In Manuel Quesada’s words, “A good cigar is one that gives you pleasure; the one that in every puff gives you the enjoyment of a good moment.”
With Quesada Cigars entering its 50th year in business, he has had much experience crafting good cigars.
“Celebrating 50 years in the cigar manufacturing business is a great milestone. Being able to be a part of this celebration together with my father makes it even more special,” shares Raquel Quesada. “The history we have behind every leaf, the love that we put in every single step of the process, and the passion that we have every morning when we start the day in this marvelous world of tobacco.”
Whether you’re speaking with Manuel and Raquel Quesada in the factory or with Quesada Cigars’ national sales manager, Hector Becerra, during one of his many retail store visits, it’s clear that passion and enthusiasm run throughout the company. Raquel, part of the fifth generation of the Quesada family, speaks passionately about her family and their history in the premium tobacco industry. One takeaway Raquel has from her 25 years working in the industry is the importance of understanding and knowing tobacco on a deeper, more personal level.
“A very important lesson I’ve learned from my father and grandfather is that tobacco always talks to you and tells you important messages,” she explains. “Listen to those important messages! It is so very true and has enlightened my days throughout almost 25 years of being in this industry.”
Over Quesada’s 50 years in business, Manuel Quesada has made an art of listening and understanding tobacco better than most. Quesada has seen its share of ups and downs over the years, from being challenged by the high demand for premium cigars during the boom of the 1990s to the more celebratory moments like the unveiling of the 50th anniversary cigar during this year’s Procigar festival.
Quesada Cigars has reached this milestone anniversary not by luck or good fortune but by staying the course and focusing on making quality, consistent cigars at all price points.
Consistency and Quality
The Quesada family was a prominent exporter of Cuban tobacco until they were forced into exile in 1960. After leaving Cuba, the Quesadas established their tobacco business in the Dominican Republic. The business grew from selling and buying tobacco to making premium cigars.
Manuel Quesada has spent much of his life working with tobacco. As Manuel will tell it, his family was heavily involved in the [tobacco] leaf business. In June 1974, Manuel, his father, Manuel Sr., and brother Alvaro opened a cigar factory in Santiago, Dominican Republic, named Manufactura de Tabacos S.A. (Matasa). When Matasa was founded, it was the first cigar factory to open in Santiago’s free zone.
“Our operations have changed throughout the years,” says Manuel Quesada. “We originally started making cigars in Victor Espaillat free zone in Santiago in 1974. In 2012, we moved operations to our own facilities at Parque Industrial SAG in Licey al Medio, Santiago.”
In the beginning, Quesada Cigars started very modestly, with only $100 in its bank account and five bales of tobacco to work with. Fifty years after its official launch, Quesada Cigars has become known for its quality cigars and as one of the founding members of the Dominican Republic’s Procigar organization. One thing that has remained unchanged is the down-to-earth mentality that helped the Quesadas build their tobacco business generations back.
“We at Quesada Cigars have a big family in our humble home that has been working with us for more than 10, 20, 30, 40 years in time, which makes it very special because it tells a great story on how we take care and support our team,” Raquel Quesada says of her family’s cigar factory. “The passion and dedication of each individual that works at Quesada Cigars makes it the best team to work with.”
One of the rallying ideas that drives the factory and those who work at Quesada Cigars is Manuel’s well-known mantra: “Quality and consistency above anything.” The blends coming out of Quesada’s factory, such as the new Quesada 50th Anniversary premium cigar, are supported and maintained with consistency and quality being closely tracked throughout the cigar-making process. To achieve quality and consistency, the Quesada family keeps a healthy tobacco inventory that allows retailers and consumers to trust that their favorite Quesada cigars will be available and consistent for some time.
“If you smoke a Quesada cigar now or in 10 years, it will always have the consistent quality signature that our company has had for 50 years,” Manuel states.
Quality and consistency have helped the Quesada family launch several popular premium cigar brands over the years, including the Casa Magna, Vega Magna, and its namesake cigar. The success of those products has kept the Quesada family busy and at the forefront of the industry.
The Making of an Anniversary Cigar
How does one celebrate a milestone anniversary in the premium cigar industry? With a special release, of course. This year, Quesada unveiled its 50th Anniversary cigar. It took the company over a year to settle on the blend. Available as a 6 ¼ x 56 Toro Prensado and as a 6 x 60 Perfecto, the Quesada 50th Anniversary blend features tobacco seeds from four different countries. This cigar was blended to take cigar enthusiasts on a journey through Quesada’s 50-year history while leaving a memorable impression from the first puff to the final draw.
“The most special tobacco in this blend is a Peruvian Pelo de Oro from a 2000 crop,” Raquel shared. “I feel we accomplished a cigar that describes the history, the trajectory and the passion of our company over its 50 years.”
The 50th Anniversary cigar is just one of many blends Manuel Quesada has worked on in his career. When crafting a new cigar blend, the company first decides what kind of cigar it is setting out to create. The cigar will either be a puro, made entirely of tobacco from one country, or a blended cigar made of tobacco from different countries. Once the type of cigar has been chosen, Manuel and his team choose different tobaccos based on how they smoke.
“Smoking each tobacco independently to see the specific flavors they deliver is a key part of the process,” Manuel explains.
After the tobaccos have been chosen, they are combined, and the team takes note of how they complement one another. “The right combination does not come together right off the bat, so we have to keep looking and creating different options. This step can be very personal, or it can be worked on collectively with the team at Quesada Cigars.”
After a cigar is rolled, the Quesada team isn’t done with the blending process just yet. The cigars are allowed to sit for a short time, allowing the team to revise the blend to make it even better. “We revisit options, we smoke, and a blend might come to life afterward,” Raquel states. “Another big step after deciding on the blend is balancing that same blend and profile smoke to the sizes going out to the market. This is a big challenge because we don’t always sample cigars in the formats we have selected for the market.”
Processes like the one described have helped the Quesada family make a number of memorable cigars. Still, process isn’t the only thing the family has learned about surviving and thriving in the tobacco business. Manuel recalls a lesson his father taught him early on that he’s kept in mind during his own time in the cigar industry: to be respectful to the tobacco and the people involved in growing, sorting, making, selling and smoking the cigars the company makes.
Manuel’s highlight in looking back at Quesada’s 50-year history is seeing his daughters join the business. “As a family, we grew together in passion and history,” Manuel says of his daughters’ involvement in his company. “I knew there would be Quesada Cigars for another generation.”
Staying the Course
Quesada Cigars is working hard on its next chapter. The company introduced its 2024 edition of the Quesada Oktoberfest at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA24) trade show. Available in four sizes and a special fifth vitola only available during events, the Oktoberfest has become an anticipated annual release celebrating the German beer-themed festival. The box-pressed Casa Magna Liga F Toro, previously released as a TAA exclusive in 2023, will be a regular production release that will now be available to all retailers owing to high demand.
As much as the industry has changed over 50 years, a lot has remained unchanged at Quesada Cigars. The company continues to be a family-run business with Manuel and his daughter Raquel often seen by his side. The company also continues to focus on making cigars with quality and consistency leading the way. Fifty years in, Quesada is still capturing the attention of retailers and consumers worldwide.
– Photography courtesy of Quesada Cigars. Story by Antoine Reid, content director at Premium Cigar Association (PCA). You can reach him at [email protected].
This story first appeared in PCA The Magazine, Volume 3, 2024. To receive a copy of this magazine you must be a current member of PCA. Join or renew today at premiumcigars.org/membership.