Quai d'Orsay No. 54 12DCRC

[Bijan]

6th cigar from the Christmas sampler.

Pretty close to official weight.

Cigar has aroma of cinnamon. Cold draw of mint chocolate.

First third: Lights up with sweet flavours. Ginger on the retrohale. Cinnamon brioche on the draw.

Second third: It's said that you have to smoke Quai D'Orsay cigars slowly or they will turn bitter. I don't know if that's what happened but the cigar turned bitter at the start of the second third. Bitter almond and mainly bitter citrus peel, but neither too pleasant.

Final third: Bitterness dies down a bit and flavours of the first third come in for a brief moment. Then back to the bitterness.

I feel the total smoke time was short at 65 minutes not quite to the nub but past the band. But it's my belief that I sped up after the cigar got bitter and not the other way around. I remember looking at the ash towards the end of the first third, then the clock and then thinking that I'd expect an 85+ minute smoke time.

I'd give this between a 2/5 and 2.5/5 as only the first third was pleasant. I don't know if it was a bad/dud cigar or if I did smoke too fast. If so I'll have to be careful with the other Quai d'Orsay cigar from the Christmas sampler.

Temperature was -3C/27F, humidity was in the 70s.

[cleelv]

Thanks for the review! Wondering if I should hold off on the QdO54 from the sampler for a few months. I've always found the 50s better with a few years on them.