Quai d’Orsay is a current brand that was established in 1973 and commercially available from 1974. The impetus for the brand came from the French Economy and Finance minister (and later President) Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, who proposed a cigar with a light flavour to pair with French products like champagne and foie gras. This eventually led to the French tobacco monopoly (SEITA) approaching Cubatabaco with the concept. The brand gets its name from the street (and quay) in Paris where SEITA’s headquarters was located.