G. De Graaff mediumfiller

These handmade cigars are produced in Costa Rica as so-called “sandwich-style cigars”. This means that the filler consists of rather small, sometimes torn tobacco leaves. This is by no means a problem, as quality is what matters even with smaller, torn leaves—not the size of the leaf. This method of production helps the manufactory make use of leftover tobacco and, above all, cuttings from the foot end of other cigars. You have surely seen this before: finished cigars with leaves still protruding at the bottom. These are then cut to the desired length using a kind of guillotine. The tobacco remnants cut off in this process are in no way inferior in quality, so it would be a shame not to reuse them. Over this filler, a “normal” binder and an equally “normal” wrapper are then rolled.

De Graaff Cigars: Handmade Quality from Costa Rica

These De Graaff cigars are produced in the Puriscal region of the province of San Jose. A Connecticut from Ecuador is used as the wrapper, and an H-2000 from Ecuador as the binder. Beneath this lies a hearty filler blend from Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. In terms of flavor, these mediumfillers tend toward nutty notes, coffee, and a touch of pepper. My test sample was a Robusto, which initially gave me a bit of a fright when it tasted briefly very bitter. Two puffs later, this had completely disappeared—apparently one leaf had undergone a rather strange transformation! As the smoke progressed, this attractively priced cigar impressed with an excellent draw, stable ash, and a smooth, medium-bodied aroma.

From Holland to Europe: The History of the De Graaff Brand

The packaging in bundles of 10 allows the manufacturer to offer these cigars at very fair prices. Normally, cigars from Costa Rica are significantly more expensive due to the very high labor costs—by Central American standards—in the “Switzerland of Central America”. We previously carried shortfiller cigars from this brand, but apart from the name, they have nothing in common with these cigars. The initiator of the brand is Stijn Elbersen, who, through his import company Small Batch Traders in the Netherlands, brings interesting brands to Europe. His Dutch background inspired the use of this name, as these products were once highly sought-after and popular as machine-made shortfillers in our neighboring country. Founded by Gustaf de Graaff in 1859, this traditional cigar manufactory was among the oldest and most significant in all of Holland.