For the cigar fan, there is no finer stocking stuffer to receive at Christmas than a cigar. Known around the world as one of the finest types of cigars available, the Gurka cigar brand offers several ranges to ensure there is something to suit all budgets as well as tastes. But how do you go about picking the right Gurka cigar if you aren’t a cigar aficionado yourself?
Choosing a fine cigar
To start, it never hurts to understand a little about the cigar itself when thinking about gifting one. There are several elements to the cigar that make up the whole. The head is the rounded end that goes into the mouth while the foot is the flat end that is lit.
The wrapper is one of the important flavor elements and is the outside layer of tobacco that helps create the whole effect. These wrappers come in different colors from Double Claro through to Oscuro, the darkest. The binder is the intermediate leaf that holds the cigar together while the filler is the tobacco within the cigar and is the element that dictates how strong the cigar will be when smoked.
The other element to understand is the size of the cigar. Every cigar is measured in two ways – the length and the ring gauge with both measurements using inches. The ring gauge is the diameter of the cigar and increase in 1/60th of an inch at a time. The length dictates how long it will take to smoke the cigar – for example, a Toro size is a relatively short cigar while a longer version is a Churchill.
Gurka Cigars
Gurka Cigars are known to be premium hand rolled cigars that also use artistically-orientated packaging to add to the overall pleasure of the product. Among its most famous ranges are the His Majesty’s Reserve cigar that is infused with a rare cognac and at $25,000 a box, is the most expensive cigar in the world. However, they do also offer a range of more affordable cigars that make ideal stocking stuffers for cigar fans.
Gurka Cigar ranges
125th Anniversary
$9.00-12.00/ $184-240
Using a carefully chosen blend of selected tobaccos, the medium bodied 125th Anniversary blend features an oily Cubra, Brazilian Habano wrapper, accompanied by an Ecuadorian, Habano binder and a complex combination of Nicaraguan, Brazilian and Dominican fillers for a smooth and complex taste profile.
Gurkha Cellar Reserve 15
$9.00-14.00/$90-267
The vintage Cellar Reserve uses the finest quality 15-year-old aged tobacco, comprised of an oily Criollo 1998 wrapper that combines an aged Dominican, color binder with a 15-year old Dominican Filler for a medium to full bodied cigar.
Gurkha Heritage
$10-12-$251.70
The Heritage has a Rosado Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Dominican, Pennsylvanian, and Nicaraguan fillers. It is a medium bodied cigar full of robust flavors. It is hand rolled in Nicaragua and comes in a rare 35-count box. This cigar was blended by our blending team at American Caribbean Cigars in Nicaragua, with the input of our in-house blender and National Sales Director, Juan Lopez, and the blessings of Kaizad Hansotia. The flavorful blend has rich coffee and dark chocolate tones with a subtle and well-balanced spice present throughout.
Gurka Cigars provided with with samples to try out. All opinions expressed above are my own.
