Amarati Cigar Debuts in Dubai

The Middle East is likely the next frontier for premium cigars, that includes the rise of cigar brands based out of the area. One of the newest is Amarati Cigar, a new company from Amer Al-Tamimi.

Al-Tamimi has experience and food and beverage and used to smoke cigars at his own lounge, which led to him opening Vintage Cigar Lounge in Dubai earlier this year. Now, he’s launching his own cigar brand as well as distribution in the area.

Last month, the debut three lines went on sale in Dubai.

Sol Azul is a line that was inspired by the Côte d’Azur. It contains four vitolas, each of which has its own blend:

• Amarati Cigar Sol Azul BHK-5 (5 1/2 x 56)
• Amarati Cigar Sol Azul BHK-6 (6 1/2 x 56)
• Amarati Cigar Sol Azul Toro 52 (6 x 52)
• Amarati Cigar Sol Azul Wide Churchill (5 1/8 x 55)

All four cigars use an Ecuadorian habano wrapper, though the binder and filler blends are different between the cigars. That said, all of that tobacco is Nicaraguan, coming from the Estelí, Jalapa, Pueblo Nuevo and Somoto regions.

Letter to a Father is a line inspired by a letter dated Jan. 25, 1902, from a daughter to her father. In the letter, the daughter inquires about how things are going for her father, who is away from the family, and also informs of happenings around the home, including the family’s tobacco crop. Blend-wise, it uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper over a binder from Somoto and fillers from Condega, Jalapa and Somoto. Amarati describes it as medium-full in body.

It is offered in a dozen different vitolas.

• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Robusto Supremo (4 x 62)
• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Petit Robusto (4 1/3 x 52)
• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Robusto (4 7/8 x 50)
• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Robusto Extra (5 1/8 x 60)
• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Gran Robusto (5 3/10 x 56)
• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Robusto Grande (5 1/2 x 56)
• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Toro (5 10/11 x 52)
• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Churchill (5 10/11 x55)
• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Piarmide (6 1/8 x 52)
• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Piramide Extra (6 3/10 x 54)
• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Bahike (6 5/9 x 56)
• Amarati Cigar Letter to a Father Maravillas (7 1/6 x 55)

The OG uses an Ecuadorian habano 2000 wrapper over a binder from Jalapa and fillers from the Condega, Estelí and Jalapa regions of Nicaragua. It too is described as medium-full.

• Amarati Cigar The OG Petit Piramide (4 x 62)
• Amarati Cigar The OG Petit Robusto (4 1/3 x 52)
• Amarati Cigar The OG Robusto (4 7/8 x 52)
• Amarati Cigar The OG Gran Robusto (5 3/10 x 56)
• Amarati Cigar The OG Robusto Gordo (5 1/2 x 56)
• Amarati Cigar The OG Robusto Extra (5 1/2 x 60)
• Amarati Cigar The OG Piramide Extra (6 3/10 x 54)
• Amarati Cigar The OG Maravilla (7 1/6 x 55)

The company is declining to disclose the name of the factory that is producing the cigars, but says that Al-Tamimi made more than a half dozen trips to Nicaragua to work with the factory to develop these blends.

Last month, the brand was shown off at InterTabac 2024, a trade show focused on international distributors. It will exhibit at the 2025 PCA Convention, which takes April 12-14 in New Orleans, but the company has not yet announced its American distribution plans.

Al-Tamimi’s Vintage Cigar is also serving as a distributor in the Middle East region. It has already announced one brand: Hirochi Robaina’s HR Cigars.

Update — The original version of this story misspelled the company’s name in certain places. It is Amarati, not Amarti.