An affordable cigar from Gurkha? Yes, it exists. It's called the Park Avenue Churchill, and it is up for review today on Puff.com. Closing things out will be a review of the limited Perdomo ESV 1991 Regente.

Gurkha Park Avenue Churchill

When you hear the Park Avenue, you probably think of luxury. Smack that label onto a Gurkha cigar, and you probably are looking at an expensive cigar. Surprisingly, this is not the case, as the Park Avenue line from Gurkha is actually an affordable one. Did Gurkha have to sacrifice quality to make an affordable stick? Let's see for ourselves.

The Park Avenue line comes in two sizes. For the purpose of this review, we will be using the 7 x 50 Churchill. It also comes in a 6 ¼ x 52 Torpedo. The Park Avenue's interior is made up of a blend of Cuban Seed tobaccos from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. On the outside is an Ecuadorian Connecticut Seed wrapper. The Torpedo vitola also comes in a Maduro version. The Park Avenue is no powerhouse, as it's rated as being mild to medium-bodied in strength.

Gurkha usually puts out attractive cigars, and the Park Avenue Churchill is no exception. The Connecticut wrapper is very inviting and light-brown in color. There are some medium-sized veins running throughout. Very little oil is present on the wrapper. The cigar feels a bit soft to the touch, almost like a sponge. It's also pretty smooth on the surface. The gold and black decorative band adds a very “Park Avenue” feel to the cigar. The band definitely could fake someone into believing that the Park Avenue is an expensive cigar as well. It displays the line's name and the number 44 in the center. Instead of having Gurkha on the band, K. Hansotia & Co. is listed instead. K. Hansotia, in case you did not know, is Gurkha's owner. The pre-light aroma is spicy, while the cold taste is of tobacco.

The Park Avenue continues to impress once lit. The draw is a little on the loose side, but that was somewhat expected. The burn is even and remains that way all the way until the nub. There is no touching up to perform. It also stays lit on its own without any help. The ash is a little flaky, but has a nice white color. The Park Avenue Churchill does seem to burn quickly.