Quai d’Orsay was originally created in the early 1970s when Valéry Giscard d’Estaing—who was the Minister of Finances in France and would eventually be named President of the French Republic—asked the state tobacco monopoly why there was not a specific French cigar. As a result, the Quai d’Orsay brand was born.

France’s president from 1974 to 1981, Giscard d’Estaing, 94, died of complications from coronavirus on 3 December.

Originally created for the French market, Quai d’Orsay is named after a street in Paris where, SEITA, the former French tobacco monopoly, was located.

Unfortunately, the popularity of Quai d’Orsay in France did not stop Habanos from cutting the brand back drastically in 2015, leaving just one regular production vitola, namely the 5 3/5 x 42 Coronas Claro.

In 2017, Habanos SA revisited the brand, invigorating it with two new modern sizes (the No.50 and No.54) presented in newly designed packaging and adorned with sleek new bands. 

Then in 2019, Quai D’Orsay was invited to create one of the three Limited Editions for the year. This is the first time that the brand has been asked to produce a Limited Edition, which is further recognition of its new standing within the Habanos portfolio.

The Senadores is a classic Hermoso No.2 size, measuring 6 1/8” (157mm) x 48 ring gauge, and they are presented in Special Presentation Boxes (SPB’s) of 25 cigars.

The Senadores is the third and final of the 2019 Limited Editions, joining the Montecristo Supremos and the Ramón Allones Allones No.2, both of which were launched earlier in the year, with the elegant, light-bodied Senadores providing a charming counterpoint to the other two cigars.

The Senadores was officially previewed during a dinner in Paris on 12 September 2019, that took place on a yacht along the Seine river.

In February this year, French retailers began receiving boxes of the Quai d’Orsay Senadores.

The Senadores has recently arrived in the UK and is now available at Havana Cigar Specialists and selected hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs.