Cigar Flavour: Light

The Quai D'Orsay cigar brand was created in 1973 mainly to appeal to the growing French market. The French market was more open to the milder taste with a lighter wrapper hence why the Quai D'Orsay introduced their Corona cigars with a lighter shaded Claro Claro wrapper. As this fashion died out in the late 1980's so did the Corona Claro Claro; the Corona Claro replaced it; a 5 5/8" cigar with a 42 ring gauge (143 x 16.67 mm). All Quai D'Orsay sizes are hand rolled in Cuba with a light-tasting blend of leaves from the Vuelta Abajo region.

There are a few different stories speculating the route of the name Quai D'Orsay. One is that the Cuban cigar name is taken from the famous Paris avenue of the same name; another is that the cigar name is a reference to the French Foreign Ministry located on this avenue. The last story is that the name refers to the headquarters of SEITA (La Societe Nationale d'Exploitation Industriel de Tabac et Allumettes), which is also on the same avenue.

The Quai D'Orsay cigars are more suited to the European market; this is why it has been recently introduced to the UK market; for example, the Quai D'Orsay Imperials are a light, sweet smoke not usually associated with Churchill's. Quai d'Orsay Cuban cigars have dry, aromatic, woody flavours; the Corona have a nice mild flavour, generally very consistent and although mild, they have loads of flavour. A good brand for a beginner due to the lack of harshness and light nature.