All-Dominican Cigar From Kafie And La Aurora Coming Next Month
Last November, Dr. Gaby Kafie of Kafie 1901 Cigars, closed his Tabacalera G. Kafie y Cia. factory in Danlí, Honduras, due to hurricanes devastating the area in recent years as well as supply chain issues caused by the pandemic. He moved all his cigar production to La Aurora S.A., the oldest cigar producer the Dominican Republic.
Now, the first Kafie 1901 release from the La Aurora factory is almost ready to ship. It’s a regular-production line called Serie L Natural. The L stands for the Roman numeral for 50, which was meant to signify Dr. Kafie’s 50th birthday. The release is more than a year late, as he turned 50 in July of 2021, but the cigars should reach the market by the middle of September.
The all-Dominican blend of Kafie 1901 Serie L Natural is a collaboration between Kafie and La Aurora’s master blender Manuel Inoa. The Corojo wrapper—which has reportedly been aged for five years—was grown in the Cibao Valley, as were the binder and filler tobaccos. According to Kafie, these are medium-to-full-bodied cigars. The leaves all were grown on farms owned by La Aurora.
Two sizes will start shipping September 15: Robusto, measuring 5 inches by 50 ring gauge ($9.50), and Toro, at 5 3/4 by 54 ($11). An additional three sizes are slated for release in December: Belicoso, 6 1/4 by 52 ($11); Churchill, 7 by 47 ($12.50); and a 6-by-58 Gran Toro ($12.50).
All sizes come in boxes of 20 with newly designed packaging. The lids feature images of Kafie’s grandparents, along with the steamship the Athenas, on which his grandfather traveled in 1901 to Honduras, which was also the year his grandmother was born.
