November 19, 2012 (Fort Lauderdale, FL) — After much anticipation, the Gurkha 125th Anniversary Edition cigar is shipping to cigar stores nationwide! This special cigar is particularly significant as 2012 commemorates the 125th Anniversary of the Gurkha cigar, where it was this year back in 1887 at the height of the British rule that Nepalese soldiers first began to smoke and enjoy their own cigars from local tobacco, which they named: ‘Gurkhas’.
The 125th Anniversary is already an award winner, having received the company’s highest ever rating of 96 points by Cigar Journal and is the recent recipient of the prestigious Golden Label Award for the printing, design, innovation and technical execution of the 125th Anniversary cigar band.
The unique blend features an oily Brazilian Cubra wrapper, accompanied by an Ecuadorian, Habano binder and a complex combination of Nicaraguan, Brazilian and Dominican fillers. This intriguing medium bodied cigar encompasses a very smooth and complex taste profile, with flavorful notes of rich tobacco and subtle hints of sweet spice, vanilla and chestnut. The Gurkha 125th Anniversary is available in 20 count boxes featuring four vitolas: 5 x 52 Robusto, 6 x 54 Rothchild, 61/2 x 54 Torpedo and a 6 x 60 XO with an MSRP ranging from $8.39-$10.99. Each box is hand-carved using the finest mango wood and finished with exquisite brass fittings, specially designed by Gurkha Chairman Mr. K. Hansotia.
October 22, 2012 (Fort Lauderdale, FL) – Gurkha Cigar Group, Inc., makers of the super premium cigar brand Gurkha, was recently awarded a prestigious Golden Label Award for the printing, design, innovation and technical execution of the 125th Anniversary cigar band.
The coveted Golden Label Award ceremony was held at the contemporary Vienna Platinum Center in Vienna, Austria, organized by Brigl & Bergmeister, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of label and paper products. Out of 12,000 entries, Gurkha reigned highest cigar brand out of all 5 categories. Working in close collaboration with TSO printers (Holland), the Gurkha 125th Anniversary band artwork features a detailed and ornate design, incorporating state of the art printing techniques to emphasize the strong logo and identity of the Gurkha brand.
“We are very honored to receive this award,” said Kaizad Hansotia, Chairman of Gurkha Cigar Group. “This is even more special as this year celebrates 125th Anniversary of the Gurkha Cigar. The artwork took over a year to develop, where the goal was to create an intricate design that highlighted the strong tradition and authenticity of the brand”.
The Gurkha 125th cigar blend is also an award winner, having recently received the company’s highest ever rating of 96’ points. The unique blend features an oily Brazilian Cubra wrapper, accompanied by an Ecuadorian, Habano binder and a complex combination of Nicaraguan, Brazilian and Dominican fillers. This intriguing medium bodied cigar encompasses a very smooth and complex taste profile, with flavorful notes of rich tobacco and subtle hints of sweet spice, vanilla and chestnut. After much anticipation, the 125th Anniversary will be shipping to cigar stores nationwide in the coming weeks!
World renowned for their packaging and design, this is the second award that the Gurkha Cigar group has won in 2012 for their design and artwork, having already won the SAPPI European Printing Award for the printing, design and execution of the popular Gurkha ‘Royal Challenge’ artwork and crest.
I have smoked some pretty expensive cigars. More than I care to admit, but when I discovered the most expensive cigar was far pricier than the most i have paid for a stick… well I did’nt feel so bad. Amazingly, its not cigar made of up gold leafs or a platinum band its actually a cigar made by Gurkha.
Producing the most expensive cigar is one thing naming it is another and with a name like “His Majesty’s Reserve” how can you go wrong. At less than 100 boxes per year, get ready to Pay upwards of $750 per stick. What is it made of? Only thing that Gurkha will say is that its the finest Dominican wrapper with a secret blend of fillers from all over the globe.
Here’s the kicker. According to Most-expensive.com, “they’re also infused with a generous portion of Louis XIII Cognac in a process that retains the flavor of the tobacco. Louis XIII Cognac, as you may know, is one of the finest cognacs on the market today.”
What do you think? Can a price of $750 ever be justified for a single cigar?
Greggory Mottola from Cigar Aficionado writes on the CA website that the East India Trading Co., a subsidiary of Gurkha, is releasing the “Red Witch”, which is a new box pressed cigar that will debut next month. No photos of the cigar yet, but we’ll try to get one up for you soon.
From the release:
“Named after a trading ship from the British rule during the 1800s, Red Witch features an Ecuadoran rosado wrapper, Dominican binder and filler tobacco from Nicaragua’s mountainous region of Jalapa. Housed in rustic 50-count boxes, Red Witch will be available in three sizes: Robusto, 5 inches by 52, Rothchild, 6 by 54, and XO, measuring 6 by 60. Retail prices are expected to fall in the $4.99 to $6.39 range.”
With a retail price between $5 and $7, it should be a cigar to keep your eye on.
My life is a little crazy, crazy in a good way. This week I found myself in Las Vegas for a job. By some miracle of scheduling, I had a free evening – which never happens – and I decided to explore.
I was done with work at about 5pm, and I had to be ready for my ride to the airport at 9am the following day. Sixteen hours! Doable.
I had a couple of things I wanted to accomplish: I wanted to see a show. I wanted to see the fountain at the Bellagio. I wanted a great meal. I wanted to gamble a little. And, I wanted to smoke at least one great cigar.
Unfortunately I was staying in North Las Vegas, and I have to take a $60 cab ride to The Strip. First order of business: tickets to a show. I wanted a big, Vegas-style showgirls show, but I settled for a magic show with The Amazing Jonathan at Planet Hollywood. No complaints though, it was hysterical.
The Amazing Jonathan
Next order of business: food. I had heard the buffet at Harrah’s was amazing, and (why lie about it?) I really love an all-you-can-eat environment. I got all the way to the restaurant, but the line was too long; I was going to miss the show. So, I headed back toward Planet Hollywood, and it was getting so late, I had to grab burger at Wendy’s. Fail.
After the show, I just wanted to explore. I went to just about every casino. I got to see the Bellagio fountain. I saw the stupid, mini-Eiffel Tower at Paris and the stupid, mini-Empire State Building at New York, New York. Lot’s of stupid stuff, but the sum of it all is really awesome and fun. Clearly it’s not a place meant to be visited alone. When I get a chance to come back with a group of friends, I’m sure it’s going to be a ton of fun.
I had the impression that Vegas was a cigar city. I’m not sure where that came from, the movie Swingers maybe? When I arrived and started looking around, I didn’t see anyone smoking cigars. I saw a bunch of families, from all over the world, all having a great time. I didn’t want to be rude by firing up a cigar in the middle of a crowd.
That was early in the evening. After the show, I kept exploring, and the dynamic had completely changed. It was now groups of friends, bachelor parties, and rich and gorgeous people. Out came the cigars. (Of course there was still the gross element there: trashy people and sad slot machine addicts, but it’s easier to just look past them.)
I felt more than comfortable lighting up a cigar at this point. I sat down in the sports betting area at Caesar’s Palace, in the big comfy chairs, and I pulled out a cigar I had brought with me, a Gurkha Park Avenue Series 44 Torpedo (6.25×52). I was seated near three young guys smoking cigars. I tried to make conversation, but their English was pretty terrible. I think they were from Spain. They tried though; it was actually kind of funny.
I don’t often get to smoke indoors, unless I’m at a cigar bar. It was refreshing to be able to walk around, gamble a little and smoke. I am not a huge gambler, but I love Roulette. I played for a while, always better RED 33, and smoking this fantastic cigar. Oh, I should mention that at midnight, it became my 33rd birthday, that’s why I was betting 33. I mentioned that to the couple next to me, and I had a birthday toast with them. People were very friendly.
As a side note, I had never had a Gurkha before, and it was a fantastic smoke. Great taste. Very pure tasting. Simple but not bland. I will definitely give Gurkhas some thought next time I’m at the cigar store.
At that point in the night, it was just after midnight, and I still had a lot of exploring to do. So I headed south, and I was determined to see as much as I could before I passed out from exhaustion. Of course, the free drinks were taking their toll too. (Yeah, I was drinking alone. I believe in this rare scenario it is not a cry for help – it’s just what you do. Don’t judge me.)
Around 2am, I decided I wanted another cigar and searched for a cigar store in some casino. It seemed like most casinos has one if you looked hard enough. I found a little store in The Excelsior, and bought a Macanudo Café Crystal in a glass tube for $16. Maybe I was being cheap, but the cigars were so overpriced, that I wanted to save a little money with a Macanudo. Also, you always know what to expect with a Macanudo: simple, woody, reliable.
Long story short, I got in a cab at 3:30am and flew out in the morning after 3 hours of sleep and a hot shower.
What a great trip! I get the impression that you have to go to Vegas a few times to figure out how to do it right: Where to stay, where to gamble, where to eat, where to buy cigars. But for a couple of hours, I think I did a good job. And, I gambled for hours, and left only down $15. Success.
