The Vacation Files - Gurkha Vintage Shaggy

[Sancho Fuente]

So this is the first of a few reviews I will be doing this week since I have vacation. I was digging through the humidor a few weeks ago looking at all of the limited/special cigars that just sit there and I never touch. I decided that now is a good time to tear into as many as I can since I have as much time as I need to review them. Originally I was going to kick it off with a 2+ year old Padron 1964 Anni maduro that ended up with major construction issues.

Unfortunatly, with that cigar down and out I reached for something a little different. This cigar probably has 3+ years in my humidor. The Gurkhas I have routinley get passed over when I am picking a cigar, and all of them have quite a few years on them, so I decided to change it up tonight.

Size - 6" x 50 (Toro)
Wrapper - 8 Year old Dominican
Binder - 5 Year old Dominican
Filler - 5 Year old Dominican
Location - Yard, 70's, slight breeze, amazing night
Drink - Coffee, black
Price - Probably from the Devil Site back when I bought from there, no idea what I paid, prices I see are ranging from ~$7.00 to upwards of $11.00



Appearance and Construction - This is a very cool looking cigar with the shaggy foot and a really catchy band. Some people find it over the top but I think that this band really adds to the cigar. The cigar has small viens throughtout the wrapper and a slightly soft feel when squeezed. The pre-light draw was slightly loose and tasted tobacco and a spice that I could not quite put my finger on.
Overall Appearance and Construction - 18/20



First 1/3 of Cigar - The cigar lit very easily and I was immediately greeted with a blast of pepper that lasted for the first 1/2" until the burn reached the wrapper. The draw tightened up a bit but was not at all hard. The stick put out a fair amount of smoke and a gentle draw was all that was needed to fill your mouth. Within the first inch the cigar developed into a really suprising medium bodied treat with a strong blast of leather and definite floral notes. For the first inch there was the same spice that was there during the pre-light draw. (still trying to put a name on it) There were some creamy notes when exhaled through the nose and it all finished off with a mild but lingering wood and leather finish. The ash was flakey and weak, however, this was only a minor thing to watch.
Overall score for First 1/3 -18/20

Second 1/3 of Cigar - The creamy notes began to build as the cigar progressed forcing the initial bit of pepper and spice away. The cigar began to develop into an extremely rich collection of flavors, not overly complex but constantly changing. The burn began to get a little off but never got out of hand and never required a touch-up. As the smoke continued, the floral notes began to disappear and the leather and wood flavors began to dominate with a nice toasty finish that was still just barely there.
Overall score for Second 1/3 - 18/20

Final 1/3 of Cigar - As the cigar neared the final 1/3, the pepper from the start of the smoke began to reappear. The leather and wood flavors continued to gain intensity and the cream continued to appear when exhaled through the nose. The smoke stayed cool until the 3/4" mark when I layed the cigar down. Even with all of the flavor development, the cigar was never overpowering and was a very steady medium bodied smoke.
Overall score for Final 1/3 - 18/20

Overall Experience - I wanted an aged Padron Anni and I end up smoking a Gurkha. I have to admit that I am really suprised at this cigar. Great flavors that changed and progressed enough to keep me interested right up until the end. I'm not sure if the age had something to do with this, or if I just got lucky with this stick, but I liked it whatever it was. I have quite a few Gurkhas that just sit, but I may go back an sample some of them again to see what a few years has done to the flavor.
Overall Experience - 18/20

Overall Score - 90/100 (yeah I can't believe it either!)

For the rest of this week though I think I'm sticking to the Tat Cojuno 2003 and Between the Lines, but I guess this ended up being a decent way to start a long vacation.

[TBone]

Thanks for the review...

Nice review, thanks.

[N2 GOLD]

Thanks for the review...

Originally Posted by Sancho Fuente

I wanted an aged Padron Anni and I end up smoking a Gurkha.

This little segment has "sig line" written all over it.