There’s a lot of rumors that I can’t verify but one thing is for me they’re not consistent. Used to like the vintage something or other Bought more years ago and they just weren’t the cigar I remember.

Jakethesnake86 wrote:

I liked the Centurion, the Grand Reserve, and the Beauty. The Titan was awful and the Chairman Select was definitely not worth what I paid for it.

I’m not against Gurkhas, but I don’t think I’ll be buying a 5er of anything new from them.

Huzza3045 wrote:

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.

ZRX1200 wrote:

I do find the history of how the company started to be fascinating. He knew nothing about cigars or the industry when he bought the current stock and name from a small business for just a couple hundred bucks.

drglnc wrote:

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.

JGKAMIN wrote:

”The company has continuously rolled out meticulously handcrafted cigars, epitomizing all that is luxury. In 1989, Kaizad Hansotia decided to resurrect a cigar brand rich in tradition and steeped in legend and history. Gurkha cigars were created more than a century ago and were known for their meticulously and artisanal handcrafted cigars, but when Hansotia revived the brand, there was no way he could have known that the cigar industry was about to experience a boom and he would have the perfect product to attract the new cigar consumer. In realizing that there were no super premium cigars, he created the association with elegance for which the cigars have become known. In reviving Gurkha, Hansotia created cigars that were not a necessity but rather a luxury and an indulgence.

Today, Gurkha makes a cigar for all price points and all palates, but when it began, Gurkha cigars were unlike other cigars on the market. They also came in highly ornate packaging and with a steep price tag. Hansotia felt that there was a market for more luxurious and exclusive cigars for those with tastes for only the finer and more elusive products. In focusing on this segment, Hansotia created the ultra-premium cigar category.

“Gurkha Currently Has Over 105 Brands But Is Still Considered A Boutique Cigar Manufacturer”

Gurkha has several brands that cater to every premium cigar smoker, including the very elite. For many Gurkha cigars are seen as a status symbol and are synonymous with sumptuousness and exclusivity. However, a beautifully handcrafted and aromatic cigar can be enjoyed by anyone and embodies the pleasure and enjoyment of all good things found in life. For centuries, cigars have been associated with enjoyment and a celebratory lifestyle: smoking a cigar is nothing short of a memorable experience.”

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

ZRX1200 wrote:

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

JGKAMIN wrote: