PCA 2024: Gurkha Cigars

Gurkha certainly had its share of high profile releases at the 2024 Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Trade Show. Most of the headlines were about the project being done with former heavyweight boxing champion, Mike Tyson. In addition, Gurkha announced that it has expanded its Year of the Dragon releases into a collaboration series by contracting out with four leading factories to produce the series. Year of the Dragon is also just the beginning, as Gurkha has future Chinese Zodiac releases out there as well. Not to be overshadowed, Gurkha has the all-new Colección Especial Nicaragua, and has brought back the 35th Anniversary release.

Besides products, there was other Gurkha news as well. This year saw the quiet return of Gurkha Cigars’ owner Kaizad Hansotia to the PCA Trade Show. It was Hansotia’s first Trade Show since 2019, and the first since he stepped down as Chairman in 2021. According to Gurkha, Hansotia has been involved with working on packaging and international projects.

The project with Mike Tyson is the Tyson 2.0 Undisputed line. What made things most interesting was that on Day One, Tyson made a short one-hour appearance at the Gurkha booth. He was available for photos (but due to licensing restrictions could not sign autographs). Understandably, a long line and large crowd formed at the Gurkha booth.

Produced at Tabacalera El Artista, the Gurkha Tyson 2.0 Undisputed line features two blends: Maduro (San Andres) and Habano. Both cigars come in two formats: 6 x 54 (SRP $19.00/cigar) and 7 x 60 (SRP $19.99/cigar). The Tyson 2.0 Undisputed Habano features an Ecuadorian wrapper over an Indonesian binder and both Criollo ‘98 and Nicaraguan fillers. As for the Maduro, it uses a San Andres Mexican wrapper over a Cameroon binder and a combination T3 (hybrid leaf developed by El Artista), Corojo, and Broadleaf. The Tyson 2.0 Undisputed Cigars have arrived at retailers.

Last year, Gurkha launched its Gurkha Year of the Dragon project, a limited edition cigar done in collaboration with Tabacalera El Artista. As mentioned, Year of the Dragon has been expanded with four other manufacturing partners producing a limited edition release. Each of the four releases is distinguished by a different color on the packaging:

AJ Fernandez (6 5/8 x 52 Box Pressed, Green Commemorative Box, 10 Count)
Ernesto Perez-Carrillo (6 5/8 x 54 Toro, Black Commemorative Box, 10 Count)
Oliva Cigar Company (6 1/2 x 60, Orange Commemorative Box, 10 Count)
Oscar Valladares (6 x 52, Yellow Commemorative Box, 10 Count)

Gurkha has currently shipped the ten-count boxes of the AJ Fernandez and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo blends. At press time, ten-count boxes of the Oliva and Oscar Valladares blends are still to be shipped.

In addition Gurkha showcased a new 200-count Year of the Dragon humidor. Each humidor comes with 80 cigars (20 from each new collaborator blend). At press time, the humidors have not shipped.

As mentioned above, Year of the Dragon is only the beginning for Gurkha’s foray into the Chinese Zodiac series. The company already has plans to release a Year of the Snake series next year. A

Gurkha has also expanded its Colección Especial line with the Gurkha Colección Especial Nicaragua. Gurkha Colección Especial Nicaragua follows up the Gurkha Colección Especial. While the Colección Especial came out of PDR Cigars in the Dominican Republic, the Colección Especial Nicaragua comes from American Caribbean Cigars in Nicaragua. Currently, the original Colección Especial is on hiatus due to the availability of the hybrid Connecticut wrapper it uses. As for the Colección Especial Nicaragua, it is a 100% Nicaraguan puro. Presented in ten-count boxes, it comes in two sizes: Toro (6 x 54) and Pirámide (6 1/8 x 52). The price for both the Toro and Piramide sizes of the Colección Especial Nicaragua comes in at $14.95.

Finally, Gurkha has now made its 35th Anniversary Cigar available in ten-count boxes. When the Gurkha 35th Anniversary was first introduced in 2023, it was available in a limited edition humidor containing 75 cigars. Produced at Tabacalera El Artista in the Dominican Republic, the 35th Anniversary blend features a Habano wrapper over an Indonesian binder and Criollo ’98 fillers grown in Estelí, Nicaragua. It is available in the same three sizes that were in the humidor: Toro (6 x 54, SRP $10.95/cigar); Torpedo (6 1/8 x 52, SRP $11.49/cigar); and Figurado (6 3/4 x 52, SRP $11.95/cigar).