After soft-launching at the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival in August, the Gurkha Pure Evil is now shipping to all U.S. retailers.

“A few weeks ago we pre-released the Pure Evil at the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival and it was a great hit,” said Juan Lopez, vp of Gurkha Cigars, via a press release. “The cigar sold out in the first 30 minutes of VIP festival participants entering. We’re looking forward to hearing how the masses enjoy the cigar next.”

The line marks the return and reinvigoration of a previous release from the company’s archives that had been discontinued about 15 years ago. The company enlisted Damian Tapanes of American Caribbean Cigars to update the blend. He created a cigar that uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder and filler. It is offered in three sizes:

  • Gurkha Pure Evil Robusto (5 x 52) — $8.95 (Box of 20, $179)
  • Gurkha Pure Evil Toro (6 x 54) — $9.50 (Box of 20, $190)
  • Gurkha Pure Evil XO (6 x 60) — $9.95 (Box of 20, $199)

“The brand was released on a limited basis about 15 years ago,” said Lopez earlier this year. “We found the blend while visiting the factory in Nicaragua and we’re happy to bring back the old favorite with a new twist.”

While the original Gurkha Pure Evil was a limited edition, this new version is a regular production line.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.