Almost two years back, Kafie 1901 Cigars relocated its production from Honduras to La Aurora in the Dominican Republic. Since that shift, the company has been meticulously preserving the leftover tobacco scraps from the cigar-making process. Presently, these saved tobacco remnants have found purpose in a new brand—Naked Cigars by Kafie 1901.

The “naked” aspect of the name signifies that these cigars will be devoid of bands and, akin to many mixed filler cigars, will be marketed in bundles. Featuring three distinct wrapper options—Connecticut, Natural, and Maduro—all sourced from Ecuador, the brand employs fillers derived from various tobaccos used in Kafie’s other blends. This amalgamation includes tobaccos from Connecticut, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pennsylvania, and Peru. Notably, some of these tobaccos are of more exotic varieties, such as andullo tobacco from the Dominican Republic and pelo de oro from Peru. Due to the two-year tobacco preservation effort, Kafie 1901 asserts that the filler tobacco has undergone a maturation period of 4-5 years.

All three wrapper variations are available in identical sizes, each priced equivalently:

• Naked Cigars by Kafie 1901 Connecticut/Natural/Maduro Robusto (5 x 50) — $4.30 (Bundle of 20, $86)
• Naked Cigars by Kafie 1901 Connecticut/Natural/Maduro Toro (6 x 52) — $4.30 (Bundle of 20, $86)
• Naked Cigars by Kafie 1901 Connecticut/Natural/Maduro Gran Toro (6 x 58) — $4.50 (Bundle of 20, $90)
• Naked Cigars by Kafie 1901 Connecticut/Natural/Maduro Churchill (7 x 47) — $4.50 (Bundle of 20, $90)

Described as a mixed filler cigar or Cuban sandwich, this variant maintains the traditional whole-leaf wrapper and binder of a regular cigar but incorporates smaller cuts of tobacco within, distinguishing it from standard premium cigars.

Dr. Gaby Kafie, the founder of Kafie 1901, emphasized, “Moving forward, this will be the only line of bundle cigars that we offer,” stating in a press release, “In Spanish we have a saying, ‘que me busquen por bueno y no por barato.’ The English translation goes as follows, ‘That they look for us because we are good, not because we are cheap.’ These cigars are meant to be good, not cheap. When you experience one, you will understand.”

The Naked Cigars by Kafie 1901 had a soft launch in August, reaching 10 retailers and one international distributor. The company anticipates the arrival of the first full production shipment this month, with plans to commence shipping to stores shortly. The total production for 2024 is limited to 90,000 cigars across all blends and sizes.