New Castle Hall Nicaragua from Gurkha. The brand isn’t new as it was originally released in 2003. That makes it grandfathered for the pending FDA legislation in the United States. The Castle Hall Nicaragua is an extension of the value Castle Hall line by Gurkha Cigars

Castle Hall

The cigars are made at American Caribbean Cigars, a factory Gurkha tried to acquire a few years ago. Several Gurkha lines are produced at that factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. Gurkha does not have a factory of its own and uses several different producers for its cigars. 

The Gurkha Castle Hall was introduced earlier this year at the Tobacco Plus Expo in Las Vegas. Those cigars are made in the Dominican Republic. And with a manufacturer suggested retail price of $5 before tax in the United States, it is a value cigar. That made it a success. So Gurkha opted for a Nicaraguan version as well.

Nicaragua

The Castle Hall Nicaragua is a Nicaraguan Puro. That means that the cigars are made with solely Nicaraguan tobacco. The cigars come in a 5×52 Robusto, 6×54 Toro, and a 6×60 Magnum. The cigars come in boxes of 20 sticks.

This is the first new release of Gurkha Cigars after the tumultuous period that led to the departure of founder and CEO Kaizad Hansotia. For years, Hansotia had been posting insensitive, and sometimes even racist, memes on his Facebook. In the aftermath of the George Floyd murder, Hansotia learned that freedom of speech does not equate to freedom of consequences. After a call to boycott the brand from many consumers and retailers worldwide, Hansotia stepped down as chairman. He is divesting his shares, Gurkha is actively looking for a buyer.