mostholycerebus
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2006
- Messages
- 264
I was recently gifted this cigar by an extremely thoughtful Ghurkha-whore/BOTL here on cigar pass. I had one previously, and had not liked it at all. Mrepp took it upon himself to change my mind about Gurkha. :thumbs: It already had a year on it, butI let it sit for a week, and finally found the time last week to smoke it. I was working in the afternoon, so decided to pick up lunch (Wendy's spicy chicken) and light it up on my drive to work.
The weather outside was crisp, but not cold, not especially windy, and the sun was pouring down. Just about the best weather I could expect to get for a smoking drive. I picked up the stick and took a good look. This is possibly the most beautiful cigar I have smoked. The cedar wrapper and black band were perfectly cut and taped on, and did not effect the cigar underneath at all. The wrapper was a creamy light brown, like a strong cup of coffee with a lot of hazelnut cream. Almost the color of spanish cedar. Few small veins, tight packed, no errors at all, and the cap was perfectly done. The band is also beautiful, with reds and golds, very nice and super fancy looking. I could tell that Gurkha put a lot of effort into making this an excellent looking cigar, which I appreciate, because that is a big part of the experience, for me at least.
I lit it up with a wooden match and from the first 'starter' puffs was tasting spice. The taste was very strong, but not overwhelming. Every inhalation it was easily the strongest taste, but there was also a strong aftertatse I could best descibe as coffee. And, just like the wrapper color, it was a very creamy coffee. I also think these had a mild taste of nuts/wood, not like almonds, but if you've ever sucked on the shell of an almond, like that. I did notice that after every puff the back of my tounge was becoming tingly with all the spice, but again, strangely it did not become overwhelming or bad.
Throughout the smoke the draw was medium, to firm. Just a slight bit tighter than I like, but by no means did it detract from my enjoyment of the cigar. From the start the burn was straight as a razor, which is a first in the windy environment of my car. The smoke was pure white, and while I have smoked cigars that produced more smoke, this was no slouch. It also had one of the whitest ash's I have seen, with only a tinge of yellow if examined hard. Ash was about standard strength, fell twice.
As I came around the mid point the smoke production dropped off, as did the spicy flavor. The cigar seemed to smooth out a very little more, but unlike younger sticks, the change was not as extreme or pronounced. Taste remained unchanged, just milder. The final third was the same story: it maintained it's flavor profile of spice/coffee/wood/nuts, just even milder.
Overall, I would say that this was a good cigar. The flavor profile was a little one-dimensional, but it was pronounced and interesting. The cigar itself was beautiful. In no way did this stick let me down or fail to meet standard smoking criteria. However. I really did not like it very much. The flavor was really not to my taste, and while I could appreciate the smoothness, build quality, and flavors, I don't think I will be buying any of these. Also, after I thought about it, i'm not sure I can strongly recommend these to the average smoker. There are lots of good cigars out there at this price point, and something to consider is what these cigars will be like with some time on them. Was this a good cigar? Yes. But IMO a cigar with a year on it should be pretty near the "great cigar" category, or at least knocking on the "very good" door.
So, my recomemndation is, if you like spice, nuts, and smooth light smokes, give this one a try. In public so you can show off just how good it looks. If someone offers you one, take it: you might not be overjoyed, but you won't be disappointed, and you just might love it. If you like it a lot, it just might be worth getting a box.
As an aside, my utmost thanks to Mrepp for his contribution, and ya'll can thank him for the dearth of Gurkha reviews I expect to write in the coming months. Helluva guy. :thumbs:
The weather outside was crisp, but not cold, not especially windy, and the sun was pouring down. Just about the best weather I could expect to get for a smoking drive. I picked up the stick and took a good look. This is possibly the most beautiful cigar I have smoked. The cedar wrapper and black band were perfectly cut and taped on, and did not effect the cigar underneath at all. The wrapper was a creamy light brown, like a strong cup of coffee with a lot of hazelnut cream. Almost the color of spanish cedar. Few small veins, tight packed, no errors at all, and the cap was perfectly done. The band is also beautiful, with reds and golds, very nice and super fancy looking. I could tell that Gurkha put a lot of effort into making this an excellent looking cigar, which I appreciate, because that is a big part of the experience, for me at least.
I lit it up with a wooden match and from the first 'starter' puffs was tasting spice. The taste was very strong, but not overwhelming. Every inhalation it was easily the strongest taste, but there was also a strong aftertatse I could best descibe as coffee. And, just like the wrapper color, it was a very creamy coffee. I also think these had a mild taste of nuts/wood, not like almonds, but if you've ever sucked on the shell of an almond, like that. I did notice that after every puff the back of my tounge was becoming tingly with all the spice, but again, strangely it did not become overwhelming or bad.
Throughout the smoke the draw was medium, to firm. Just a slight bit tighter than I like, but by no means did it detract from my enjoyment of the cigar. From the start the burn was straight as a razor, which is a first in the windy environment of my car. The smoke was pure white, and while I have smoked cigars that produced more smoke, this was no slouch. It also had one of the whitest ash's I have seen, with only a tinge of yellow if examined hard. Ash was about standard strength, fell twice.
As I came around the mid point the smoke production dropped off, as did the spicy flavor. The cigar seemed to smooth out a very little more, but unlike younger sticks, the change was not as extreme or pronounced. Taste remained unchanged, just milder. The final third was the same story: it maintained it's flavor profile of spice/coffee/wood/nuts, just even milder.
Overall, I would say that this was a good cigar. The flavor profile was a little one-dimensional, but it was pronounced and interesting. The cigar itself was beautiful. In no way did this stick let me down or fail to meet standard smoking criteria. However. I really did not like it very much. The flavor was really not to my taste, and while I could appreciate the smoothness, build quality, and flavors, I don't think I will be buying any of these. Also, after I thought about it, i'm not sure I can strongly recommend these to the average smoker. There are lots of good cigars out there at this price point, and something to consider is what these cigars will be like with some time on them. Was this a good cigar? Yes. But IMO a cigar with a year on it should be pretty near the "great cigar" category, or at least knocking on the "very good" door.
So, my recomemndation is, if you like spice, nuts, and smooth light smokes, give this one a try. In public so you can show off just how good it looks. If someone offers you one, take it: you might not be overjoyed, but you won't be disappointed, and you just might love it. If you like it a lot, it just might be worth getting a box.
As an aside, my utmost thanks to Mrepp for his contribution, and ya'll can thank him for the dearth of Gurkha reviews I expect to write in the coming months. Helluva guy. :thumbs:
