This week, Kafie 1901 Cigars announced plans for its reworked portfolio being produced out of the La Aurora factory. Late last year, owner Dr. Gaby Kafie announced he was shutting down his factory, Tabacalera G. Kafie y Cia in Honduras. Kafie made the decision to work with La Aurora and move his production to that factory in the Dominican Republic. The four existing blends in the portfolio have been significantly reworked, and the unreleased Kafie Serie L blend will also be making its debut.
In an email to Cigar Coop, Kafie explained: “Working closely with Manuel Inoa (of La Aurora) he was able to take my core blends and make improvements to deliver a better blend. I was involved in each step of the process giving feedback and choosing tobaccos which would meet our connoisseurs demands. Ultimately, it is La Aurora, I pretty much loved everything I was sampling. It was tough to choose.”
Kafie 1901 DF Maduro
The Kafie 1901 Don Fernando Maduro was the first cigar released by Kafie 1901 Cigars in 2013. The blend gets a rework. In addition to the Nicaraguan wrapper, this blend is highlighted by the inclusion of a Cameroon binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Pennsylvania, and Nicaraguan. Also incorporated into the blend is Dominican Andullo tobacco. Approximate pricing is $11.00 – $15.00 per cigar.
Wrapper: Nicaragua Habano.
Binder: Cameroon (Africa)
Filler: Dominicano, Pennsylvania, Nicaragua, Andullo Dominicano
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: La Aurora S.A.
Kafie 1901 Connecticut
Originally released in 2014, the Kafie 1901 Connecticut blend has been reworked with Dominican tobacco incorporated into the blend. Approximate pricing is $9.50 – $12.50 per cigar.
Wrapper: Connecticut (Ecuador).
Binder: Cibao Valley (Dominican Rep).
Filler: Cibao Valley (Dominican Rep) & Nicaragua
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: La Aurora S.A.
Kafie 1901 Sumatra
The Kafie 1901 Sumatra originally made its debut in 2014. Like the Kafie 1901 Connecticut, the Sumatra blend has been reworked with Dominican tobaccos. Approximate pricing is $10.00 – $13.00 per cigar.
Wrapper: Sumatra Sun Grown (Ecuador).
Binder: Cibao Valley (Dominican Rep).
Filler: Cibao Valley (Dominican Rep), Nicaragua & Perú
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: La Aurora S.A.
Kafie 1901 San Andres
In 2016, the Kafie 1901 San Andres was introduced. In addition to the San Andres wrapper, this blend has been reworked with more in the way of Nicaraguan tobaccos. Approximate pricing is $11.00 – $15.50 per cigar.
Wrapper: San Andres (Mexico).
Binder: Nicaragua .
Filler: Nicaragua Estelí , Nicaragua Jalapa y Nicaragua Condega
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: La Aurora S.A.
Kafie 1901 Serie L Natural
While still producing at Tabacalera G. Kafie y Cia, Kafie had announced a cigar for his fiftieth birthday called the Kafie 1901 Serie L. The original blend did not make it to production. Since then, the blend was significantly reworked and will now be a 100% Dominican puro highlighted by a Dominican Corojo wrapper. Approximate pricing is $9.50 – $12.50 per cigar.
Wrapper: Corojo (Cibao Valley – Dominican Rep).
Binder: Cibao Valley (Dominican Rep)
Filler: Cibao Valley (Dominican Rep)
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Factory: La Aurora S.A.
In terms of the vitola offerings, each will be consistent sizes across the five lines:
Robusto: 5 x 50
Toro: 5 3/4 x 54
Belicoso: 6 1/4 x 52
Churchill: 7 x 47
Gran Toro: 6 x 58
The rollout of the reworked Kafie 1901 portfolio will be in two phases. The Robusto and Toro sizes are set to be released on September 15, 2022. Meanwhile the release for the Belicoso, Churchill, and Gran Toro is planned for December 15, 2022.
The blends are really quite involved. We had to make some changes and use tobaccos which I found much more appealing. The final result was amazing, elegant, full of flavor and complexity,” commented Dr. Kafie to Cigar Coop in an email.
In terms of pricing, Dr. Kafie provided Cigar Coop with estimated pricing. Other factors such as shipping costs could play a role in those estimates.
Photo Credits: Kafie 1901 Cigars
