The tobacco world is big – much bigger than a new nations here in the Western Hemisphere. While traditional nations dominate the discussion, tobacco is grown in small farms anywhere the weather permits. And so while it may not be well known, even countries like Italy are growing one of our favorite leaves. In the U.S., of course, a few countries give us the vast majority of the cigar tobacco we smoke. Gurkha thinks of these as the “four corners” of the western tobacco world:
Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.
(One day, if the gods of international trade look upon us kindly again, we may add Cuba to that list and have five. But for now, we are content with our four corners.)
The idea behind the Gurkha Royal Challenge was to bring some tobacco from each of these countries together into a single blend. Therefore, this cigar features an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper on the outside, a Honduran Habano binder, and then a Nicaraguan and Dominican long-filler blend. Some of our favorite tobacco-growing regions come together to create a surprisingly relaxed mild to medium-bodied smoke with the flavors of pepper, cedar, and creamy butter. The Gurkha Royal Challenge cigar also comes in a Broadleaf Maduro wrapper, which darkens up the flavors and makes them earthy, oaky, and a touch sweet.
The packaging from Gurkha, as always, is fantastic. These come in an ornate box with platinum details and a fine art wrapper that moves away from the cool but simple design of Gurkha cigars lines like the Ninja or Viper. We’re back to royal style with these cigars, and for the price, it’s a great way to “ball on a budget.”
Please browse our selection of Gurkha Royal Challenge cigars at your leisure.