Gurkha Hate
 

Being a noob, I was wondering why all the hate towards Gurkha. The only one I have ever smoked was a G3, and G5. The G3 I liked, the G5 liked to have killed me:gary

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

I can't say I "Hate" them. It's just a line that doesn't agree with my taste buds.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

Smoke a few more. It'll become more evident. That's how I found out not too long ago. They gave me a cigar hangover, dragon breath and I didn't enjoy 4/5 of the ones I did smoke (the other is just okay).
I do hear there are a couple good sticks here and there.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

I don't hate gurkha. I will smoke them once in a blue moon. They just don't float my boat.

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One reason is because of the supposed MSRP they set on them is outrageous.

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Yeah, I see they actually have cigars that go for 750.00, and 1150.00 apiece :O

His Majesty's Reserve

1st Production Black Dragon

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Worth every penny I'm sure...

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Worth maybe a penny.

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I was going to say that was a good deal.

Seriously though the guys/gals doing the marketing must be very good. Not sure how else you can consistently put out an inferior product and make money. There must be a good market for the taste challenged.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

I've only smoked the Grand Reserve and thought it was plain and bland. I find it unflattering that they're constantly coming out with new lines to further add to the 20+ lines they have now. Kind of defeats the exclusivity of their brand and quality imo.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

Slipped a good one in at the B&M today...one of the other regulars was extolling the virtue of the Gurkha. I told him I'd never met a Gurkha I didn't not like...

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I used to enjoy the original Legends and Centurian XX. Unfortunately the current versions of these cigars are not even close to the originals. The newer blends do nothing for me.
Garry

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^ LoL

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Don't hate em, just don't like them, although I have only smoked half of one it was enough to turn me off.

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I found one of them pretty good so far? I smoked a Titan that I really enjoyed...idk..I guess the more I smoke the more my palet will change.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

Smoke what ya like :tu

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

Ive had a few of there sticks now and ive goto say the construction for me has been crap 90% of the time with draws that range from loose to plugged the wrappers are way to thin too and tend to explode about half way down and to top it off im normally sending out a search party for flavour.

They are also expensive to boot.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

I don't hate them, but I haven't tried a lot of them either, I've had maybe 3 and out of the 3 I have liked 1.

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I freaking love them!! They rank right up there with Cremosa's in my book! Can't get enough of their blends. All 487 of them.

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:r

I have my first one in my cooler, still can't bring myself to smoke it.......... I might like it. :sw

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

Gurkha is a brand that focuses way to much on packaging and visual stimuli and not enough on taste. From their artfull designed treasure chest boxes and their extravagant bands to their rediculous MSRP. They are not all terrible but I have never had a good one. I will never spend my good hard earned money, knowingly, to support a cigar company that is founded on looks and appearance over quality and flavors. Gurkha is a fraudulent product as far as I am concerned. You strip away the glitzy boxes and bands and you are left with a good looking dollar stick from CI.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

While I have had plenty of Gurkhas that were horrible, I do enjoy the Doble Maduro...shame they discontinued them. Grabbed a few 5ers to save for a rainy day.

Got to PPP a His Majesty's Reserve (compliments of EricF) at Doms herf last summer and let's just say that if I had paid $ 750 for that stick...I would have been extremely upset. It was garbage.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

When I first started in Cigar World, I remember judging a lot of the "quality" of a stick based on two factors 1. Quality of the band...a good cigar should have a good band right? 2. Cigar catalog MSRP. and what a great deal I was getting. I remember saying to Dani, "I saved $250 on this package!"

Gurkhas aren't BAD in my opinion, I actually kinda like the Black Puros, but I don't buy them any more. I grew out of my cigar ADD "oooooh shiny!" And recognized the marketing strategies of Gurkha.

Now, Tatuaje, they still get me on occasion. Stupid limited releases. At least they are tasty.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

Isnt the Black Dragon even more expensive than the HMR i remember reading somewhere they where charging something like $1500 each.

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I was there as well and when it was passed back around nobody really wanted to try again. I think Big Ash and Tbone ended up smoking by themselves if my memory is correct. It was nice to try, if Gurkha can't even make a good $750.00 stick...

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

At one point Simon...The Black Dragon story began in 2006 when it hit the market with the hefty price tag of $1,150.00 per cigar, the most expensive cigar ever made. Only 5 hand-carved camel bone boxes of 100 cigars were produced, making this stick very, very limited. Must have been paying for that hand-carved camel bone, because today the Black Dragon can be had (depending on vitola) for between $ 7.50 (robusto) to $ 17.50 (tubo).

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Bahahaha perfect example of Gurkhatronics at work! -(P

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See i would understand the cubans doing this as its the communists winning over us capitalist pigs once again but really charging that much for some camel bone box is something cohiba wouldn't even do and they come up with some overpriced crap most of the time COUGH LANCEROS COUGH

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

The only Gurkha's I've had that were decent were the cheap ones...

Doble Maduro and Grand Age

I haven't smoked either one of those in years, so please don't take that as any king of endorsement whatsoever.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

The Centurian is the only cigar I have ever had that tasted like soap--yes, soap.
The Legends are Ok yard gars when the wrappers don't explode.

But it has been more than five years since I actually bought one.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

for $2 they are not bad. For $10+ they are some of the worst out there.

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ick!

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Friends don't let friends smoke Gurkha

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Gurkha hate is a somewhat silly phenomenom if you ask me. So much of what bothers people about Gurkha has little to do with the flavor and construction of the cigars.
Many Gurkhas have unreasonably high MSRP's -- So do CAO's, RP's, many others. Just because a Titan has an MSRP of $20 bucks doesn't mean anything to me if I can get them for $3. Gurkha puts out time, money, effort into some incredible packaging. Doesn't do much for me, but I've seen empty Gurkha boxes sold for quite a bit of scratch, so somebody likes them. Gurkha contracts out their manufacturing, but so do many, many other cigar companies. Gurkha puts out a LOT of different cigars - so do Pete, Pepin, Padilla...... Perhaps a little more identification and/or differentiation on the bands would help, but again - so what. Lots of stories about exploding Gurkhas out there. I've had some issues in the past, but I don't write off the whole line. I will avoid the Fuertes or whatever they were called, but by and large, I haven't had a lot of construction problems.
I'd bet that many Gurkha haters got sucked into ad copy by some of the large internet retailers promising incredible smokes at 50% of MSRP. I did. Had some pretty crappy Gurkhas over the years. But there are good ones, too. If anything, all the hate allows me to grab pretty good cigars on the cheap at cigarbid.

I think that if most haters came across any of these in a blind taste test, they'd be pleasantly surprised:

Black Dragon
Nepalese Warrior
Ancient Warrior (Purple Band)
Micro Batch TPB-1 - Corojo Box-press Lancero
G5 Avenger
Master Select

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

I have never had a Gurkha.

I've been intrigued but never bought one.
^^^^
True Story.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

We're talking about Gurkha, not Tatuaje...

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

Consider yourself to be a "puro"

;)

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

Smoke what you like, Dave. :tu

Personally, I've found that Gurkha just simply does not worry about their blends. There's just simply nothing there, they're in the business of glamour-saling inferior cigars. I don't smoke them simply because I find them lousy at any price point and don't care to support their business model.
Mac mentioned the Doble Maduro, I can remember the Nepalese Warrior having a little spice about it, but that was long ago. Everything else I tried was bland or just plain disgusting.
So I just smoke what I like.

OP, We rag on Gurkha because it's fun. It's well-founded and most everyone here has had a run-in with Gurkha that didn't go so well. It's fun to share the pain. :lr

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

MMMMM......Camel bone. :dr

And for some it is that flavor, a mix of dirt, and, well.....more dirt
. ;) :lr

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

I have some Titans that I keep on hand that I smoke during softball practice. It's a pretty boring, one-dimensional smoke, but it's constructed decent and lasts the entire time, so it serves its purpose. Haven't smoked any other Gurkha's I've particularly cared for, however.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

Puff Puff Puke, Tom:r

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

I agree with everything you said!

I will be honest, I think I have only had 5-6 Gurkhas but they where bad enough for me to write off the line when combined with their business model. I have an ancient warrior in my humi that I will someday get up the courage to try, it is gorgeous looking. I don't think you can compare Gurkha to Pepin or Tatuaje, as I feel almost everything they make is great. Some people say Gurkha makes a few okay sticks, but out of the 75 that suck it isn't worth looking for the needle in the Gurkha hay stack. I love to hear that somebody likes a Gurkha though, it means they will get great deals on Cbid. Gurkha is the poster boy brand of how not to be a trustworthy "Premium" cigar producer that seems to make the majority of their sales to the new smoker who is captivated by the pretty glitter.

I was told by a B&M owner that Gurkha charges them extra for a box and requires them to sell the empty box to customers to get their money back.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

The Gurkha Hate?
Is that their newest $60 per cigar offering?

:r

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No pukin' Nate, just a good chug of Gurkha antidote. :lr



http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...og3/pnoon1.jpg

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

It was $60 but now you can find them for $1.25

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Thinking about it now i have found one good demi-gurkha smoke being the park avenue 44 its a decent mild stick thats what $2-2.50 i think.

While it dosnt carry the gurkha brand lable i think its made by the same people who make gurkhas.

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I agree with Icehog, the hatred I have for Gurkha's is 100% the flavor of the smoke. I don't care what the cigar looks like; the cigar must taste good for me to be able to smoke it.

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

:r:r:r

Re: Gurkha Hate
 

It looks like Peter is offering you a NUB to help with the Gurkha pain:r