Gurkha Centurian

[Mike_D]

It was one of those long...never ending days. When I finally got home from a long day at work and finished my diner, all I wanted to do was lite a fine cigar & relax.

I spent the normal 5 minutes trying to decide which just the right stick to grab from the humi for my mood...I reached for a Gurkha Centurian. I had bought a 6 pack of these about 2 years ago & loved them. I didn't buy more then because of the price. I had one sitting my humi since then & I got a steal on 12 of them from CI the other day, so I grabbed one of the newer ones. I am trying to keep that older one till the 5 year mark.

I don't know if my tastes have changed, the cigar blend has changed, or if my expectations were too high. The cigar was smooth...as I remembered. But instead of the smooth/creamy with a memorable distinct flavor profile (clean tobacco taste) I remembered that got great at the 1/4 mark...just over the fat middle....I was left wanting more.

I was drinking a guinness, which I thought would go good with the creamy nature of the cigar, but it smothered the taste. I switched to some JW B & it was better, no where near as good as I remember though.

The cigar was flat with little to no flavor changes. It was smooth, with no bite...but what bite could come from something so flat? I should have known something was up when my pre-light inspection revealed some soft spots & smaller center bulb than in the one I had left over. The wrapper color was a full two shades darker too...but I knew this didn't matter as much with this thick of a cigar. Just didn't seem the same.

Anyone else smoke these recently? Have my tastes changed? Where my expectations too high? Or has the blend just fallen off the map?

Worth lighting that 2 year old to see if it was me? Or should I keep my original plan of 5 years?

Just really sucked when you look forward to the smoke after a rough day & get a big let down.

 

[Sweetrice80]

It was one of those long...never ending days. When I finally got home from a long day at work and finished my diner, all I wanted to do was lite a fine cigar & relax.

I spent the normal 5 minutes trying to decide which just the right stick to grab from the humi for my mood...I reached for a Gurkha Centurian. I had bought a 6 pack of these about 2 years ago & loved them. I didn't buy more then because of the price. I had one sitting my humi since then & I got a steal on 12 of them from CI the other day, so I grabbed one of the newer ones. I am trying to keep that older one till the 5 year mark.

I don't know if my tastes have changed, the cigar blend has changed, or if my expectations were too high. The cigar was smooth...as I remembered. But instead of the smooth/creamy with a memorable distinct flavor profile (clean tobacco taste) I remembered that got great at the 1/4 mark...just over the fat middle....I was left wanting more.

I was drinking a guinness, which I thought would go good with the creamy nature of the cigar, but it smothered the taste. I switched to some JW B & it was better, no where near as good as I remember though.

The cigar was flat with little to no flavor changes. It was smooth, with no bite...but what bite could come from something so flat? I should have known something was up when my pre-light inspection revealed some soft spots & smaller center bulb than in the one I had left over. The wrapper color was a full two shades darker too...but I knew this didn't matter as much with this thick of a cigar. Just didn't seem the same.

Anyone else smoke these recently? Have my tastes changed? Where my expectations too high? Or has the blend just fallen off the map?

Worth lighting that 2 year old to see if it was me? Or should I keep my original plan of 5 years?

Just really sucked when you look forward to the smoke after a rough day & get a big let down.

Wow, quite an experience I must say. To answer your questions, I do not think anyone has a perfect answer. A few here may be able to give you some tips or suggestions but remember taste are subjective and a lot of variables come into play when smoking a cigar. Such as you noted your drink, what you ate, time of day, location, expectations, etc. The mind is a powerful thing, which is why a good cigar would always deliver as close as a profile it should have every time. But manufactures know, a lot of things come into play when smoking cigars, so having every cigar taste the same is near impossible.

I personally am not much of a fan of Gurkha, most of it has to do with quality control. They seem to come out with something every week which causes the quality of their past cigars to lose its personality because they are no longer in the center of attention or high on their priority list.

Just my thoughts on your experience I hope others can chime in and give you some feedback.

David

 

[CigarMan Andy]

Some cigars age well, and others don't. Some Gurkha and some C.A.O. don't get better with age. They get flat and tasteless. IMHO, some Padron Anniversary loose flavor with age, as do the Centurian and Soprano by C.A.O. I just smoked a two year old C.A.O. Soprano Boss which is nothing special like it was when fresh. On the other hand, I have noticed the gold label Gurkha seems to get better. Each cigar is individual and unique. I speak from my personal experience with these cigars. Others become amazing with age such as El Rey de Mundo, and Bolivar Belicoso Fina. Smokem them if you gottem. Or don't.

 

[merkinmullet]

I tend to be skeptical when a $30 MSRP cigar can be had easily for $2 each as on CBid. It either wasn't that good to begin with, or the blend has become much cheaper. I'll bet the Sultan of Brunei isn't smoking the same CI Centurians as we are.

 

[Not A Nice Person]

I suppose it bears mentioning that more than one BOTL over the past few years has noticed a distinct and underwhelming difference with Gurkha from CI, and Gurkha from elsewhere.

Just sayin' :whistling:

Don't know if the problem is poor storage at CI, or pump and dump from Gurkha, or even---as has sometimes been suggested---rebanding of seconds by one or both parties. It might just be that CI gets old overstock, and Gurkhas don't generally age well, as was suggested above.

Whatever the reason . . . every Gurkha I've had off CI was flat and tasteless.

~Boar

 

[Mike_D]

I suppose it bears mentioning that more than one BOTL over the past few years has noticed a distinct and underwhelming difference with Gurkha from CI, and Gurkha from elsewhere.

Just sayin' :whistling:

Don't know if the problem is poor storage at CI, or pump and dump from Gurkha, or even---as has sometimes been suggested---rebanding of seconds by one or both parties. It might just be that CI gets old overstock, and Gurkhas don't generally age well, as was suggested above.

Whatever the reason . . . every Gurkha I've had off CI was flat and tasteless.

~Boar

Good advice. Sounds like this might be the case. Stay away from the Gurkha's at CI and smoke the lonely one in my humi! Thanks guys!