A cigar with a storied legacy, The Don Fernando Maduro was first released to the public on the 27th of May, 2013. At the time a five year aged Cuban Seed Habano Maduro, the original blend balanced tobaccos from Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. Named after Dr. Gaby Kafie’s father – Don Fernando Kafie – the new Kafie 1901 DF Maduro will be released as part of Kafie’s industry altering relationship with La Aurora. Dr. Kafie shares that “The Kafie 1901 DF Maduro will contain a very special tobacco that was processed using the Andullo method. A very rare tobacco as the process of fermentation is so labor intensive.” Commonly smoked in the Dominican Republic for over 500 years, Andullo is tobacco that has been wrapped in palm pods, bound and hung for up to years at a time. The flavors and aromas from this legitimately time-consuming fermentation method are very distinctive, commonly being described as sweet and spicy.
At the time of the 2013 press release was distributed, the cigar was to available as 20 count boxes in three vitolas, VI Sixty (6 x 60), Toro Bello (6 x 56), and V Sixty (5 x 60). A Robusto (5 x 50) would appear in stores along with the others shortly thereafter. In 2014, the 6.5 x 52 Torpedo was released. The 5.5 x 40 “Petit Perla” was released in 2016 but does not currently appear on the Kafie 1901 portfolio.
The Kafie 1901 DF Maduro will be available in 20 count boxes of the following sizes: Robusto (5 x 50 ), Belicoso (6.25 x 52), Toro (5.75 x 54), Corona (5.5 x 42), Churchill (7 x 47) and Gran Toro (6 x 58). For those unfamiliar with the Andullo method and anyone wanting a more in-depth look, Dr. Kafie recommends this video from 2017 that spends a little time on each step of the process.
Cigar Public does not seek out or accept any advertising revenue from any premium cigar brands at this time, but as part of of a special collaboration, randomized members of the Cigar Public review team were blindly sent portions of the last remaining legacy versions in existence of every cigar in Kafie’s core lineup. As the new iterations of these beloved cigars become available out of La Aurora, our reviewers will also experience the updated versions for a really fun “before/after” series. The core blends will remain the same, with slight modifications and improvements. We’ll also be profiling the amazing Kafie journey, a story typically reserved for a full length feature film, and seeing what happens to blends as the access and resources of their creators grow both more vibrant and more numerous. Artists using the tools at hand is impressive, but artists with access to some of the best raw materials in the world? It’s no accident that anticipation for all of the new Kafie offerings soon to be unleashed from La Aurora continues to build!
Do you have a favorite Kafie Cigar? I haven’t had the Kafie Trading Co. coffee yet but keep getting recommendations for it – which one should I try first if I enjoy nutty/creamy notes in my coffee?