The Legend of Gurkha Cigars
At the height of the
British rule in India,
colonial soldiers began to make their own cigars from the local
tobacco. The fondness of the British for these legendary Nepalese fighters
inspired them to name their cigars “ Gurkhas.”
After the rule of the
Raja Waned, British expatriates living in India
continued to smoke Gurkhas produced in the Portuguese territory of Goa.
Eventually, However, The Gurkha cigars simply lapsed into obscurity.
Steeped in legend and
history, the Gurkha cigars, created more than a century ago has been reborn and
remains true to its roots in faraway India. Today, the legend lives on
in the premium brand cigars “Gurkha.”
The Makers
Kaizad
Hansotia, founder of the
Gurkha Cigar Company, was born in India and raised in Hong Kong
and London.
The Gurkha Cigars
journey started when Hansotia met a Portuguese man making and selling cigars in
Goa, while on vacation, in 1989. Being part of
the family watch-making business at the time, Hansotia decided to buy the man’s
entire stock and brand name — Gurkha — on the spot so as to have a unique gift
to hand out to his customers of the watch company.
One of these early
Gurkha cigars landed up with a friend who owned a duty-free shop and who
was so taken with the gift that that he decided that he wanted more. The rest,
as they say, is history, beginning Hansotia’s inspiring journey of creating
“create a piece of furniture with cigars in it.”
The Grand
Reserve, the flagship product of Gurkha Cigars, infused with
vintage cognac, when introduced by Hansotia in early 1990s, sold for $12
each, a price virtually unheard of at the time.
The most luxurious
and choicest product though came about when Hansotia paired 18-year
old tobacco with an entire bottle of Louis XIII cognac for each box
of 20 cigars, naming the new creation His Majesty’s Reserve. This
extremely limited product retails for $15,000 per box, making this collection
the most expensive cigar collection ever made.
