3 Gurkhas Review

[Kaisersozei]

[SIZE=2]As a noob reading this board for awhile, it was easy to determine that there are two general camps of thought on the Gurkha line. I finally decided to enter the fray to see what the controversy was about. Over the past week, I smoked three different Gurkha’s. Thought I would share my experience in one post.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][SIZE=3]Symphony[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=2]Appearance/Construction: Smooth, nice looking stick, with no significant veins. Lit well with a straight burn all the way to the nub. The draw was a tad tight, and it seemed to put out more smoke from the foot than I could draw in! Gray-white ash was solid. The wrapper started to bulge and crack about halfway, but it corrected by the band. That was impressive.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Flavor: Mild tobacco, toast and some vanilla. Had a dry sweetness. Short slightly creamy finish. Extremely consistent--nothing changed. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Overall: Not bad, but there are other mild cigars that I would choose over this. 6/10[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][SIZE=3]Signature 101 Maduro[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=2]Appearance/Construction: Thick toothy wrapper. Very easy draw, put out tons of smoke. Once again, the burn was excellent. Stayed cool until the last couple inches.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Flavor: Prelight was of mocha & tobacco. First third , predominantly cocoa & earth, with a bitter spice on the back of the throat and a nice sweetness on the lips. Reminded me of an Oliva Special G Maduro. Complex, picked up some chocolate midway, but the first flavors still held strong. Medium coffee-like finish, but it also had an off-flavor like cooked vegetables. Yummy, huh?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Overall: Medium body, mild strength. Of the three, this was my favorite, but it felt like it was missing something; never got the relaxing nic buzz I get from the other maduros I enjoy (like the Oliva, Padron 3000 & SP Double.) Yes, I nubbed it, despite the veggy finish. 8/10[/SIZE]


[SIZE=2][SIZE=3]Black Puro Toro[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=2]Appearance/Construction: This thing looked awesome (thanks AD720!), I was excited to smoke it while hacking up nine holes. Black/brown toothy wrapper, two noticeable veins. Very firm, tightly packed tobacco. The burn was as straight as the other two Gurkhas, and the stick never had a problem despite the breezy conditions on the course. Copious amounts of oily smoke. The ash was firm and held on for about 1½-2 inches. Excellent draw.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Flavor: As expected, cocoa, a little bit of coffee, and burnt sugar. Sweet & spicy, with a wine-like finish. Complex. Got some chocolate notes midway, while the rest of the flavors kind of faded. The early stage of the cigar was much better as it started to build up a tar-like taste that I‘ve had with a young 5V Miami. Might need some more time in the humi. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]Overall: Full body and fairly strong, it was starting to kick my butt, so I stopped smoking just past the swordsman band. 7/10[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Final thoughts: At this early stage of my cigar development, I’d say I’m in the middle of the two camps. Construction on all three cigars was top notch. In the flavor department, they all were pretty good, but I don’t think any of them are worth the MSRP you’d find at a B&M. I still have some Legends, Ancient Warriors and Black Puros in my humi, so I will definitely smoke more Gurkhas. Unless I find something that knocks my socks off, though, they likely won’t be among my “go to” smokes.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]Thanks for reading.[/SIZE]

[Aladdin Sane]

Great reviews!

I love the Legends, Regents, and Grand Envoys. Like what ya smoke and smoke what ya like...opinions be damned

[Blowin' Smoke]

Good reviews, thanks for posting these.

[Bax]

Great review. These are nice sticks. Not incredible, but nice. You can get them cheap and it's a good deal, pay MSRP and you're a sucker.

[ahbroody]

Agreed.
I like a few of the gurks. I dont think some of the heat they get on tast is warranted. The MSRP is obviously crap and they deserve heat for that. However the legend, regent, nepalese warrior, g3, g5, and many other sticks are very good

I would recommend you try the g5, and nepalese warrior, the three you tried were 3 of the less popular sticks.

[AD720]

Those Black Puros are heavy hitters.


I have liked the majority of the Gurkhas I have had. Mirroring what others have said, at MSRP they are outrageously overpriced. At about half of MSRP they are a solid smoke.

[sikk50]

Very nicely done.

[lightning9191]

Thanx for posting this. I haven't been able to bring myself to pay MSRP to try any of these, but I may have to search for a good deal on a sampler or something.