Gurkha (cigar)
Gurkha is a brand of hand-rolled cigars, known for the manufacture of premium products using artistically-oriented packaging. The company is known as the maker of the His Majesty's Reserve cigar, a limited-production cigar infused with rare cognac, whose price of $15,000 per box makes it the most expensive cigar in the world. The name derives from the Gurkha, people of Nepal.
History
The Gurkha Cigar Company was founded by Kaizad Hansotia, a man born in India and raised in Hong Kong and London.[1] His family was well known for manufacturing custom watches, specializing in luxury timepieces.[1] Late in the 1980s, Hansotia dropped out of Miami Dade College, to enter the family business.[1]
While on vacation in Goa, India in 1989, Hansotia met a Portuguese man making and selling cigars. Hansotia decided, on the spot, to buy the man's entire stock and brand name — Gurkha — so as to have a unique gift to hand out to his customers at the watch company.[1] The price of the entire purchase of the Gurkha name and inventory was just $149.[1]
One box of these early Gurkha cigars was sent to a friend who owned a duty-free shop. He was so impressed that he decided that he wanted to obtain more.[1] Hansotia spotted a new business opportunity and was introduced to cigarmaker Charlie Toraño, by a mutual friend.[1]
Hansotia later recalled:
"I was looking for a good company to roll my product, a family that not only knew how to grow tobacco but also had an extensive knowledge in the art of manufacturing cigars. The Toraños were the best, and I still consider them the best."[1]
As a newcomer to cigarmaking, Hansotia sought to challenge the staid norms of product packaging which had dominated the cigar industry for generations. "All the manufacturers packaged their product the same way their grandfathers did", Hansotia remembered:
"I wanted my packaging to practically jump off the shelves! You have to hit all the senses; every detail is noticed. I wanted to create a piece of furniture with cigars in it."[1]
Hansotia consciously attempted to create a luxury product, a so-called "boutique brand":
"You have your Ford, Toyota, and GM, who make very good cars that are mass-marketed and sold to the public. You're not going to fight with them — they are too powerful and too big. And then you have a company like ours, which is like Ferrari or Bentley. They only make a small amount to assure the utmost in quality and construction. The person who smokes our cigars wants a luxurious cigar they can smoke on a Friday or Saturday night, or during a very special occasion."[1]
In this vein, Hansotia introduced the 'Grand Reserve', a cigar infused with vintage cognac, a product which sold for $120 each, a virtually unheard of price at the time.[1] This infusion process was taken to the next level in 1996, when Hansotia paired 18-year-old tobacco with an entire bottle of Louis XIII de Rémy Martin for each box of 20 cigars, naming the new creation 'His Majesty's Reserve'.[1] This extremely limited product retails for $15,000 per box, making it the most expensive cigar ever made.[1]
According to Roy MacLaren, Vice President Sales and Marketing for Gurkah Cigars:
"Gurkha Cigars was pleased to learn that during Clinton's administration, President Clinton was a huge fan of the Gurkha Grand Reserve Cigar as it is among many in the Washington circuit. In light of the recent announcement about the HBO movie "Special Relationship" featuring Clinton's personal relationships, Gurkha Cigars is happy to announce that they too are part of oval office history."[2]
Cigar range
Gurkha's cigars:[3]
|
|
|
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 Steve Nathan, "The Man Behind the Gurkha," Cigar Magazine, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Winter 2010), pp. 61-66.
- ↑ Katie Connolly (2009-03-30). "Today in Shameless PR Pitches, From Our New York Chapter - Newsweek and The Daily Beast". Thedailybeast.com. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
- ↑ Gurkha Cigars.com
External links