FORT LAUDERDALE: When it comes to super premium luxury brands and prestigious companies, names like Louis Vuitton, Moet Hennessey, Patek Philippe, Chanel and Rolls Royce get bandied about, but when the conversation in Asia turns to cigars, there’s only one name spoken. Gurkha! Demand for the world’s finest and consistently great cigars in a market that appreciates and recognizes opulence and quality has created demand for Gurkha’s highly prized premium cigars. There is a saying in Asia, “If you are a millionaire, you smoke Davidoff, but if you are a billionaire, you smoke Gurkha” and Gurkha Cigars have now entered the Asian market with immediate success. “We have considered entering the Asian markets for some time now and finally took the plunge. Many wealthy Asians know a good smoke so naturally they gravitate towards our cigars and we have seen a tremendous surge in sales,” said Kaizad Hansotia, Founder and CEO of Gurkha Cigars. “Additionally, since the Asian culture is all about honoring others by bestowing expensive luxury gifts on those they hold in high esteem, Gurkha Cigars have become a favorite super-premium gift given by high-powered Asian businessmen.” Over the last 10 years, non-Cuban cigars have been gaining in popularity in Asia due to the quality of the tobacco and construction of the cigars. Real cigar aficionados know the Cuban cigars are no longer the standard or the rule to a great cigar. “Top cigar companies such as Gurkha, Davidoff, and, Flor Dominicana all produce premium cigars that can stand up and compete with a Cuban cigar any day of the week,” said Hansotia. “Cuban cigars are one dimensional in their flavor base. They don’t have the complexity that blended cigars have. The tobacco isn’t grown in different soils from other well-known tobacco nations such as the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua or Honduras for example. Quality control outside of Cuba is 10 times better than it is inside Cuba. Hand rolling cigars is an art and the demand for skilled rollers will increase.” Also impacting the quality of Cuban cigars is the willingness of other countries to pay more allowing them to lure quality workers away from Cuban factories. The Communist regime has left its mark on half a century of workers. Isolation and neglect of the Island Nation has potentially destroyed what was once a truly unique crop. Wages are still low. Morale is low. Labor conditions are still poor and the labor force remains unmotivated. Cuba has also been plagued by rumors that the land has become bad for farming. All these factors contribute to Gurkha’s success in Asia.