’t an easy road from there to here, and we can respect a family that can find success through good times and bad, surviving and ultimately thriving in business and in life.
For our globetrotting customers, you may have seen the Quesada 1974 cigar abroad at some point, or heard of it for sale in European markets. It was originally a cigar made for the Spanish cigar market, the Quesada 1974 cigars made their way to the States for our enjoyment a bit later.
The cigar features a fragile Cameroon-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador. This covers a Dominican binder, which in turn is rolled around a Dominican and Nicaraguan long-filler blend. With all of the Dominican tobacco used grown by Quesada, the company president Manuel Quesada explained that the “project truly embodies, in my opinion, our heritage and history.”
Earning 89 points from Cigar Aficionado, it’s a decent smoke, especially for fans of Cameroon tobacco. Flavors of cedar, white pepper, and peanuts come out in the smoke, giving fans ample notes to consider as they puff along.
We can’t help but reflect on our own history when cigar companies put out blends like the Quesada 1974 cigar, which invokes their long story. With multi-generational companies like this, we can imagine the struggles and triumphs of entrepreneurs who refused to go under. These family leaders changed their business as needed to float along with the times, while still preserving the principles that have always steered them well through the years.
Maybe your own family has been through something similar? Draw and consider… this is a smoke for reflection.
Please browse our selection of Quesada 1974 cigars at your leisure.
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