The Meerapfel family, represented today by brothers Joshua and Jeremiah, has a history of over 140 years in the growing, harvesting, distribution and sale of tobacco. They are tobacco growers who have long specialized in the West African nation of Cameroon leaf, a wrapper prized for its rarity, flavor and special exterior, and are known primarily for their tobacco production, but over the past century and a half the business has taken them to countries such as Cuba, Indonesia, Germany and other African countries.
After years of producing and selling tobacco, the Meerapfel family decided to release their own personal blends under Selection Meerapfel Collection. This includes, amongst others, the famous La Estancia and Machetero lines. La Estancia is an extremely unique cigar made from the voluminous stores of Cuban tobacco the family owns. In fact, the Meerapfel family was historically one of the largest exporters of Cuban tobacco in the world and still owns a considerable amount of Cuban tobacco today.
That being said, in 2022, the family decided to take their cigar brand to the next level with the inception of MEERAPFEL Cigar. It marked a new chapter in the family’s history symbolizing the creation of an entirely new segment in premium cigars: the UberLuxury – an expression of tradition, values and respect, translated in cigars with the use of the best materials
The new Meerapfel Cigar represents a segment in the premium cigar industry, combining an outstanding and highly regarded past with the most innovative techniques of the future. The cigars are carefully crafted in the Dominican Republic and are designed to be sold in luxury shops around the world due to their superior quality. It’s a brand that promises to be extremely luxurious, starting with a line called Richard, in honour of one of the most influential people in the cigar world.
Richard Meerapfel is recognized as Cameroon’s tobacco hero, who saved the industry from extinction at the time, but sadly passed away in 2003.
Meerapfel does have a long relationship with the Fuente family, supplying them with Cameroon leaf. Also, the Fuerte and Meerapfel families designed the Fuente Don Carlos blend that marked the entire world of cigars.
The son of the famous Richard, declared that his plans to launch the luxury cigar date back almost 20 years, since he died.
As a tribute to his father and the Meerapfel family’s unparalleled history in tobacco, Jeremiah Meerapfel released the Richard Double Robusto line of medium-bodied cigars. What’s special about this line is that these cigars are packaged in ornamental boxes, and at the bottom of each box is a tray that can be used either to display the cigars or as an ashtray. As for the blend of the cigars, Meerapfel has been discreet with this information and we only know that that it has a Cameroon wrapper.
At InterTabac 2022, Meerapfel presented the second line called “Meerapfel Meir”, a name that pays tribute to the man who founded the first factory in the village of Untergrombach, Germany opened in 1876 under the influence of Meir Meerapfel, who started producing hand-rolled cigars for nearly 150 years, until World War II began. Meerapfel Meir Churchill (25) are arranged in a surprisingly elegant oblong box made of Japanese wood and the tobacco used to roll the Meir line is kept a secret by Meerapfel, but promises a unique and special experience.
Going forward, Meerapfel promises that future blends will honor other family members, including grandfather Jeremiah Heller.