Jason at J Shepherd Cigars , www.jshepherdcigars.com had a great cigar tasting last night, see information below. If you want to keep up with information go to his facebook page and 'like' it.
This new cigar was milder than I expected to go with Octoberfest beers , however, it seems that these beers are not so much 'hoppy' as they are a little sweeter. We did have 3 different beers to sample from to test this cigar. Everyone that attended rated the cigar as very good and many boxes were sold, including the one I bought, not that the free lighter, cutter, hat, and 3 free cigars to go with it was an encouragement. :-)
Anyway this cigar did indeed get better as you smoked it and was a well made cigar. Will have to see how it goes with bourbons and ale-8-one also.
Although this cigar is great on its own, it was specifically blended to be paired with the flavorful Marzen-Style beer produced for Oktoberfest. As luck would have it, we will also be offering a complimentary tasting of three different types of Oktoberfest style beers.
Best wishes and keep living the good life,
Jason
ACIGARSMOKER.COM had a great review of this cigar also: Appearance and Construction: The Quesada Oktoberfest features a dark looking wrapper that Matasa calls, “Cibao”. To the naked eye, the cigar looks like a dark oily maduro. There is one medium-sized vein that stands out, but otherwise this is a gorgeous leaf. There is some tooth present, and in the hand the stick has a nice weight and is very firm to the touch. The band features the Quesada Q and the colors of Germany. Overall, one very attractive smoke.
Flavor & Notes: The foot of the cigar of the Quesada Oktoberst fest is smoky to the nose, with some subtle spices. The cold draw serves up some notes of earth, and smoked wood. For the purpose of the review I paired a sample with Samuel Adams Oktoberfest. I will add that I smoked a couple without the beer, and while good the OKT beer really brings the nuances of the cigar out. Once the cigar is lit a subtle bitterness that fades with the first sip of beer. What remains is a nice dark chocolate note and some wood that boarders on oak. As we enter the second third of the cigar there are some leather notes that join a mix of dark chocolate, and nuts. Each sip of beer really bring the notes out. The last third of the cigar becomes the smoothest and richest part of the smoke. The dark notes of chocolate become slightly sweeter and the notes of nuts extend into the nice finish of the cigar.
Smoking Characteristics: This slow burning cigar burns like a dream, with a nice medium to dark color ash that holds fairly well. The draw was perfects with a nice toasty aroma to the nose. The cigar burns
Conclusion: I figured the name Oktoberfest was just a marketing ploy, but this cigar is no gimmick. As stated in the review one can enjoy it without the beer, but to truly experience the cigar it should be paired with a hearty beer, preferably, an Oktoberfest style one.
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