Mr. Quesada Marks a Milestone

Like many of the industry's best, Manuel "Manolo" Quesada, Jr. not only grew up in the tobacco business, but he hails from a long line of those dedicated to cigars. His family were tobacco brokers in Cuba beginning in the late 1880s; by 1960 at age 13, Manolo and his family left the island for Miami, where he attended school with his siblings while his Father established the company's new business in the Dominican Republic. In June 1974, their MATASA Factory was founded with $100 and a chair, and they eventually morphed from a family of tobacco growers to manufacturers.

After years of making cigars for both its own brands as well as other noteworthy labels, Manuel Quesada decided to mark over 40 years in the business by creating the MQ70: offered in only the Toro and Belicoso formats, respectively, production was extremely limited at 1,000 boxes per vitola. The MQ70 was blended by the man himself in an effort to satisfy his ideal palate. For this special blend, Manuel utilizes his family’s vast collection of tobaccos; showcasing a primarily Dominican blend, balanced by a touch of Nicaraguan tobacco in the filler. The wrapper is Cuban-seed Dominican and the binder Sumatra-seed Dominican.