Quintero Panetelas Review | Is This Budget Cuban Cigar Worth It?

It’s quite appropriate that my first cigar review is of the last Quintero in my humidor. This cigar has been my one constant must-buy every time I’m in the duty-free. It is the very definition of a budget daily smoke, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that it's Cuban.

This specific vitola, the Panetelas, comes in a nice 5 × 37 size, perfect for that morning smoke with a coffee or an evening smoke that will comfortably be under an hour. Medium brown, oily, veiny leaf. On the nose, I got a swift hit of faint cedar, with a whiff of a sweetness that I couldn’t place.

This one needed a couple of goes with the PerfecDraw tool, as it was too tight. It opened up to a cold draw of sweet cedar notes. All very familiar now. Let’s light up.

First Third

I’m greeted with the familiar notes, mainly cedar, light on the palate with a quick finish. After a few seconds, a sweet nutty aftertaste. It’s mild in strength, with a light body, and the smoke output is light. The ash is tightly packed and fell off after half an inch—maybe due to it being a short filler cigar.

Ten minutes in flew by, and the notes haven’t changed. Typical with a lot of Cubans I’ve smoked. The faintest hint of white pepper has now joined the nutty aftertaste. The tightness of the draw hasn’t changed—still tight. I’m hoping it opens up once we get into the second third.

Second Third

Another ten minutes, now we are in the second third. The cedar note has been replaced by darker oak, and the nutty finish has lost its sweet hints, with the white pepper becoming more prominent. The strength has picked up—now a mild-medium—while the body has remained relatively light. Still a tight draw, albeit getting better, slightly taking away from the overall enjoyable smoke.

Last Third

The last third came at the 35-minute mark, and if my memory serves me correctly, if you want to smoke this to the nub, you have another 15 minutes with this baby. Dominant notes are now oak, with a pepper finish. The nuttiness has almost been completely replaced with white pepper, with hints of that cedar popping in. Strength now is a solid medium, with a light-medium body. The draw is still tight, and the smoke output is now a medium as well.

Final Thoughts

Down to the nub at 57 minutes. Quinteros get a lot of flack from the cigar community, and honestly, for me, it’s a great smoke for those who like the familiar Cuban ‘twang’ at a very good price point. I have two trips coming up this month, and you better believe that a box of these Quintero Panetelas will be the first thing I’ll be snatching off those duty-free shelves.

Cuban cigars are a lot of things—sometimes flashy, sometimes elusive—but the Quintero Panetelas strips it back to the essentials, offering a taste of what makes Cuban cigars iconic without breaking the bank. Not every Cuban needs to be a showstopper; sometimes, it’s the understated ones that keep you coming back, and this cigar doesn’t try to be anything it’s not. It’s an honest smoke that delivers a solid Cuban experience at an unbeatable price.

Talking about cigars like the Quintero Panetelas, the classics, the underrated gems, is exactly what we love to do on Habano del Podcasto, the #1 Cigar Podcast in Dubai. If you’ve tried the Quintero Panetelas, I’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you haven’t, it might be worth giving it a shot. There’s something special about finding a cigar that feels like a reliable old friend—simple, consistent, and satisfying every time.

Cigar Breakdown – The Nerdy Stats

• Cigar: Quintero Panetelas

• Size: 5 × 37

• Wrapper: Cuban

• Binder/Filler: Cuban

• Strength: Mild to Medium

• Body: Light to Light-Medium

• Cold Draw Notes: Sweet cedar

• First Third: Smooth cedar, sweet nutty finish, mild strength

• Second Third: Oak replaces cedar, white pepper emerges, mild-medium strength

• Final Third: Oak dominates, nuttiness fades, white pepper forward, medium strength

• Burn Time: 57 minutes

• Smoke Output: Light to Medium

• Overall Experience: A great Cuban budget smoke with a classic profile, slightly hindered by a tight draw

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