Kafie 1901 Ecuador Sumatra Toro Bello Review: A New Favourite?

I am not usually one for smoking an unfamiliar cigar when I know I’m going to be conversing intently with good company, but this evening was different. I had been invited to join Al and Melissa Roman on their podcast The Good Cigar and felt that this occasion needed to be marked.

Getting ready ahead of time allowed me to take in all the subtle details of my chosen cigar – the Kafie 1901 Ecuador Sumatra Toro Bello. Along with the attractive chocolate brown and gold band, the foot also sported a dark red ribbon. The chocolaty Ecuador Sumatran wrapper was absolutely smooth with barely the finest vein visible and filled the air with aromas of cookie dough. The creamy cocoa cold draw left a taste of latte coffee and light ale on my lips, enticing me to light up and explore the flavour party that was about to happen.

My first draws after lighting the cigar were of the same sweet, creamy cocoa that I had first tasted on the cold draw. As I sipped my Mexican Espresso Martini, I settled down to be interviewed about my website and cigar smoking here in the UK by Al and Melissa. It is for this reason that my notes for the first third of the cigar are a little less detailed than usual, although I did unfortunately end up making a bit of a mess of the table when I laughed and the ash dropped off, narrowly missing my ashtray.

As I got to the middle third of the Kafie 1901 Ecuador Sumatra Toro Bello, the cocoa and cream had been joined by a subtle undercurrent of bay leaf, which added a lovely depth to the flavour and worked incredibly well with the gentle smokiness of the cocktail. As I contemplated whether to make myself another Mexican Espresso Martini or try something different, I watched the light tendrils of smoke gently dance in the air, but was interrupted from my reverie by a sudden and very strong hit of ear wax as I took a draw at almost exactly the mid point. A good, purging blow-through returned the cigar to it’s creaminess, albeit a little stronger than before. A little further in to the middle third and my mouth was filled with cassia and allspice that, when added to the creaminess, was reminiscent of pumpkin pie without quite so much sweetness.

The final third was signalled by a rather marked change. The cocoa was replaced by deep, rich flavour of chestnut puree and dark ale and hops took over from the sweet spices. I decided that something different was needed to drink with the final third. My choice was a caipirinha. The lime cut through the hopiness whilst the sweetness of the sugar and cachaça balanced the dark, earthy ale and chestnut flavours – it really was a perfect pairing.

By this point the cigar was getting a little more strong than medium flavoured, but I was enjoying it so much I went to get my cigar daggers. Alas, upon my return, the cigar had burnt out, but not to be dissuaded, I daggered and re-lit the cigar, and was rewarded with tastes that couldn’t have been much more different to the moments before I decided to nub the cigar. Away went the dark ale and hops without so much as backward glance and in came an intense and joyous flavour of freshly baked cinnamon buns, complete with dried fruit and sugar glaze. Unfortunately, this experience was far too fleeting as I realised that I had smoked the cigar past the dagger and was starting to burn my lips. I’m very much looking forward to sampling more from the Kafie 1901 range.

To read more about my conversation with Al Roman of the Good Cigar, click here.

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Kafie 1901 Ecuador Sumatra Toro Bello Cigar Details