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| NEW LIMITED-EDITION CIGAR FROM GURKHA |
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Page 1 of 2  Plus: FDA legislation progresses in CongressLos Angeles, April 7 – Kaizad Hansotia missed his calling. The head of the Gurkha cigar empire should have been in television programming. Audiences are always asking for new and different kinds of entertainment and for the cigar smoker, few can match his track record for inventiveness, presentation and flair. Welcome the Gurkha Signature 1887, pictured on the home page. This newest blend has a personal aspect to it, as Hansotia notes his family’s history. “1887 was the year my family entered the world of business and commerce,” he said. “Their first venture was a long-lived, successful import-export business. Commerce and prestige items have been a part of my family’s heritage ever since.” Made in Honduras as with almost all of the Gurkha lines, the Signature 1887 is offered in just one shape, a 6 1/2-inch by 55-ring toro, but in two styles. The 1887 Red uses an aged Connecticut Shade wrapper while the 1887 Black has a Nicaraguan-grown wrapper, but both blends such a common, Dominican-grown binder. The filler is the same for both styles, but is unique in itself, using powerful Peruvian tobaccos and East Indian leaf, heretofore mostly unknown for use in cigars. Hansotia uses the Indian filler as a tribute to his own heritage: “My father founded a watch-manufacturing company in India in 1950,” he recalled. These are flavorful cigars, but aren’t expected to overpower most smokers. They will be – as is typical for the Gurkha line – a treat for the eye, packaged in chests of 48 cigars each in either a red lacquer or black lacquer finish, depending on the style. “We launched the line with 300 boxes of each,” said Hansotia, “which were sold out in four days. We plan to produce 1,500 more boxes of each in 2008, although we expect shortages as we expect customer demand will exceed supply.” With a total of just 172,800 cigars made in total, it’s not likely the brand will last long, especially at respectable retail prices of $8.00 each for the 1887 Reds and $8.33 for the 1887 Blacks. FDA control-of-tobacco legislation moving forward: Chris McCalla, the legislative director of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) sent a note last week which summed up the current situation of the Congressional push to have the U.S. Food & Drug Administration regulate tobacco: “House Resolution (HR) 1108, a bill granting the FDA jurisdiction to regulate cigarettes and other forms of tobacco was approved by the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee [last] Wednesday, setting up its passage by the full House. “On Wednesday, the House panel approved the FDA tobacco bill by a margin of 38-12. The measure has gained substantial bipartisan support, with 11 Republicans supporting it, including one - Mike Rogers of Michigan - who had voted against the bill when the Health Subcommittee marked it up March 13. The 12 ‘no’ votes all came from Republicans, some of whom cited the measure's potential effect on the FDA itself. “The FDA tobacco bill has more than 200 co-sponsors in the House, and it now also has support from some tobacco industry interests, including U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company (UST), Swedish Match, and the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), that had until recently opposed it. That's because the drafters of the FDA tobacco bill made key concessions the industry supports, such as prohibiting the FDA from instituting a ban on tobacco products, or requiring tobacco manufacturers to zero out nicotine. |
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Did you know?
“Cellophane sleeves on cigars were introduced into wide use only in the 1940s.
