GURKHA CIGARS EXPANDS MEXICO PRESENCE
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Gurkha Cigars known worldwide for crafting the finest premium cigars and blends is proud to announce that its core brands and special edition cigars such as the Jubilee and Black Dragon brands can now easily be found in several Mexico City and Cancun lounges and boutiques.
“Gurkha Cigars can now be found in over 70 countries and we consider expanding and solidifying Gurkha’s presence in Mexico to be an important part of our international strategy,†said Kaizad Hansotia, Founder and CEO of Gurkha Cigars. “We are delighted to make Gurkha accessible to our growing and diverse Gurkha nation.â€
Gurkha has been sold throughout Mexico in duty-free shops offering premium items. Demand to expand in Mexico has been strong and Gurkha hopes to continue to grow their availability throughout the country and the region.
Gurkha Cigars are known throughout the world for their premium and luxurious cigars, so it’s no surprise that they are the most sought-after cigars around the globe. Gurkha produces 12 million cigars per year that are sold in more than 70 countries worldwide. And while Gurkha is known for its exclusivity, it has an impressive array of 105 brands of flawlessly handcrafted, premium cigars created in a variety of strengths, tasting profiles, and price-points. No matter what your taste, there’s a Gurkha cigar that’s perfect for your palate. For additional information visit www.gurkhacigars.com.
Toraño Opens the Vault to Launch Two New Blends
E-021 is shipping now to retailers in these two sizes:
4.5 x 50 – SRP per cigar is $5.49
5 x 52 – SRP per cigar is $5.99
General Cigar Hires Jack Toraño
Jack will report to Ed McKenna, director of marketing strategy.
Bombay Tobak Gaaja Toro
Bombay Tobak hit the market by storm not too long ago and still has a nice presence in social media. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t see a cigar picture from Bombay Tobak. A while ago I reviewed their KeSara Vintage Reserve Nikka and found it to be quite an enjoyable smoke. Today I am going to take a look at the “Gaaja.” The Gaaja has been on the market since July of 2016 and seems to be a favorite of many. The Gaaja is the first of its kind for the company being that its their first box pressed cigar.
Cigar Stats
Size: 6×54
Vitola: Toro
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut desflorado, Variety Hybrid Mejorado 2004
Binder: Ecuador HVA Seca Mejorada
Filler: Perú Hybrid Habano, Ecuador criollo 98, Paraguay Hybrid Habano 2000, Dominican Criollo 98 & Dominican HVA Mejorado
Country: Costa Rica
Price*: $15.50**
S.T.Dupont Announces the NEW Initial Lighter
Camacho Box-Pressed (BXP) Launching Nationwide in February
Camacho Box-Pressed (BXP) Launching Nationwide in February
– An intense spin on our classic blends, a new bold journey to embark on –
Punch to Launch Gran Puro Nicaragua
General Cigar Co. is a leading manufacturer and marketer of handcrafted cigars for the premium market. The company is owned by Scandinavian Tobacco Group. Committed to delivering cigars of the finest quality, General Cigar’s skilled artisans produce Macanudo®, Cohiba®, La Gloria Cubana®, Partagas®, CAO®, Punch®, Hoyo de Monterrey®, Excalibur® and several other leading premium brands in the company’s Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan factories. In addition, the company cultivates proprietary tobacco which is used exclusively in its blends and has a dedicated R&D practice that develops new varieties of tobacco and revitalizes vintage seeds. General Cigar also operates Club Macanudo®, a cigar bar in New York City. In 2010, General Cigar entered into a joint venture agreement with Plasencia Group to expand its leaf growing and processing expertise and increase its access to tobacco. Based in Richmond, VA, General Cigar sells through tobacconists in the U.S. and exports select products to 62 countries. For more information, visit www.cigarworld.com.
A.J. Fernandez Last Call
As I get older and older, its been a while since I’ve heard “last call” as I don’t frequent the bars long enough to hear it anymore.
A.J. Fernandez has his hands in quite a few blends of cigars for others besides his own. Recently he has collaborated with General Cigars with their Hoya La Amistad which is a great smoke and I’ll be taking a look at it in the near future. The Last Call cigar had its debut around the start of the 2016 NFL Football season. Prior to its retail release, the cigar was passed out to A.J.’s friends, at his house, around the last part of a football game as a “Last Call” cigar of the evening. The smaller vitola of the cigar was perfect for someone who finished a prior cigar, wanted another smoke, but had a little bit of time left. The cigar was a big hit with A.J.’s friends and it was decided to produce it for the masses. This scenario is pretty similar to the Man O War Puro Authentico history being a personal blend eventually made for retail.
Cigar Stats
Size: 4.5″x48
Vitola: Geniales
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
SRP: $5*
Black Works Studio announces SINDUSTRY
Wrapper: Mexican San Andr̩s Maduro Рrabito cap & closed foot
Binder: Nicaraguan Habano
Filler: Nicaragua
Toro – 6.25 x 48 (20 count) MSRP $10.00
Lancero – 7 x 38 (16 count) MSRP $9.50
2016 Recap
With it being the first of 2017, I hope everyone had a safe & happy holiday season. Prior to 2016, I typically enjoyed 1 to 3 cigars in a day. 2016 was way different as I was lucky to have 2 or 3 a week. I didn’t get to try a sliver of the cigars I had on my “Try List.” I didn’t get in no where near enough reviews as I should have. My daughter started school this year which means I had more on my plate this year than last. With her school functions, homework, various dance classes and recitals, I was pretty wore out. My typical day starts at 4am and usually ends around 8 or 9; not leaving me much quality time to sit down with a cigar (to review or just enjoy). Then, the closest local shop went up for sale middle of the year. With that being said, the owner didn’t get many, if any, new cigars in from there on out so I didn’t frequent it often. I would have to travel 45mins or more to a stocked B&M. I was either pressed for time or didn’t want to travel the distance to get to the other shops. I also was saving and pinching pennies all year to try to save up for a summer Florida vacation, car tag, birthdays, Christmas etc…
With all that being said, I won’t be publishing my 2016 Top Cigar list. I wish I could, but my list of cigars smoked was not as vast as I wished it to be and wouldn’t be a fair list in my opinion. What I am going to do is post up a few pictures of some cigars, in no particular order, that may have made it to the list this year.
I have made some 2017 cigar related New Years resolutions:
- Try to get to local B&Ms more frequently.
- Try more cigars I wouldn’t typically try.
- Visit the closest B&M more as a new owner has taken over & see if the offerings have increased.
- Order more online if I can’t find a particular cigar locally. (I only made one small online order in 2016 and it was for some pipe tobacco.)
- Make or find time to enjoy more than 2 or 3 cigars a week.
- Try to publish a weekly or biweekly cigar review (new or old cigars).
- Try to publish more cigar news (not personnel changes or things of that nature).
- Looking at doing B&M tour posts and possibly shop owner interviews.
Here are a few contenders of my favorite cigars I smoked in 2016. Some of these may or may not have made it to the list had I had a better selection to go by. Not all of these cigars were released in 2016, many are older than 2016 release.
