Gurkha 125th Anniversary Special Edition

The Gurkha 125th Anniversary Special Edition, also abbreviated as S.E., is essentially the limited edition of the anniversary cigar for Gurkha's 125th tradition, which is also available here in the shop and offered at a significantly lower price.

In the 1980s, the Gurkha brand was revived by Indian-born Kaizad Hansotia. The name harks back to the fighters from Nepal who fought for the British Empire on the Indian subcontinent towards the end of the 19th century (the original name of the Kingdom of Nepal was "Gorkha"!). By the way, the logo still shows one of these fighters with the distinctive and once rightly feared curved dagger.

The brand is known to many aficionados for its exclusive, elaborate, and eye-catching packaging and boxes. The company produces several cigars priced beyond € 50, and one could philosophize at length about their purpose or marketing weight. However, a few years ago, they added some more affordable series to their portfolio. This one is certainly not a bargain, but its presentation and content are worth the extra euros! The Gurkha 125th Anniversary was launched to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the brand or the Gurkha fighters in 2012. This date marks the "peak" of the British occupation and thus the height of the Gurkha tradition in India.

Our friend Abe Flores produces the "regular" 125th Anniversary and also this one in his factory PDR in the Dominican Tamboril. He also produces other sensational cigars such as his own PDR, Flores y Rodriguez, and the Gurkha Ghost. The Special Reserve series presented here is made with some of the most expensive and rarest tobaccos. The company's founder personally designed the elaborate and very high-quality 15-count solid wood boxes.

Each of the three variants was made with a different wrapper, either a Corojo 98 from Honduras, a Connecticut from Ecuador, or a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro. The Corojo leans towards leather and pepper, the Connecticut has a creamy and soft character with notes of vanilla, and the Maduro variant is sweet with cocoa notes.