Let's cut straight to this Oktoberfest-themed beast. The Quesada Oktoberfest Kaiser Ludwig comes in a box of 10 torpedos with a $90.81 price tag - that's about $9 per smoke for this 6"x49 Dominican puro. Darker than a Munich beer cellar, its San Andrés Maduro wrapper glistens like polished mahogany. I paired mine with a Märzenbier initially, but honestly, it holds up just fine with strong black coffee too.
Cold draw punches you with black pepper and mineral grit. The initial light brings charred oak and bitter cocoa. Smoke production's moderate - don't expect massive clouds. Retrohale stings with white pepper sharpness that'll wake up your sinuses.
Around the 1" mark, dark caramel sweetness emerges. Combustion gets tricky here - two touch-ups needed. Dominant flavors shift to roasted cashews and that distinct maltiness from German beer wort. Retrohale now shows coffee grounds and unsweetened chocolate.
Last third brings leather and iron-rich mineral notes. The nicotine kick is real - this isn't for lightweights. Burn turns uneven again near the band point. I clocked 85 minutes total smoke time, though heavy puffers might finish in 70.
The pigtail cap unraveled cleanly with my Xi2 cutter. Despite the rustic look, the triple-seam head held firm. Smoke output could be denser given the ring gauge. Burn required three corrections total - not terrible for maduro wrapper. Ash held over 1.5" before dropping.
Manuel Quesada's operation dates back to 1974 in the DR's Santiago region. They pioneered tropical tobacco processing techniques used by multiple major brands today. The Oktoberfest line specifically uses Cuban-seed hybrids fermented with German beer yeast - gimmicky but effective.
