Initial Thoughts
Going into the fall, Quesada Cigars likes to release a limited edition cigar to celebrate Octoberfest. And for 2023, they released the Quesada Oktoberfest 2023 Salomon Press. And while I've smoked a previous Oktoberfest blend from them before, I went into this review with a clean palate and a fresh pair of eyes.
The Quesada Oktoberfest 2023 Salomon Press is a unique-looking cigar. Unlike the Plasencia Alma Fuerte which comes in a Salomon vitola that looks like a teardrop, the Oktoberfest Salomon Press is wider at both ends and narrower in the middle.
Once lit, the Oktoberfest offered up plenty of smoke at first, but the weird shape caused some issues with the draw. Will the draw open up? Is the Oktoberfest 2023 Salomon Press a worthy successor to the 10th Anniversary Das Boot? Let's smoke it and find out!
CigarScore:
Brand: Quesada
Line: Oktoberfest 2023
Size: 6 3/4 x 50
Cut: Guillotine
Light: Torch
Price: $14.00 – Luxury Cigar Club
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Smoke Time: 72 minutes
Strength: •••
Through the middle of the Quesada Oktoberfest 2023 Salomon Press, I struggled to have a good time. While the flavors were mild and mostly enjoyable, the tight draw from the extreme press hindered the experience. After the first third, I couldn't help but wonder if this cigar would be better in a vitola that didn't have the compressed “press” in the middle as its defining characteristic.
Final Thoughts
The Quesada Oktoberfest 2023 Salomon Press is a cigar that should've never been made. Let me rephrase, they never should've made the Salomon Press vitola. I'm sure the other sizes are fine, but the “pressed” nature of this one ruined the experience for me.
Construction challenges aside, the Quesada Oktoberfest 2023 (which comes in many other vitolas), was a mild cigar with mediocre flavors that were spicy and woody. While they did improve in the final third, they still weren't what I look for in a cigar, especially one with a San Andres wrapper leaf.
