Distinguished Ruffians

Kafie 1901 San Andres Box Press Toro
Kafie 1901 San Andres

Greetings again to my Distinguished Ruffian family. Today, I have another new one for you. You’ll be taking the maiden voyage along with me as I sample the Kafie 1901 San Andres. This cigar debuted in 2016 as the company’s final blend. Due to FDA regulations, Dr. Gaby Kafie feared he would not be able to continue making new cigars in the future. As for this cigar, he said it was 2 years in the making for this blend. The cigar is made at the Reyes Factory (Tabacalera Puros Aliados) in Honduras. As you can guess by the name, the cigar has a Mexican San Andres wrapper, a Honduran Habano binder with fillers from Brazil (Mata Fina), Dominican Piloto Cubano, and ligero from Nicaragua. The cigar is a 6×54 hard box-pressed toro with an MSRP in 2016 of $10.50 and are now $8.49. Only 500 boxes a year were released at its beginning. I’m not sure the age of the cigar as it was gifted to me by the Prez, Mitch. A small factoid I found out about this cigar, it was supposed to be called “The Union”, but the rights to the name were already owned by My Father Cigars, San Andres was an easy enough choice as a backup. Lets cut this baby up and get into it.

At first glance, the cigar is a paper bag color with one giant vein on the back of the cigar. Also, the triple cap is barely hanging on and I’m guessing it will peel off after I clip it. The cold draw has a sharp cognac bite with some floral notes and is the perfect resistance for my preference. I used my Zippo single torch to toast it up and get this all started.

Right off the bat is that distinct San Andres aroma that slaps you in the face. Cedar and earth jump right out as the main characters in the first third. The cigar has a HUGE smoke output, almost on Liga Privada levels. After a couple of puffs, as I thought, the cap came right off. I used my plain ChapStick to salvage the rest of the wrapper from coming apart. Retrohale has a ton of wet grass and a slight white pepper bite. A touch of caramel sneaks its way in toward the end of the third. I would say the flavor and strength are both at the medium level. The burn is almost perfect and the draw is still great.

Pushing into the next third, the name of the game is EARTH!! Like a ton of it! It pretty much cancels out every other flavor trying to leak through. Still grass and white pepper on the retrohale, with a touch of floral begging to get noticed. As we near the end of the third, some leather and unroasted coffee beans are mingling with the earth notes. The strength is around Med/Full and flavor is still Medium.

Starting the final third, earth is still the main attraction. Not much changing in the way of transitions. This cigar is smoking so quickly, I can’t believe it’s almost done. I’m barely past the 45-minute mark and there is only an inch left of the cigar. Retrohale is predominately white pepper and floral notes. The cigar finishes around Medium/Full in strength and medium in flavor. It burned well but took me less than an hour for this giant cigar. The humidity was at 67% when I started, so it should have lasted much longer.

Well, a pretty straightforward cigar here. The flavor didn’t change much throughout the cigar. One thing to note is the bunching was super loose. If you’re expecting a nice long smoke, you might be disappointed. I think this cigar would be decent any time of day. I would pair it with something light. A bourbon or dark beer would mute the flavors of the cigar. I paired it with iced tea and it worked out well. Scoring for the cigar is 3/5, I would seek out a 5 pack of these if you like a decent, straightforward cigar with huge earthy notes. I’m not sure how available these are on the market at the current time. I wish I had another to compare it to and see if I had any changes between them. Until next time Ruffians, as always, Do something nice for someone, and smoke well! (*Editors footnote, I will be sending a couple more for T-Money to try and then will update the review with his new findings. El Prez 06/03/2022)

Wrapper –  Mexican San Andrés

Binder – Honduran Habano

Filler – Brazilian (Mata Fina), Dominican Piloto Cubano, and Nicaraguan ligero

Website: www.Kafiecigars.com available for purchase from www.Boutiquesmoke.com

Price: $7.99 – $8.99 depending on vitola

Rating: 3 out of 5 pints

  • Travis Peterson AKA T Money is the Co-Captain of the Arizona/New Mexico Chapter of Distinguished Ruffians. He started his cigar journey in 2007 and hasn’t looked back. Outside of cigars he has a passion for brewing beer, playing guitar, bowling and golf. He is also a self proclaimed grilling and smoking expert. 

Nica Rustica Adobe Announced From Drew Estate
Drew Estate Nica Rustica Adobe

Drew Estate has revealed the secret identity of the mystery cigar inside its latest Freestyle Live Event Pack … the all-new Nica Rustica Adobe, the second expression in Drew Estate’s value-priced Nica Rustica line. Nica Rustica Adobe’s introduction happened during last night’s “Freestyle Live: Special Edition” broadcast, which aired from 7 to 9 p.m. Eastern on the company’s Facebook Live page (facebook.com/drewestatecigar) and YouTube channel (youtube.com/drewestatecigar).

The Nica Rustica brand is Drew Estate’s homage and tribute to Estelí, Nicaragua, home to La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate. The soul of the lively romantic barrios of Estelí, adorned with their colorful colonial houses, magically comes to life in Nica Rustica Adobe, which will be available in three sizes: Toro (6 x 52), Robusto (5 x 54) and Gordo (6 x 60). While retaining many of the same characteristics as the Connecticut Broadleaf expression, Nica Rustica Adobe is the spicier version, using a Habano wrapper, Brazilian binder and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos from Estelí and Jalapa. Unpolished and unrefined, Nica Rustica Adobe is a medium- to full-bodied cigar that offers load of spice with a bold and very long finish … the perfect companion for adventurous cigar buffs.

Nica Rustica Adobe will be available in 25-count boxes that feature colorful original artwork by Subculture Studios’ Richard “Dog” Diaz, who captures the rugged, robust and rustic essence of Estelí. Diaz’s romantic vision of Estelí also incorporates the city’s official symbol and proud emblem, El Brujito, a petroglyph of a native shaman carved some 6,000 years ago onto a rock on a mountain near Estelí.

“Nica Rustica Adobe is a proud and no-nonsense cigar that represents our strong bond between La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate and its beautiful Nicaraguan home, where the mountains meet the sun,” says Jonathan Drew, Founder and President of Drew Estate. “We are united as one with the proud Estelíanos who work in and run our factory … and who bring the Drew Estate story to life every day around the world. From our house to your humidor, Nica Rustica Adobe is an audacious Habano experience that everyone at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate is excited for you to try.”

Nica Rustica Adobe provides excellent value for premium cigar smokers, from beginners to aficionados. Toro has an MSRP of $143.93/box or $5.76/cigar; Robusto’s MSRP is $129.93/box or $5.20/cigar; and Gordo has an MSRP of $161.93/box or $6.48/cigar. Guests at tonight’s DE25 Exclusive Pre-Party will be the first to experience Nica Rustica Adobe cigars.

Nica Rustica Adobe will also be featured during a two-day Drew Estate event at The Humidour Cigar Shoppe. Jonathan Drew kicks off the extravaganza with a marquee virtual event on Thursday, May 19, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. The next day, La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate Factory Spokesman, Pedro Gomez, will host an in-person event at The Humidour Cigar Shoppe from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. with deals on all Drew Estate products available throughout the day. Contact The Humidour Cigar Shoppe at 410-666-3212 or visit humidour.com for more information about these events.

Nica Rustica Adobe will be available for regular distribution to all retailers beginning in August.

Epic La Rubia Robusto
Epic Cigars La Rubia

Welcome back Ruffian family. Today, I’m bringing you a review I promised a couple of weeks ago. I’m tackling a new brand and new cigar, La Rubia, by Epic. Released in 2016, Dean Parsons, owner of Epic cigars, wanted this to be “not your average blonde.” I’m really excited to take this journey with you because I have yet to smoke one before this review. Dean said he worked on this blend for close to a year before he got it how he envisioned. La Rubia (The Blonde) has an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Mexican San Andres binder, with fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. This cigar is made at the Charles Fairmorn Factory in the Dominican Republic. This is a 5 1⁄2 by 52 Robusto. The MSRP in 2016 was $7.66. After having Dean on our Ruffian Zoom for the release of the VIP Year 4, I was impressed by his knowledge and his demeanor. Dean is a great guy and couldn’t wait to try his sticks. With all the fluff behind us, let’s get into this cigar.

Upon first glance, the wrapper is golden brown with just one prominent vein running the length of the cigar. After straight cutting this bad boy, the cold draw has leather and vanilla. I spark it up with my soft flame lighter and get to the meat and potatoes of this blend.

The beginning starts out super creamy with a hint of nuttiness. The retrohale has some leather with a tiny white pepper bite on the back of the tongue. Further in, a vanilla sweetness starts to show along with some great oakiness coming towards the end of the first third. The draw is perfect as well as the burn. As expected, it’s on the mild/medium range in both flavor and strength.

Pushing into the second third, some black coffee hits me in the face and the finish still has that nuttiness that was prominent in the first third. The retrohale has a bit more white pepper bite than before. The creaminess is still there, albeit much less than when I started. The strength and flavor are more around the medium range as I move toward the end of this third.

Kicking into the last part of the cigar, there is a SIGNIFICANT leap in body. Super dark espresso jumps my palate while the retrohale has some deep leather and wood notes. Cedar, hazelnut, and vanilla all seem to be present with each different draw I take. The smoke output also drastically increased towards the end of the cigar. Amazing draw and construction continue throughout. I smoke it down as far as I could without burning my lips. One of the best final thirds of a cigar I’ve ever had. Medium strength and Med/Full flavor! Wow!

Well, not much more to say than, DAMN! This cigar is just flat-out good! Not only is Dean Parsons a great guy, but his cigars are also Epic! I’m not a huge Connecticut wrapper fan, but they definitely have their place when they are this good. I’ve just started with this brand and if the rest of their portfolio is as good as this, we are all in for a treat. This could be an anytime smoke, not just for the morning. From a novice smoker to a seasoned vet, this cigar has something for everyone. I suggest you give them a try and maybe introduce someone you know to this cigar. There are plenty of retailers that carry these and have them in stock. Grab them up now and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Smoking time was 1 hour and 30 minutes.

T Money score: 4.5/5. Rebuy Box. Enjoy these cigars with your friends. Get a new smoker to try one, it would be a great place to start. As always, do something nice for someone today and until next time, Smoke Well!

Wrapper –  Ecuador

Binder – Mexico

Filler – Nicaragua /Dominican Republic

Website: www.Epiccigars.com

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 pints.

  • Travis Peterson AKA T Money is the Co-Captain of the Arizona/New Mexico Chapter of Distinguished Ruffians. He started his cigar journey in 2007 and hasn’t looked back. Outside of cigars he has a passion for brewing beer, playing guitar, bowling and golf. He is also a self proclaimed grilling and smoking expert.