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Doesn’t help that Kaizad Hansotia didn’t care for cigars that much.

Then he #gotcancelled

He was good at marketing. And I don’t think it was so much QC as it was introducing good/great cigars then magically they all went to pot. The QC issue was some blends having a tendency to explode.

Besides the countless lines of sticks with inconsistent results, part of the knock on them is the lack of credibility. Buying the name to a “company” and then acting like you’ve been in business 125+ years, and putting crazy MSRPs on then sticks that are perpetually sold at 76% off (just got another of those frequent emails as I type this) are a couple of examples. It’s not a $35 cigar because you say it is, it’s not a premium smoke, it’s a crappy stick that can be had at the price point it belongs like $5. And nobody needs a challenge coin or Rambo knife to sweeten the pot, just give me a better produced cigar at a legit price. Kaizad seemed to have a vision of selling products via smoke and mirrors with packaging and designs leading you to think you were getting something better than you were, but when taken out of the box and smoked wasn’t very good. The inconsistencies could be attributed to not having their own factory and farming out their production all around the business, hopefully now that they have their own factory they can right the ship. I am intrigued by some of their vitolas, but haven’t bought a Gurkha in many years and probably won’t anytime soon.

To be fair, I think The East India Trading Company would be, and he bought that naming right.

It could also be that Rolls Royce is that old and it’s a proximity thing.

YMMV

A Brief History of Gurkha Cigars

It all started with Kaizad Hansotia, a man of Indian descent, raised in Hong Kong and London who was the son of a wealthy family that made luxury watches and other various timepieces. He was on vacation in India in the ancient year of 1989 (mind you I was born in 1988), when he met a Portuguese man rolling and selling cigars under the name of Gurkha. What a Portuguese man was doing in India rolling cigars, I have no clue, but Kaizad was so fascinated by this art he decided to buy all of the man’s tobacco and entire inventory for a grand total of a whopping $149. The original plan was to use these cigars to hand out to customers as gifts for his family timepiece business. After all, who doesn’t love a good cigar, right?

Kaizad sent one of the first boxes of Gurkha Cigars to his friend who owned a duty free shop, and his customers went nuts wanting to buy more. Kaizad saw an opportunity to make money off of high-end cigars which lead him to pursue well known manufacturers in the industry to help him get started. The first person he talked to was Charlie Torano (perhaps you’ve heard of him?) and Torano cigars agreed to roll Gurkha’s first ever cigars. After this momentous occasion in the history of Gurkha cigars, a brand was born so wonderful that it even made its way to the White House in the 1990s, which will forever be part of Oral Oval Office history.

The Origin of the Name

Okay, so what’s with the name Gurkha? Sure, the Portuguese man in India sold cigars under the name Gurkha, but there is a reason behind the name. If you read the first line in the last section, you’ll notice I mentioned Gurkha Cigar’s 125th Anniversary. Well, how can this be, with a company that was formed in the 1980s? The answer is simple: the name reflects how long cigars have been referred to as Gurkhas, not how long the company has been rolling cigars. Now you’re probably spewing bourbon all over your computer screen, appalled that I would even suggest that you ever once referred to a cigar as a Gurkha. Let me explain.

The term Gurkha was originally a name given to Nepalese fighters who carried those bad ass Khukuri swords. You know, the one the man on the Gurkha label is holding? Well, during the British occupation of nearly the entire world in the late 1880s, colonial soldiers became enamored with the skill and history of the Gurkha warriors in Nepal. As a tribute to these warriors whom the British defeated, all the cigars the colonial soldiers made were called Gurkhas instead of cigars. The name spread through the British colonies, eventually finding its way to India which explains the Portuguese man’s brand name of Gurkha.

Kaizad decided to keep the name after he bought the small company to continue paying tribute to the Nepalese warriors alive and well and to pay honor to the history of British rule. This lead to the various lines of Gurkha Cigars such as the Red Witch under the East India Trading Company line and His Majesty’s Reserve in their limited edition line to be born with such awesome historical names.

I hate Rolls Royce

Gurkha putting any new stuff out that’s worthy tony?

Hey there Mraia

From what these guys have to say it seems almost a certainty that you can't count on Gurkha. I had a few from sampler bundles a few years ago. Even though I wasn't even a casual smoker they didn't bring anything to the table that made me think I would move to buying any on purpose.

Well a couple months ago I was taken by the ad copy and bought some Beauties. Read the copy and you would believe the world would surely be a miserable place without the existence of the Gurkha Beauty. Seemed like a deal for such an incredible smoke. Smoked one. It's a pretty lightweight stick for being as large as it is. Really loosely rolled. The draw was like a hurricane through a screen door. It smoked really fast, but not hot. Still, I decided it was probably too dry and only smoked half. I will wait a for while to try another once the moisture settles upward. I don't have high hopes, but the first one did not offend me at the time.

Everything I've picked up on Gurkha would suggest it's much more of a brand than a cigar. They seem to do the branding thing pretty well.

My palate is pretty unsophisticated as well. It’s possible that my earlier recommendations were garbage. I just know “smooth smoke”, “spicy smoke”, “leather smoke”, and “mild smoke”.

My palate is pretty unsophisticated as well. It’s possible that my earlier recommendations were garbage. I just know “smooth smoke”, “spicy smoke”, “leather smoke”, and “mild smoke”.

I bought a 5ver of the 125th Anniversary Gurkhas. Holy Ch*t were they terrible! I saw that it had made a top 25 list 10 years ago or so, and I thought "maybe they've kept the blend up. Success breeds success and all. Surely they wouldn't take a top 25 mention and squander it by letting the blend reduce to goose ch*t. That would be a terrible business model." But they did. I gave one to Tele as a gag with a 10er I sent him. He stopped posting here soon thereafter.

Maybe I'll send one to Jake next. He's a tough guy.

On the Chairman Select Huzza mentioned, I believe you. It could be a difference in taste or that you got a bad batch (ref: inconsistency). I got a ten pack a couple years ago now, and they were decent. If I had any faith that the next batch would taste the same, I might consider another 5. But I lack faith.

I've smoked the Chairman Select and thought it was not even a good yard gar.

Tasty Gurkha handmades as little as $2/cigar. Hell. Yes.

This is it, the countdown is over! Our annual Gurkha Big Bundle Bonanza is back. More bloated than a beached whale, this year's lineup contains 25 of Gurkha's biggest, shiniest brands, up to 87% off (gasp!). Choose from favorites like Symphony, Centurian, 125th Anniversary, Crest, Sherpa and more, all on the table for as little as $2 per cigar. I even threw a few samplers in the mix. Over 25 generously-sized, delicious options in play. The Gurkha cigars you want, need, and crave are available for the next 7 days in heavily discounted 10-35 count bundles.