Gurkha Nicaragua Series TAA Exclusive 2021 Slated for June

This June, Gurkha plans on shipping its second exclusive release for the Tobacconists’ Association of America (TAA) Exclusive Series Program.

It’s called the Gurkha Nicaragua Series TAA Exclusive 2021, a 6 7/8 x 52 perfecto that is an extension to the Gurkha Nicaragua Series, which was introduced in 2019. That means the cigar is made entirely of Nicaraguan tobaccos from AGANORSA, including a shade-grown corojo wrapper and two binders, and is being produced at Tabacos Valle de Jalapa S.A. (TABSA) in Estelí, Nicaragua.

Each cigar has an MSRP of $13 per cigar and it is limited to 1,000 numbered boxes of 10 cigars.

This is the second time Gurkha has made an exclusive cigar for TAA; the other was the 2018 release of the Gurkha Heritage Rosado Toro.

The TAA is a fairly small group of some of the country’s top tobacconists, about 80 retailers as well as 40 or so manufacturers. The association gathers annually to discuss issues facing the industry and retailers, as well as to have its annual trade show, a unique event that works on a group buying format in order to secure exclusive deals for these generally high-volume merchants.

During the event, the organization holds two selling events, one known as the Dream Machine where the retailers collectively order to secure larger discounts, while the other is a more traditional trade show. Typically, around a dozen manufacturers release new exclusive cigars for the retail members of the organization under the TAA Exclusive Series Program banner. Those manufacturers agree to give a portion of the proceeds to the organization, usually around 50 cents per cigar.

The TAA hosted a virtual meeting yesterday and then plans an in-person event at Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic this October.

This year, there are 12 companies releasing new TAA ESP cigars:

• CLE
• Crowned Heads
• E.P. Carrillo
• General Cigar Co.
• Gurkha
• J.C. Newman
• Joya de Nicaragua
• Kristoff
• La Flor Dominicana
• La Palina
• Rocky Patel
• Villiger

Update (March 25, 2021) — The original version of this story incorrectly stated the typical donation to TAA.

Note: The featured image is described as a preproduction example of what the cigars will look like and not the finished product.