Few cigars can pull off the rich, ornate displays quite like Gurkha Cigars. This holds especially true with Gurkha’s Royal Challenge, which went on to win the 2012 SAPPI European Printing Awards for the project’s unparalleled presentation.

Of course, it’s what's on the inside that really counts! Gurkha Royal Challenge is like the ugly duckling-turned prom queen (sorry for the strange metaphor…), i.e. this smoke has a solid core to backup the glamour. Made at Gurkha’s American Caribbean Cigars factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, the Royal Challenge features one of the most velvety-smooth, Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrappers you’ll ever lay eyes on! (This is a really striking look, paired against the display’s gold foil interior, by the way). The Connecticut wrapper conceals a Honduran Habano binder and fillers of Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos.

Since the cigar’s debut in 2011, Gurkha Royal Challenge has gone on to be one of the company’s best sellers, receiving an impressive, 91 rating. Royal Challenge offers a mild to medium body and smooth nuances of table cream, green tea, honey, and a dash of white pepper.