Another Tatuaje, La Gran Llave and Herrera Esteli and Some Cigar News

I’m going to start with this item from Gaby Kafie of Kafie Trading Co., maker of the Kafie 1901 cigars.  In an effort to help the CRA fight the impending FDA regulation, which, by the way, directly threatens Gaby’s business as well as MANY others, He has created the Kafie 1901 Coffee Co.donating a percentage of each sale to Cigar Rights of America to help in the fight. Here’s the text of the press release:

KAFIE TRADING COMPANY, LLC INTRODUCES KAFIE 1901 COFFEE CO.
TO HELP SUPPORT CIGAR RIGHTS OF AMERICA.

In light of the recent news delivered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding total regulation of the premium cigar industry, our family has decided to take action, but we need your help. We cannot do this alone.

Earlier this year, we decided to introduce to market a specialty grade organic coffee from Honduras. Our family has been in the coffee business since 1933 in Honduras. Our new line “Kafie 1901 Coffee” is intended to give coffee lovers an experience like no other. Quality is our utmost focus. This Grade 1, Organic, 100% Arabic bean coffee from select farms in Honduras will be the ideal pairing for a premium cigar. We are also proud to announce that all of our coffee will be roasted and packaged in the United States, thus creating jobs here at home. As with all our offerings, we guarantee the finest quality product.

With the FDA dropping this bombshell on us and the entire premium cigar industry, our business plans have now evolved. We have taken the initiative to partner up with Cigar Rights of America (C.R.A.), under the guidance of Executive Director Mr. Glynn Loope. In an effort to protect our rights as cigar makers, brand owners, retailers, and connoisseurs, a percentage of each sale will benefit the mission of Cigar Rights of America. The C.R.A. works to protect the premium cigar industry in the United States, and throughout Central America. Now more than ever, we all need to come together and fuel this common cause.

We feel strongly that this venture will not only raise much needed funds for the C.R.A., but it will also create a greater awareness of the attack we are under. It is essential that we all unite towards this common goal.

Our coffee will be available through a participating retailers network. Inquiries are welcome. Your feedback and support is greatly appreciated.

Together we can make a difference,
Dr. Gaby Kafie
President and Founder
Kafie Trading Company, LLC

It’s very important that we continue to contact our elected officials to let them know that what the FDA is doing is over-reaching and unconscionable. They are going to put thousands of Americans out of work, and tens of thousands in Latin America.  It’s unnecessary and wrong, and it needs to be stopped.

Thursday I took a half-day from work as my wife and I were going to a concert in the evening (read the review on my wife’s site here), so I selected a robusto for a pre-concert walk. I had received a great little care package from regular reader, Dan, containing, among other things, a couple of the Tatuaje Havana VI Nobles and I was itching to give one a try.  First off, I’m confused as to why these aren’t listed on Tatuaje’s website, I thought this was a pretty common line, and I see them listed at all the major and not so major online retailers. I’m quite sure I’ve seen these in brick and mortar retailers too, and may even have bought one or two there. So why this line isn’t listed on the site is anyone’s guess. Whether it’s on the company website or not, it’s a solid smoke, medium bodied, delicious cigar. It had some nice Mocha notes and a little spice and burned perfectly and was a perfect accompaniment for a walk on a beautiful spring day. Thanks to Dan for sending it, and I will get to the others very soon!

Friday I dug into some samples I received from Michael Argenti recently, samples of his new line, La Gran Llave. according to a Cigar Aficionado article from February announcing the line, the blend consists of a dark Mexican San Andrés wrapper, an Ecuador Habano binder and Nicaraguan fillers. These are made at the AJ Fernandez factory, and, quite frankly, they look like cigars made there, and that’s not a knock.  The torpedo I smoked was beautiful, box pressed and pretty flawless. I was actually surprised to read that it had a San Andrés wrapper, which I read after smoking it. It didn’t look, feel or really taste like a San Andrés wrapped cigar, and I can usually pick that sort of thing out, or, I should go look again. It was a great tasting cigar, a little coffee, some woody notes, a very enjoyable smoke. It was a quality cigar, and I look forward to further exploring the blend.

Yesterday I selected a cigar that’s exclusive to Tobacconists Association of America (TAA) from Drew Estate, the Herrera Esteli TAA Exclusive.  This is a 6″ x 52 size which is a common vitola with Drew Estate, and is Willie’s first cigar with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, and has a Brazilian Mata Fina binder and Nicaraguan fillers. I’ve enjoyed the Herrera Esteli line in the past, it’s an elegant blend, very refined and flavorful. The addition of the Connecticut Broadleaf gives it a meaty flavor, at least on first lighting, which was unexpected. I lit the cigar and it took me a while to figure out that It had a flavor quality like a grilled steak. Very interesting. It burned well enough, although it hit a stretch in the middle where it took some effort to keep burning. It could have been that there was a lot of moisture in the air since it just rained, or a void, but I don’t get a lot of problems with Drew Estate cigars. It was odd, but easily overcome and didn’t negatively impact the experience.  There’s now two TAA cigars I’d pick up (no TAA stores around though!), and I’ll revisit the other one this week hopefully. Another good one from Willie Herrera and Drew Estate.

That wraps this weekend’s post up. I received some other press releases, but everyone else posts those anyway, there was new information from Córdoba & Morales Cigars, Gran Habano, Schrader Cellars and Fratello. I hope the fact that I rarely post the press releases doesn’t stop people from sending them! It’s just that a bunch of others already do it.  If you want me to post that information, I’ll work it in, just let me know

Until the next time,

CigarCraig