It’s been a while since I last reviewed a cigar properly and with the UK weather not on my side, I decided to make the most of the cold sunshine today and smoke a cigar.
Luckily it coincided with Ethem returning from Barcelona with a bag full of goodies and among them was some Quintero Favoritos.
Having smoked a few Quintero cigars in the past, I went in not expecting much due to the fact that they are generally classed as budget cigars made with short fillers.
However knowing that the weather was so temperamental, I thought it was a good choice to smoke.
Having only smoked thinner Quintero cigars such as Nacionals and Panetelas, I was happy to see a larger ring gauge.
The Quintero Favoritos was added to the line in 2012, and from reading a few reviews it seemed to have been well received.
I was fortunate to have one from a December 2012 box so it has had a bit of time to refine.
Priced at 3 Euros in Europe, but around £12 here in the UK, this cigar weighs in at 4.5 inches with a 50 ring gauge, making it a decent looking Robusto.
Ethem kindly picked me some up from Barcelona so for 3 euros – I love a bargain.
Look / Feel
From the look you can see a few flaws in the cigar that you would expect with a Quintero. A few bump along the cigar as well as the filler looking a bit inconsistent in colour.
First Third
As I was expecting there was a slight harshness when first lit, however this subsided after a couple of minutes, something I would usually expect. After a few minutes the harshness subsided and what I was getting was more peppery notes with leather and a hint of coffee bean.
What I was shocked was how smooth the smoke was from the off set was smooth. At this point I assumed I had just got lucky, or it was loosely wrapped but I pressed on.
Second Third
About 20-25 minutes in, I got into the seconds third, and what I was surprised to find was the cigar had really come into its own at this point. Those peppery flavours had gone and I was getting leather notes and burnt tobacco coming through. The cigar had now turned in a really nice medium bodied smoke.
I was worried, as I hadn’t eaten much and know that sometime cigars can change taste when you are hungry, however this cigar was like a party in my mouth and guest were arriving by the minute.
Last Third
40 minutes in and I was into the last third. By this point I didn’t want the cigar to end. The burnt tobacco notes were really coming through, mixed with the leather notes making it a great experience all round.
I wasn’t sure if it was me, but I was also getting a slight floral taste, although that may have been because I was sitting in the garden but It’s what I was tasting and god dam I liked it.
Overall Conclusion
Overall, I absolutely loved this cigar. Yes it’s not a Robusto that I am used to like a Partagas D4, but for the price It was a hell of a cigar.
Unfortunately thanks to the taxman they are quite pricey here in the UK and for the price, you are probably better off picking up a different cigar, which is why these probably go under the radar. However once you have smoked one, you understand how great they are.
The cigar lasted around an hour give or take and never needed re-lighting once, consistently burning throughout. I had to fight my urge to smoke to the very end, as I wanted to dissect so I could show you the inside:
If you know anyone going to Spain, I really recommend you asking them to pick you some up as they are great all round cigars to have in the humidor, for yourself or even for someone who isn’t a big cigar smoker.
The best way to sum up the Quintero Favoritos is like ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ (bear with me on this). Before it was released nobody knew about the film and doubted it would perform in relation to the more famous superhero films like ‘The Avengers’, however once you saw the film you realised it was awesome and wanted to go back and watch it again. Now to try smoking one while I watch Guardians Of The Galaxy.
Cigar Brand: Quintero
Vitola: Favoritos
Country: Cuba
Price: Around £12 in the UK, €3 Across Europe