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| Heisenberg by Quesada – Cuadrada Corneta vitola |
Last month, we introduced some news on the Heisenberg by Quesada Cigars. This is a cigar line with a theme “embrace uncertainty”. The idea behind this theme is to bring focus back to the cigar experience itself without over-analyzing the details of the cigar. As a result tobacco origins, factory, and production information are not being disclosed. This theme has had a polarizing reaction in the cigar community. In the end, I believe a little honest controversy is better for the industry as a whole. I recently had an opportunity to sample a pre-release blend of the Quesada Heisernberg. As a cigar reviewer, it is tough not to over-analyze a cigar. In the end, the cigar itself was an excellent cigar – and from my perspective, that’s the most important factor.
In our preview of the Heisenberg, we put the following background information:
The name is derived the Uncertainty Principle in Quantum Mechanics named for Werner Heisenberg. Heisenberg won a Nobel Prize in 1932 for his work in Quantum Mechanics. The formula for this principle is displayed on the box in the photo to the right. The principle asserts that the position and momentum of a particle cannot be asserted simultaneously. The principle is the intent of the theme of this cigar: the idea is if we try to over-analyze the details of the cigar, the less we can derive from the experience of it.
I mentioned the theme of not disclosing information is a polarizing one. From my point of view, I’ve always said a little mystery is good for the cigar industry – especially when it comes to the blend. I think it creates some excitement and will have people talking. From a cigar reviewer’s perspective, I’m not sure if I can entirely “embrace uncertainty”. We are going to analyze this cigar to some extent. We aren’t going to try to uncover the undisclosed information/secrets. What we want to provide is our thoughts and perspectives on the smoking experience.
Our good friends at A Cigar Smoker’s Journal did an review of this Heisenberg. They have smoked several cigars in the box they were provided. They believe there were significant variances in the smoking experience in several of the cigars (cigars that were the same size). They discuss more of the observations in their review. Our friend Evan, from The Smoking Greek also noted a similar observation in his review. For my assessment, we only smoked one cigar. We opted to provide a pre-review as this is our mechanism for sharing thoughts and experiences with a pre-release smoke. We may cover the topic of potential variances in an Assessment Update when we score a retailer-released Heisenberg.
Blend Profile
As mentioned, no blend information has been disclosed. There are no plans to disclose this in the future.
Wrapper: Unknown
Binder: Unknown
Filler: Unknown
Vitolas Available
This was one piece of information that was provided on the Heisenberg. This cigar will be available in four sizes:
Petite: 4 3/4 x 40
Corona: 4 x 43
Robusto: 5 x 48
Corneta Cuadrada: 5 3/4 x 44/48/55
Appearance
For my smoke of the Heisenberg, I smoked the Corneta Cuadrada. This translates to English to “Square Horn” – and that is pretty much what the shape of this cigar is. It has a tapered horn shape with a box-press. The shape reminds be a lot of the La Gloria Cubana Artesnaos de Obelisco – a pyramid-shaped box-press.
The wrapper itself is coffee bean colored with some darker marbling to it. The complexion of the wrapper is slightly oily. There are some visible wrapper seams and visible veins. The box-press itself is well-packed.
There is no band on the pre-release sample I smoked. We do not know if there are plans for a cigar band for the Heisenberg.
Preparation for the Cigar Experience
As I normally do, I went with a straight cut to begin my cigar experience. It was then on to begin the pre-light draw experience. Overall, the dry draw notes delivered from the Heisenberg were excellent. I detected flavor notes of coffee, caramel, and a sweetness that seemed to be a cross of cherry and citrus. At this point, I was ready to light the Heisenberg and begin the smoking experience.
Flavor Profile
The start to the Heisenberg yielded a combination of pepper, cocoa, and orange flavor. The orange flavors quickly moved to the fore-front. The pepper became more prominent on the after-draw as well as the retro-hale. The cocoa notes became secondary. By the ten percent mark of the cigar experience, some floral notes joined the cocoa in the background.
Later in the first third, the orange sweetness was joined by some caramel notes. It seemed as though the caramel would surface from time to time and wasn’t a constant in the forefront with the orange sweetness. The pepper notes were now present in the background with the cocoa and floral notes. This pattern would continue well into the second third of the smoke of the Heisenberg.
The last third of the Heisenberg saw the pepper and floral notes join the orange notes in the forefront. The caramel notes, along with the cocoa and pepper had dissipated. This was the way the cigar remained until the end of the cigar experience. The finish was both sweet and spicy with no harsh notes. The resulting nub was cool in temperature and soft to the touch.
Burn and Draw
I was a little concerned about how these attributes would score. Typically odd-shaped cigars don’t score as well in my book. Overall, the Heisenberg scored reasonably well here.
Overall the actual burning of the cigar was fine. It required some touch-ups to keep the burn line going straight, but it didn’t require any re-lights. The resulting ash was a salt and pepper color. The Heisenberg’s ash did have a tendency to flower, and flaked several times. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal. It is worth remembering that this is a pre-release sample.
The draw was excellent – especially for this square pressed pyramid. Overall, I found it provided an enjoyable smoking experience from start to finish.
Strength and Body
From a strength perspective, I did not find the Heisenberg to be a nicotine bomb. At the same time, it still provided enough pop to satisfy. I assessed the Heisenberg as medium strength to start. By the start of the second third, the strength moved into the medium to full range. The body followed a very similar pattern. The flavors started out medium-bodied, and by the second third had graduated into medium to full. Overall, I found the strength and body did a nice job at balancing each other with neither attribute overpowering the other.
Final Thoughts
As to whether one can “embrace uncertainty” or not, I will leave that up to the reader and smoker in this case. From my point of view, I certainly enjoyed doing some guesswork as to what the blend and factory might be. If I were to guess, I’d probably be wrong. However, the Heisenberg delivers the most important thing – a very good smoking experience. This is a cigar I’d recommend to a novice cigar enthusiast who wants to graduate to something in the medium/medium to full range for strength and body. Experienced cigar enthusiasts who appreciate the flavors and complexity of this smoke. This is a cigar I certainly would smoke again.
Summary
Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: High
Strength: Medium to Full (Medium 1st third)
Body: Medium to Full (Medium 1st third)
Finish: Good
Source: This cigar was gifted to me by a friend.
