Mission Zero
$25.80
Long before they took over their father's cigar-producing empire down in the Dominican, the Quesada sisters were doing what little girls do best. Running around the warehouse, poking their noses in areas they probably shouldn't be, playing make-believe, and giggling about all manner of things were a daily occurrence.
But one of the best parts of the day was when a woman would bring the girls an afternoon treat: a light meringue called a "suspiro," which, naturally, the girls devoured right there on the spot. While it may seem trivial to some, this memory of afternoon sweets and sisterhood stuck all the way until the present day.
After their father, Don Manolo Quesada, stepped down from his patriarchal position a few years back, his daughters stepped in to run the business. Not only to ensure that operations ran smoothly and to help expand Quesada's presence in the international market, but also to blend their own line of cigars. Again, these ladies have spent the majority of their lives in the tobacco biz, training under one of the greatest master blenders ever to set up shop in the Dominican Republic.
One of the first collaborative projects that Raquel and Patricia took upon themselves was the blending of their own sweetened cap cigars, with the Suspiro Connecticut being one of the two. While we do stock the darker Suspiro Oscuro as well, our review of that blend will have to wait until a later date, as I currently have a bevy of other cigars to review this autumn.
Instead, we focus upon the lighter of the two sticks, which features a Connecticut Shade wrapper from an undisclosed region, a Dominican binder, and a swirl of Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers underneath. Together, these tobaccos are intended to produce a smoking experience that is just as light, refreshing, and sweet as the airy dessert it represents...
Unlit Impressions
While the banding on the Suspiro may be flat-out feminine, I fully recognize and respect the fact that it is done this way for a reason. For their blends, each sister selected their favorite color to serve as the primary pigment upon the band; hence the lilac touches on the lower section of the paper on this lighter version. The cigar band also features Quesada's new logo, which I find to be damn good-looking on this stick, especially with that bit of bling added to the lines of the central star logo. Look closely, and you will see some swirls on the band, which are meant to mirror the lines one finds on a suspiro.
Now, as for that shade-grown wrapper, well, that is a thing of beauty. Shiny, perfectly placed, and expertly capped, the honey-colored outside of this cigar makes for a fetching photo. It smells of hay and honey, combined with a mild cedar sawdust note. Nothing powerful, just clean sniffing all the way up and down the barrel. If there is one downside to this core component, it is that it is extremely delicate, so keep this one in the cellophane and be careful when handling it, because it will be damaged very easily.
Although it may feel a fuzz under-filled, with a large soft spot down near the band showing further construction misses, aromatics smell sensational and extremely sweet. They really nailed it with the whole lemon meringue cigar scheme, and swirls of egg whites, white sugar, and citrus are everywhere. There may not be much more to be found beyond a bit of cedar down there, but it doesn't seem to matter when the aromatics are this refreshing.
Speaking of sweetness, that cap most certainly does deliver a barge-load of the syrupy stuff, which sadly, overpowers the senses at first. While I was able to detect tastes of honey and chamomile tea, a scrap or two of spicy cedar, buttered toast, light roast peanuts, and some generic floral notes, I found myself struggling to find them behind all that sugar. This became easier with time, but it still proved distracting, leading me to wonder what cold pulls would taste like without that sweetened cap.
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Initial Smoke
Spicier than expected, retrohales and flavors are pepper-heavy and cedar-strong at first, before eventually growing mellow and milky. This is where that sweet cap comes in handy, for it balances the spiciness a bit and allows the tongue to zero in on some core flavors. These include light roasted beer malts in syrup form, vanilla, cinnamon, and a tart honey finish. The draw is outstanding, smoke production is more than plentiful, and body is mild, if but a bit on the creamier end.
1st Half
Eggy vanilla bean-backed flan, cinnamon and orange peel, beer malts, and a shift toward brown sugar turn the first third into a dessert-filled delight. Those airy meringue notes can still be tasted too, and when combined with some buttery pastry tastes, really turn up the tempo. Retrohales are no longer spicy, favoring a creamy hazelnut aromatic that fits neatly beside the tastes on the tongue, earning the first third additional bonus points.
By the time you get to the second third, cedar has found a way back into the mix, and with it come tastes of sugar-coated corn flakes. Instead of providing a fresh set of flavors, the cigar decides to take this moment to dial in what it already has in abundance, making the light meringue attributes and flan custard a core component. Puff all you want, but that cap remains sweet as can be, making the hazelnut notes seem stronger than they surely are in reality.
2nd Half
Gradually, tastes of tropical dried fruits and a stronger citrus peel pithiness start to take over, and the blend tastes a touch sharp in sections. The cigar gets a little bit grainy-tasting too, with a light toasted malt note of the dried variety forming on retrohale. There is also an uptick in spiciness, especially on the finish, as the corn flakes do their damnedest to hold onto their key position.
These tastes and sensations continue well into the final third, with rotations, as well as combinations of the smells and flavors previously mentioned swirling about. This is where I found myself growing disinterested in the blend, as it seemed like it was reaching for some sort of transition and fresh flavors, but instead settled on what it already had in stock.
Parting Puffs
Beyond some low-fat milk and a pop of cedar, parting puffs was unable to provide any additional favorable tasting notes. What you do get plenty of is heat on the tongue and nose, a spicy kick to the nose, and a burnt paper taste that leaves you with an unpleasant sharpness resting on the tongue. So probably best to skip this section and call it quits right before the carbon ring hits the cigar band.
Ash / Burn / Smoke / Draw
As a free-flowing cigar, this one is best left to a V-cut, or better yet, a punch. You'll still receive plenty of smoke, a solid, near-white ash, and a sharp burn line from start to finish. What rolls out is a hefty amount of smoke that is mild-to-medium bodied, and a good-looking burn all the way throughout that doesn't require much besides the occasional roll in the ashtray.
Final Thoughts
I had high hopes for the Suspiro Connecticut, but what I got was a cigar that delivered more in regard to appearances, performance, and backstory than depth and flavor balance. Yes, the first half of the blend is refreshing, bright, and a real beauty when it comes to cleanliness. But cigar flavor profiles never manage to move much beyond what gets put into action earlier on, and I found myself gradually losing interest the further down I smoked.
Further compounding the matter is that spicy start and the sharp notes that suddenly flare up and fade throughout, which are often most easily recognized upon retrohale and within the finish/aftertaste. It may be smooth, citrusy, nutty, and soothing up front, but the backend is a whole different story. Even that perfect burn and those colossal clouds of smoke can't hide these inconsistencies, making me wonder if this will be one of those smokes that gets a reblend in a year or two based purely upon customer feedback.
And then there's that sweetened cap, which does add some meringue tastes to the session, while helping soften the spicier sides of the cigar earlier on, eventually mellowing into a malted brown sugar note. Some people may like it, and on other blends it may work well, but in this case it feels a touch too cloying and can grow wearisome over time.
What this leaves you with is a cigar that seems crafted with beginners in mind, and for the most part, will likely leave a lot of light cigar smokers satisfied. It's an easy smoke session that gives out tastes and smells that newbies will swoon over, but falls short when it comes to reaching the levels of complexity experienced stogie smokers require. Here's to hoping that the oscuro version delivers some additional depth and does away with those unpleasant portions...
Stogie Specs
| Cigar | Quesada "Suspiro Connecticut" |
| Wrapper | Connecticut Shade (Undisclosed) |
| Binder | Dominican Republic |
| Filler | Dominican Republic & Nicaragua |
| Factory | Dominican Republic |
| Size | 6 ″ x 52 (Toro) |
| Strength | Mild |
| Pairing Drink | Homemade Hibiscus & Orange Iced Tea |
| Rating | 4.0/5 |
- Wrapper
- Connecticut (Undisclosed)
- Binder
- Dominican Republic
- Filler
- Dominican Republic & Nicaragua
- Origin
- Dominican Republic
The Quesada Suspiro Connecticut offers a smooth, approachable smoking experience with a distinctive sweetened cap inspired by suspiro sweets, a delicate meringue dessert that has long been a Quesada family favorite. The Connecticut wrapper brings a creamy character to the blend, while Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos inside add layers of cedar, toasted bread, gentle sweetness, apricot, citrus zest, and soft baking spice.
At 6" × 52, the Toro gives the blend plenty of room to develop while maintaining its mellow-to-medium strength. The subtle sweetness at the cap complements rather than overwhelms the natural tobacco flavors, creating a refined and balanced cigar that's particularly appealing to smokers who enjoy Connecticut-wrapped cigars with a unique twist.
