Gurkha Legend: The Beast Review

[Dr. Stogie Fresh]

STORAGE CONDITIONS: I bought this cigar to smoke during the 2005 Thanksgiving holiday, but didn’t get around to it. So, I plopped it into my Daniel Marshall humidor at about 68% humidity and a constant 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit.

TASTING NOTES: It’s funny how a good smoke can instantly change your attitude about a long day at the office. After dragging myself home after a long and semi-productive day, I wanted a lift. And not just any lift either, so I pulled out a Beast. A Gurkha Beast that is.

This limited edition smoke has a restricted production of 1,000 boxes per year. The reason? The long aged, rare tobacco used in this stogie increases the time it takes between the growth, aging and production of the cigar. It has an interesting blend, which includes an aged Costa Rican wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Honduran-Dominican-Columbian fillers. The dark wrapper leaf is a rich looking maduro with medium veins and an oily finish.

The aroma of the wrapper was a richly rewarding mix of dark roast coffee and eau de barnyard. No kidding, chicken coop wouldn’t be too far off in describing this leaf. I loved it! I spent so much time smelling the leaf that I very nearly forgot to light it. Very nearly.

After torching the foot with my S.T. Dupont, I was greeted with more of the earthiness that I experienced with the wrapper. And also a deep, dark, sweetness of the maduro wrapper. It didn’t take too many puffs for this immense stogie to develop a mouth-watering richness that was medium to full all the way around. There was an herbal spiciness to the flavor and a long, complex finish. And I’ve only smoked the first inch!

The ash held firm for the first inch and a half and I gently tapped it into the tray, which revealed a somewhat cone-shaped ember.

After smoking a third of this stogie, I can say that it is very satisfying. The flavors linger on the palate like glue and are rich and earthy with just a hint of sweetness. So rich, in fact, that I have had to break out some Blanton’s Single Barrel bourbon. Perfect match!

As I approached the end of the smoke, I am impressed with it’s overall strength and complexity. This is a fine smoke. Too expensive for me to buy a bunch, but nevertheless, a great smoke for a special occasion. I recommend this stogie for those who have an experienced palate or who want to try a medium to full bodied and flavored smoke. A Stogie Fresh Gold Star Rating!

More ratings at Stogie Fresh

The Doc

[justinphilly]

awesome review on a great smoke! thanks doc!

[El Gato]

Thanks Doc, that's one heck of a review.
I've been thinking of trying one, put the price was scaring me. Now I feel it's ok to spring for one. Nice job, like your website too, thanks for sharing the passion with others.

[ShawnP]

Damn Doc that was one awesome review.

You pushed me over the edge and now I have to pick one of these up. If I can find one that is.

[Charles]

Nice review Doc! How long do you normally store cigars in your humi/cab before smoking them?

[Xmodius]

Nice review! I think I have 3 left, but I haven't tried one yet. I had to pay $24 each so I'm hoping they are good. I traded one away and haven't heard back since the beast left the humidor.

[Dr. Stogie Fresh]

Charles,

When I review a cigar for my Stogie Fresh site, I try to buy at least 4 cigars of the same batch so that I can rate them over time and look at the effects of aging. This gives me a baseline look to compare future ratings.

The Beast that I just rated was the first cigar of the batch. However, I don't anticipate huge gains with this particular cigar because the tobacco has already been aged for quite some time. Obviously, I was impressed.

The Doc

[Mad4Maduro]

Originally Posted by Xmodius

Nice review! I think I have 3 left, but I haven't tried one yet. I had to pay $24 each so I'm hoping they are good. I traded one away and haven't heard back since the beast left the humidor.

Check out The Habana House at www.showmeyourash.com. They are running a special on "The Beast", $395 for the box and $16.95 per stick.

[cameroncouch02]

I tried a Legend that I was gifted from Justin, and I don't think this bandwagon is for me. Too expensive of a smoke and I fought with this thing the whole way down. Wrapper went to shreds. This was the first stick I have ever seen that happen to. Maybe I just got the runt of the litter and not the pick.

[Xmodius]

The other Gurkha Legends I've smoked were very tasty...Anniversario Perfecto and an Inmenso, if I remember correctly. To me they are mild and very flavorful, lots of flavors and aromas. I'll have to compare the BEAST to the other ones soon.

[joesnuff]

had one of those beasty things it was damn tasty. paid about $20 for it.well worth it. i want to try the titan next.last time i saw them in the shop it was going for $27

[Mad4Maduro]

Originally Posted by joesnuff

had one of those beasty things it was damn tasty. paid about $20 for it.well worth it. i want to try the titan next.last time i saw them in the shop it was going for $27

Check out The Habana House at www.showmeyourash.com. They are running a special on "The Beast", $395 for the box and $16.95 per stick.