You’ve heard about the Gurkha Maharaja, and the incredibly glossy box was on display at the IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, though I didn’t see the actual cigar that has an MSRP of $2,000 per stick and is by all accounts the most expensive in the world.
But one box was sold and the company says there were several more retailers showing interest in it.
For those of more modest budgets, Gurkha rolled out a number of new lines at the show.
East India Co. The Classic Cigar Havana Blend Lancero
On the limited edition side, The Classic Cigar: Havana Blend is a box-pressed 7 x 42 lancero that uses a Mexican San Andrés wrapper over proprietary and undisclosed binder and filler. It comes in boxes of 20 with an MSRP of $8 per cigar and $160 per box.
It’s described as being medium bodied and full flavored with an earthy, nutty profile.
Gurkha Cellar Reserve Platinum Edition
The Gurkha Cellar Reserve adds the Platinum Edition, a line rooted in 12-year-aged Nicaraguan tobacco for the binder and filler and an Ecuadorian wrapper.
It comes in three sizes, Solara (5 x 58), Hedonism (6 x 58) and Kraken (6 x 60), each in 20-count boxes and with single stick prices between $8.99 and $10.99. It’s also being limited to brick-and-mortar retailers.
Gurkha Heritage
The Gurkha Heritage is a medium-to-full bodied blend, with an Ecuadorian habano rosado wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and a mix of Dominican piloto cubano, Pennsylvanian and Nicaraguan fillers.
It’s coming in six sizes, Robusto (5 1/2 x 35, boxes of 35), Toro (6 1/2 x 54, boxes of 35), XO (6 1/4 x 60, boxes of 35), Figurado (6 1/2 x 52, boxes of 10), Prince (5 x 58, boxes of 10) and Kingsman (7 x 54, boxes of 10). MSRP is between $7.99 and $9.99 per cigar.
Gurkha Cask Blend
The Gurkha Cask Blend is Dominican made but the company isn’t disclosing anything about the blend, other than to call it medium-bodied with sweet spice and rich cedar flavors.
It comes in two sizes, a 5 x 58 ($7.99) and 6 x 58 ($8.99), both packaged in 200-count boxes.
East India Co. Nemesis
Under the East India Co. Ltd. banner is the Nemesis, a mild cigar that uses an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Dominican binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
It’s also priced to be wallet-friendly, as the three sizes, Robusto (5 x 50), Corona (6 x 42) and Toro (6 x 50) are all priced between $4.80 and $5. Each size comes in 20-count boxes.
Six-Packs
Finally, the company is rolling out six new grab-and-go fresh-lock pouches that contain five cigars. The first batch will feature the 125th Anniversary, Gurkha Cellar Reserve, Royal Challenge, Ghost, The Classic Cigar: Havana Blend and Red Witch lines.