Welcome back!  Today we will look at two cigars with Maduro wrappers on different ends of the price spectrum:  Gurkha’s pricey Special Edition – The Beast and the less expensive El Titan De Bronze Redemption Maduro Robusto. 

Gurkha Special Edition – The Beast

Gurkha comes at us yet again with another interesting selection in the form of the not so modestly named the Beast.  It seems as if Gurkha puts out many cigars that are flamboyant and have minds of their own, and this one is no different.  The Beast receives its moniker from; you guessed it, its size.  The cigar is profoundly thick, which prevents it from burning too hot and also gives it some endurance in terms of smoking time.  The Beast is a Special Edition from Gurkha, so good luck finding it, as there are only 1,000 boxes produced per year.  Despite its intimidating name, this cigar is considered to be medium to full-bodied. 

As I mentioned, the Beast is appropriately named, as its Toro vitola measures 6.5x58.  Its filler is a blend of tobacco from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras and it has a binder from Nicaragua.  It has a 1996 Costa Rican Maduro wrapper that helps add to the overall flavor of the cigar. 

At first glance, you will undoubtedly notice the Beast’s size first.  It comes right out of the box in a cedar wrapping.  In the middle, just above the wrapping, there is a black and gold band with the Beast’s name on it.  Towards the head of the cigar is a larger, gold and brown band with the Gurkha name and logo.  Overall, the presentation of the cigar is excellent and gets you hyped for what is to come.  The cigar itself is dark and oily thanks to the Costa Rican Maduro wrapper.  You can spot a few veins as well and it seems to be well packed.  A pre-light check of the Beast gives off a mild earthy scent and a little bit of a fruity taste.