Gurkha Chairman's Select Grand Robusto Perfecto

The Gurkha legend comes from when colonial soldiers, at the height of British rule in India, started making their own cigars from local tobacco, some of which was produced in the Portuguese territory of Goa. Expatriates from Britain who were still living in India continued smoking the cigars, but eventually the cigars began to wane into history and legend as did the rajas’ rule. Today the Gurkha brand stays true to the original essence of those first cigars made so long ago, so the legend will live on.

Throughout the cigar industry, the Gurkha brand has remained a favorite with novices and aficionados alike with its exquisite packaging and countless high ratings. The Gurkha Chairman's Select follows in this path and will not disappoint. This cream of the crop smoke features vintage tobaccos, with some being aged at least thirteen years! Starting from the inside, we’ll find well-aged Dominican long-fillers, followed by a Habano binder, and, to finish, a Criollo 1998 wrapper. Once you light up this stogie, you’ll find complex, medium-bodied notes of cedar, baking spices, pepper, and leather. This smoke also features a razor sharp burn and a flawless, easy draw. Try pairing with The Macallan Sherry Oak.

Though tobacco is indigenous to Hispaniola, the tobacco industry in the Dominican Republic existed in the shadow of Cuba’s dominance through the 1960s. When the exodus of Cuban cigar makers began in the wake of the revolution, many decided the Dominican Republic would be ideal for the resumption of their livelihoods. Unrest in Nicaragua in the 1980s fueled the Dominican cigar industry further. The country now makes more than half of the premium cigars imported into the U.S.

The Cibao Valley and the nearby city of Santiago are the center of cigar production in the Dominican Republic. Three main varieties are grown here: the mild and native Olor Dominicano; the intense Piloto Cubano, brought from the Vuelta Abajo of Cuba; and San Vicente, a milder and more acidic Piloto hybrid. Dominican puros were once unheard of as it was widely thought impossible to grow quality wrapper leaf on the island, but new growing techniques are now allowing some exceptional puros to be produced.