c.ortiz108
The fly in the ointment.
With that attitude I'd be willing to bet you'll be pleasantly surprised by at least one or two. They put out the occasional good budget cigar.
A Gurkha is Trying to Assassinate Me
- Thread starter KookaRocha
- Start date
Cigary43
Just Another Ashhole
Looking forward to the next installment of KookaRocha smokes another Gurkha coming to another Forum Review near you. While I'm not a fan of the brand I do love a good insightful review and even better when it's humorous.
Tonight I am going to celebrate Memorial Day, which is also my departed father's birthday by spending the evening smoking a Davidoff Aniversario #2 and reminiscing of our shared experiences.
I plan on taking on the next Gurkha tomorrow.
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2015
- Messages
- 2,863
I'll be celebrating my late father's birthday in a couple weeks, with a My Father. (I know it's not very creative, but he didn't smoke cigars and I didn't start until after he'd passed, so it was the best I could think of when I realized I needed an appropriate smoke to honor him.)
I used to wonder if it was weird of me to reserve certain sticks for certain occasions like that. Being here has made me feel perfectly normal about it.
It's not only normal, I believe it's a great tribute. I chose the Davidoff because he did smoke cigars and that's the first cigar he ever gifted me, so it became the obvious choice. Enjoy the appropriately named cigar and enjoy the good memories you have of him. I've found with memory, fond ones become fonder the more one recalls them.
c.ortiz108
The fly in the ointment.
I have my dad's old humidor and when I first started using it I found a fragment of a JdN band wedged into a corner, so I was able to discover at least one brand he smoked in the 70s. So I think I'll smoke an Antano 1970 on Father's Day since I missed his birthday. Thanks for inspiring me to start a new tradition to remember my dad each year.
So it begins. The Gurkha's have celebrated their initial victory and have since lay drunk and sleeping in their cool, moderately humid wineador. Today I face off against a pretty boy. I was supposed to face off against this foe last night, but it seems this prima donna decided he wasn't ready and wanted to wait until he got his Beauty rest.
That's right, today I face off with the Gurkha Beauty, a six and a half inch long Super Toro. This Gurkha is quite stocky at a 58 ring gauge. Anyone that has been following my past week knows I was embarrassingly defeated by the old Factum and two days later I was mercilessly violated by a Puros Nirvana I've since renamed Puros Mierda. I would say that it wasn't a good cigar week but I snuck a few good ones in between to allow me not to cringe at the sight of an unknown cigar.
I've recovered from my wounds, and, ahem.. my experience with the Mierda, so let's start with a fresh mind on this big stick. The Beauty is, well, just that. It's fairly pretty, well as pretty as a Nepalese soldier that's been ignored for over a year and marched on ground [UPS Ground] several hundred miles to arrive here. Unlike the Factum, the Beauty was allowed to rest near a week before facing off with me. Hopefully, for my sake, it helps. The Beauty is dressed in a light Connecticut wrapper with barely any visible tooth. I notice very little veins, seams are visible but tight. I do notice what I'm thinking may be a construction issue, the Beauty seems a little spongier and tighter toward the head, more so than the rest of the cigar. I'll keep an eye on this. I wonder if this pretty boy doesn't just have a big head.
I make the first move, I strike his inflated head with my cutter. I initially considered a punch cut, after all this is a fairly large RG, but instead decided I wanted the best opportunity to see this soldier bleed. I made a cut, but I didn't go all the way to the shoulders, perhaps I am being a slight bit modest in my application. We'll see. I go for the dry draw, and despite being apprehensive, I pull. I'll have to admit, this pretty-boy may turn out nicely. I sense a light peppery zing, and just the lightest sting at the tip of my tongue. Is this going to be a Connecticut with some snap? Despite the cut not being the largest, I get very little resistance from the draw – but something is off.
I light the Corporal up. He may be pretty but he's taking the heat like a champ. I begin at 1:55pm. Boom, Pepper. I don't wait even a minute for the first retrohale, I want to see what I'm going to be encountering. I should have waited. The spice nearly knocked me off my feet, he clearly didn't wait one moment to slice at me with his kukri. Is this a Connecticut? After a few minutes of allowing the soldier to warm up, the fight is more evenly matched. Either he wanted to see if he could take me out in a single blow or this pretty-boy just gets winded easily. Either way, there's some cream. It's a mild creaminess, almost too light, more like 2% than actual cream. There's definitely still some spice on the retro – he's got spirit.
At 10 minutes the spice is dissipating, only now does my enemy show his true self. He's a fine dancer and he's not afraid to show it. Smooth on his feet, graceful and his strikes have only the slightest tang of pepper with them. I'm taking my time with him, he seems he likes to rest between strikes and I give the Corporal that – between 45 and 60 seconds each draw. But there's something wrong. I can't quite place it yet.
The burn is very even, the construction seems fantastic. The Beauty needed only one touch up at about 15 minutes in and that was likely my own fault on not lighting his feet perfectly. At 20 minutes the Beauty is beginning to impress me, he's turned into a very gentle soldier. Medium bodied and I'm getting hints of wood, sweet wood, like when I'm grilling with chunks of cherry wood. The spice is still very light and quite pleasant. I'm beginning to think this battle is mine. Unfortunately this is where I notice, how did I miss it? There's hardly any smoke. Almost nothing compared to the Factum. The draw also seems like it's becoming slightly constricted and behind the nice aroma and the woodiness, it arrives. There's the slightest tinge of sour coming through with the cream, which, until this point, had begun to grow quite nicely.
I'm now at 30 minutes and despite the burn being slow, it's even. I'm concerned with the draw so I decide I need to teach this warrior a lesson. I'm going to cut him clean to his shoulders and see if he doesn't wake up. The cut was deep and the Gurkha is injured, but maybe now his draw will improve and maybe, just maybe the sourness will leave. Unfortunately, no. It's only now that I see the problem, it's exactly what I feared, the pretty gladiator retains water like a camel in the desert. The deeper cut has shown me that his wrapper and binder look the perfect consistency, but his filler, the all important filler looks very moist. I'm surprised because I would have expected this cigar to be on the dryer side after a few days in a hot truck. Granted, I should have allowed this Nepalese gentleman to rest longer but the last concern I would have had was that it was too moist.
I'm going to give this Beauty the benefit of the doubt and not consider the sourness for this review. For the remainder of the reviews I'm going to wait at least another week before commencing further battle with any of the Gurkhas. Cutting deeper definitely opened the draw, and more flavor is coming through. The Beauty is still medium bodied and there isn't much more than a pleasant aroma with subtle hints of wood and spice surrounded by plenty of creaminess, it's not a flavor bomb, but it's nice. I'll know in the future that despite the large RG this soldier demands a full cut to reward you with all of his flavors.
I'm at 40 minutes and only and approaching the second third. The aroma is pleasant with a hint of barnyard in the background, it's like a light campfire on the farm – unique, but not bad. The creaminess is improving and leaving a mellowness on my tongue that I'm really enjoying. I do want to stress, this Beauty may be a Gurkha, but he's no hardened warrior, he's a prima donna and likely an administrator that rarely utilizes his kukri, yet alone knows battle. He can't be pushed, he likes to rest at least a minute between draws and you can't stress him out. Don't pull too hard on the draw, either too quickly or too long, he can't take it and the heat will increase quickly, ultimately hurting his flavor. How in the world is this cigar a Gurkha, who trained him to fight?!
I will make note, if you are gentle and kind to this misplaced warrior, he's kind back. Albeit, almost too kind. Flavor is typical of a Connecticut wrapper, very light. There's not a lot of complexity, while the spice is just barely there, and some hints of fruity sweetness occasionally visit, he's entirely too gentle. The major redeeming factor of this warrior is his smoothness in the arena. There's more cream here than a Starbucks latte frap.
I'm at 50 minutes now and into the second third. I expected some changes but this fighter hasn't really changed his style. The body has only slightly increased, flavors are consistent and I sense no significant changes. The pepper zing I mentioned early is only apparent at the very end of the retrohale. Problems are beginning to arise as I get closer to that overly moist head. The burn is no longer staying even and is going even slower than before, I'm having to touch up the burn periodically, not significantly but just enough that it's concerning.
Things seem a little off now, the ash is quite literally brown in the center, I wonder how wet this cigar really was. Maybe it was molded in the past, I don't know. Also, bursts of burns are occurring. Like an insect landing on a campfire, a quick fizz and singe. I'm noticing holes in the ash. I'm beginning to wonder if this guy had some dreaded beetle larva. Am I fighting a sick warrior? Did the regiment assume I was such a push over that they sent just anyone to take me out this time?
I'm at one hour now, tastes are staying remarkably consistent and despite the problems the ash, while awkwardly VERY brown, is holding on pretty firmly up to an inch and a half. I'm having problems at this point. The Gurk is barely moving, smoke is barely flowing. The draw isn't significantly tighter but nothing much is happening. I think the filler is just too moist.
Even in his flailing the ash is now beginning to flower, this guy will do anything to look pretty. I've been pushing the stick much harder trying to get a good draw and with all the touching up I've burnt quite a bit away. At an hour and ten I'm approaching the final third. The flavor is still mellow, the creaminess has thickened and most surprisingly the pepper in the retrohale has increased. It's a nice combination of flavors.
This gentle, paper-pushing soldier was no match. He just didn't have the fight. The overly moist core has done him in. with almost an inch left below the bottom of his band, he's done. I'm actually sad about this. Which, if you realize, is a remarkable statement. Despite not being in any condition to be smoked this cigar still provided me with smoothness and delicate flavors. I can't blame it for the mild sourness which came in and out, I truly think that has to be attributed to the cigars condition more than the variant of the Gurkha itself.
Now, I'm not the biggest fan of a cigar with such mild flavors, but I can tell you one thing, the creaminess of this cigar is it's redeeming quality. I can't say that this will become a staple in my humidor, but I'm certainly willing to give the Gurkha Beauty another go, and if someone were to offer me one, I wouldn't decline. This feeble warrior has earned 2 Nerf Swords out of four. Which may be amended to three if all the problems I encountered today were completely attributed to it's poor condition.
That's right, today I face off with the Gurkha Beauty, a six and a half inch long Super Toro. This Gurkha is quite stocky at a 58 ring gauge. Anyone that has been following my past week knows I was embarrassingly defeated by the old Factum and two days later I was mercilessly violated by a Puros Nirvana I've since renamed Puros Mierda. I would say that it wasn't a good cigar week but I snuck a few good ones in between to allow me not to cringe at the sight of an unknown cigar.
I've recovered from my wounds, and, ahem.. my experience with the Mierda, so let's start with a fresh mind on this big stick. The Beauty is, well, just that. It's fairly pretty, well as pretty as a Nepalese soldier that's been ignored for over a year and marched on ground [UPS Ground] several hundred miles to arrive here. Unlike the Factum, the Beauty was allowed to rest near a week before facing off with me. Hopefully, for my sake, it helps. The Beauty is dressed in a light Connecticut wrapper with barely any visible tooth. I notice very little veins, seams are visible but tight. I do notice what I'm thinking may be a construction issue, the Beauty seems a little spongier and tighter toward the head, more so than the rest of the cigar. I'll keep an eye on this. I wonder if this pretty boy doesn't just have a big head.
I make the first move, I strike his inflated head with my cutter. I initially considered a punch cut, after all this is a fairly large RG, but instead decided I wanted the best opportunity to see this soldier bleed. I made a cut, but I didn't go all the way to the shoulders, perhaps I am being a slight bit modest in my application. We'll see. I go for the dry draw, and despite being apprehensive, I pull. I'll have to admit, this pretty-boy may turn out nicely. I sense a light peppery zing, and just the lightest sting at the tip of my tongue. Is this going to be a Connecticut with some snap? Despite the cut not being the largest, I get very little resistance from the draw – but something is off.
I light the Corporal up. He may be pretty but he's taking the heat like a champ. I begin at 1:55pm. Boom, Pepper. I don't wait even a minute for the first retrohale, I want to see what I'm going to be encountering. I should have waited. The spice nearly knocked me off my feet, he clearly didn't wait one moment to slice at me with his kukri. Is this a Connecticut? After a few minutes of allowing the soldier to warm up, the fight is more evenly matched. Either he wanted to see if he could take me out in a single blow or this pretty-boy just gets winded easily. Either way, there's some cream. It's a mild creaminess, almost too light, more like 2% than actual cream. There's definitely still some spice on the retro – he's got spirit.
At 10 minutes the spice is dissipating, only now does my enemy show his true self. He's a fine dancer and he's not afraid to show it. Smooth on his feet, graceful and his strikes have only the slightest tang of pepper with them. I'm taking my time with him, he seems he likes to rest between strikes and I give the Corporal that – between 45 and 60 seconds each draw. But there's something wrong. I can't quite place it yet.
The burn is very even, the construction seems fantastic. The Beauty needed only one touch up at about 15 minutes in and that was likely my own fault on not lighting his feet perfectly. At 20 minutes the Beauty is beginning to impress me, he's turned into a very gentle soldier. Medium bodied and I'm getting hints of wood, sweet wood, like when I'm grilling with chunks of cherry wood. The spice is still very light and quite pleasant. I'm beginning to think this battle is mine. Unfortunately this is where I notice, how did I miss it? There's hardly any smoke. Almost nothing compared to the Factum. The draw also seems like it's becoming slightly constricted and behind the nice aroma and the woodiness, it arrives. There's the slightest tinge of sour coming through with the cream, which, until this point, had begun to grow quite nicely.
I'm now at 30 minutes and despite the burn being slow, it's even. I'm concerned with the draw so I decide I need to teach this warrior a lesson. I'm going to cut him clean to his shoulders and see if he doesn't wake up. The cut was deep and the Gurkha is injured, but maybe now his draw will improve and maybe, just maybe the sourness will leave. Unfortunately, no. It's only now that I see the problem, it's exactly what I feared, the pretty gladiator retains water like a camel in the desert. The deeper cut has shown me that his wrapper and binder look the perfect consistency, but his filler, the all important filler looks very moist. I'm surprised because I would have expected this cigar to be on the dryer side after a few days in a hot truck. Granted, I should have allowed this Nepalese gentleman to rest longer but the last concern I would have had was that it was too moist.
I'm going to give this Beauty the benefit of the doubt and not consider the sourness for this review. For the remainder of the reviews I'm going to wait at least another week before commencing further battle with any of the Gurkhas. Cutting deeper definitely opened the draw, and more flavor is coming through. The Beauty is still medium bodied and there isn't much more than a pleasant aroma with subtle hints of wood and spice surrounded by plenty of creaminess, it's not a flavor bomb, but it's nice. I'll know in the future that despite the large RG this soldier demands a full cut to reward you with all of his flavors.
I'm at 40 minutes and only and approaching the second third. The aroma is pleasant with a hint of barnyard in the background, it's like a light campfire on the farm – unique, but not bad. The creaminess is improving and leaving a mellowness on my tongue that I'm really enjoying. I do want to stress, this Beauty may be a Gurkha, but he's no hardened warrior, he's a prima donna and likely an administrator that rarely utilizes his kukri, yet alone knows battle. He can't be pushed, he likes to rest at least a minute between draws and you can't stress him out. Don't pull too hard on the draw, either too quickly or too long, he can't take it and the heat will increase quickly, ultimately hurting his flavor. How in the world is this cigar a Gurkha, who trained him to fight?!
I will make note, if you are gentle and kind to this misplaced warrior, he's kind back. Albeit, almost too kind. Flavor is typical of a Connecticut wrapper, very light. There's not a lot of complexity, while the spice is just barely there, and some hints of fruity sweetness occasionally visit, he's entirely too gentle. The major redeeming factor of this warrior is his smoothness in the arena. There's more cream here than a Starbucks latte frap.
I'm at 50 minutes now and into the second third. I expected some changes but this fighter hasn't really changed his style. The body has only slightly increased, flavors are consistent and I sense no significant changes. The pepper zing I mentioned early is only apparent at the very end of the retrohale. Problems are beginning to arise as I get closer to that overly moist head. The burn is no longer staying even and is going even slower than before, I'm having to touch up the burn periodically, not significantly but just enough that it's concerning.
Things seem a little off now, the ash is quite literally brown in the center, I wonder how wet this cigar really was. Maybe it was molded in the past, I don't know. Also, bursts of burns are occurring. Like an insect landing on a campfire, a quick fizz and singe. I'm noticing holes in the ash. I'm beginning to wonder if this guy had some dreaded beetle larva. Am I fighting a sick warrior? Did the regiment assume I was such a push over that they sent just anyone to take me out this time?
I'm at one hour now, tastes are staying remarkably consistent and despite the problems the ash, while awkwardly VERY brown, is holding on pretty firmly up to an inch and a half. I'm having problems at this point. The Gurk is barely moving, smoke is barely flowing. The draw isn't significantly tighter but nothing much is happening. I think the filler is just too moist.
Even in his flailing the ash is now beginning to flower, this guy will do anything to look pretty. I've been pushing the stick much harder trying to get a good draw and with all the touching up I've burnt quite a bit away. At an hour and ten I'm approaching the final third. The flavor is still mellow, the creaminess has thickened and most surprisingly the pepper in the retrohale has increased. It's a nice combination of flavors.
This gentle, paper-pushing soldier was no match. He just didn't have the fight. The overly moist core has done him in. with almost an inch left below the bottom of his band, he's done. I'm actually sad about this. Which, if you realize, is a remarkable statement. Despite not being in any condition to be smoked this cigar still provided me with smoothness and delicate flavors. I can't blame it for the mild sourness which came in and out, I truly think that has to be attributed to the cigars condition more than the variant of the Gurkha itself.
Now, I'm not the biggest fan of a cigar with such mild flavors, but I can tell you one thing, the creaminess of this cigar is it's redeeming quality. I can't say that this will become a staple in my humidor, but I'm certainly willing to give the Gurkha Beauty another go, and if someone were to offer me one, I wouldn't decline. This feeble warrior has earned 2 Nerf Swords out of four. Which may be amended to three if all the problems I encountered today were completely attributed to it's poor condition.
Yeah, it wasn't very complex and there weren't many changes but overall it was a decent very mild cigar.
It was really so mild that I really didn't have much to write. Then I was so distracted with the over moistened core that I'm sure I left all the humor stuck on the keyboard.
@Cricken I don't recall what kind of pillow or boveda you sent these with but I'm also not sure this one could have gotten this wet in just a few days. Do you think this one was just built badly or is there a chance you have a wet spot in your humidor?
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SouthernerInSask
© MCMLXI
Another great review! Youre doing a great job with these cigars. You never know, Gurkha may just end up winning you over in the end 
Hmmm, I keep my sticks at 65 in tupperdors but I think I just threw in a 69 boveda I had left from a smallbatch order. I don't recall how much that stick has been rotated but it came out of the tupperdor I tend to smoke out of most often and haven't had any issues lately I can recall from it. Wonder if a few days with the higher boveda pack could have made that much difference?
The one with a silver band...I think it's a gurkha Symphony?...I have a few of those and didn't think that one was bad at all.
The one with a silver band...I think it's a gurkha Symphony?...I have a few of those and didn't think that one was bad at all.
Cigary43
Just Another Ashhole
The Gurkhas that I have enjoyed is the Centurion and the Beauty but not enough for me to buy anymore of them. If I was out in the woods and the only cigars there were available I suppose I would buy a couple but these cigars are consistently inconsistent and the creaminess tends to hide behind the other profiles....it's the part that keeps you guessing as to when it appears and then disappears. It teases w/o keeping you satisfied and a cigar that plays hide and go seek with my tastes is unforgivable. Keep these reviews coming though,,,very entertaining at the very least.
I bought a Gurkha sampler which included beauty, black beauty (maduro), warlord, widowmaker, vintage 2001, and a few other I can't quite recall. I really wanted to like these smokes but boy are they are awful. One bland, uneven burning, bad drawing cigar after the other. I have around 8 left and unfortunately have 5 more on the way. A sampler that was still a great deal even with those 5 dog rockets. I am saving them in the dud pile for my noobie cigar friends who don't know any better.
Okay, its been a busy few weeks, my apologies for the delay. If all goes well there will be another review tomorrow night. I'm praying my taste buds survive it. I'm enjoying a luchador tonight just in case things go badly tomorrow.
I think you may have made a typo here, I wouldn't typically call you out but I feel we should all look out for you on this noble quest. Best of luck to you on the upcoming battle.
I appreciate the care, my kid seems likely to get to bed on time and I'm putting off any work on my car for another day. It seems that in approximately 6 hours I will be engaged in hand to leaf combat against, not only a Gurkha, but a special edition. Apparently some form of elite warrior.
I cannot delay anymore. The Gurkha regiment is furious that I've delayed the letting of blood so long. So without delay, I enter the arena tonight with a Gurkha Symphony. This melodious fellow is a Double Perfecto. Only, this Company Sergeant Major isn't, or at least wasn't always JUST a Gurkha. This devil is formerly a special operative; this changes everything. This Symphony once conducted battle under the personal flag of K. Hansotia before being transferred to the standard ranks. This might explain his high rank, but it leaves one to wonder – Why was he returned to the traditional ranks? Is this, a once 91 rated cigar, not only going to be kind to me, but actually treat me well? Will the remainder of the Gurkhas tolerate this if he does? We'll find out.
So it all begins with a glance, and let me tell you this glance impressed me. This symphony is well dressed in a light, smooth Connecticut wrapper. I smell the faintest aroma of the farm with a trace of cedar. I can't tell if I'm going to be in for a trick or a treat. I've made the first strike and I remove the Sergeant Major of his delicately placed cap. The draw is a little tight while the texture seems just right. Let's light a fire under this soldier's foot, shall we.
I take my time toasting the whole foot. I want to give this Sergeant the best opportunity in combat. Time lit, 11:05. Draw is still a little tight despite the hefty removal of his cap. Smoke is very forthcoming but very mild in scent. So far this cigar seems light to medium bodied to me with only the slightest hint of spice at the tip of my tongue and a bit of white pepper on the retrohale. It hasn't impressed me, but he hasn't offended me either. Am I being set up?
At 10 minutes this dubious gentleman is burning slowly, despite my humidor being kept at a constant 65%, but he's also burning perfectly evenly. Smoke is still coming with no coaxing and so far, I haven't had to baby this warrior. I believe this fighter is either lazy or chooses to fight his battles through wit and not blood. On that note there's a subtle flavor bound with the slight creaminess this cigar is providing. I can't determine at this point if it's good or bad. Is this a Gurkha sneak attack?
20 minutes in and this Gurhka is beginning to bore me. I see no fight, just a solder that paces himself around the arena. Sure, he looks good, he smells good, he seems very adept, but where's the flavor, where's the fight? Even the slight pepper on the retrohale is gone. I'm still wondering about the creaminess, while there is still plenty of it, it's been like all the other Gurkhas I've smoked, it's not a sweet creaminess, it's smooth but with an odd undertone. We'll have to see how this develops.
30 minutes into the fight. Neither of us is getting tired, but that should be expected because neither of us are really doing anything. I'm more than halfway through the first third and I've had to touch up the burn line on this fighter twice. These Gurkhas either seem to need to wear their hat crooked or burn in such a way that it looks crooked. Everything else seems to be fine, a mild cigar with very mild flavors. Neither impressive nor unimpressive, just there. I feel as though I may be dancing with this Sergeant more than fighting him. I'm still keeping an eye on that creaminess though, while it does seem to be abundant, it still has some underlying 'flavor' that I can't quite place. It's not sour like a moldy or overmoistened cigar but it's certainly not sweet, and I like sweetness with my cream.
At 40 minutes I've completed the first third. The first ash just fell off at two inches. For a cigar with a Nicaraguan filler I'm wondering if any Nicaraguan's were actually utilized in the making of this stick. The Gurkha is essentially still dancing around the ring. To a layman he's a glorious warrior, sharp in his dress, crisp in his aroma and patiently waiting for perfect, well timed strikes in the name of glory; to the experienced he's a pig with lipstick. The impressive dance is nothing more than a ruse, the way he wears his uniform reminds me of the worst of POG's, ready for inspection, great in formation, but a miserable mess in the field. I will say the 2nd third is beginning to provide me with some other flavors, a bit of nuttiness is adhering to the cream, but only the slightest tang is hitting the tip of my tongue. The Sergeant Major has sat behind a desk too long, he's so political I can't tell if he's beginning to play a more complex match or if this is just more smoke and mirrors.
On a side note I have, I believe, I determined the odd flavor behind the creaminess(that is now beginning to dissipate by the way), it's almost woodsy – but not in a good way. I can only imagine describing this as pouring fresh cream upon the side of a cedar tree and then deciding to lick the tree clean.
I'm sitting here, 10 minutes before a complete hour and I'm wondering if this idiot is going to do anything. I hope nobody paid money to watch this. I hope nobody paid for this guy. I've sat here for 5 minutes trying to think of anything new to write and I'm left speechless. No significant flavor change, no complexity. The only thing that has struck me as different is that the cream has subsided, and I'm getting some nuttiness. The retrohale is utterly boring, and the draws are unimpressive. This lazy bastard is trying to kill me of old age.
2/3's done and 1:10 minutes of my life gone. The flavor has finally undergone a change, not much of one but still, it's exciting, this bastard did something! Cream is gone, pepper is barely there, nuttiness is definitely there. It's nothing wonderful and the retrohale is utterly pathetic but it's finally behaving like a decent cigar. Decent mind you, not good, not bad, just decent. I would never pay for this cigar. This desk jockey is still running around in circles pretending he knows what he's doing. With Gurkha leadership like this no wonder their junior ranks are vile and mean.
I should mention I'm looking for any excuse to end this thing, but unfortunately for me it is burning evenly and not even trying to go out. Hell, the bastard is moving so slowly he's not even getting hot.
2 hours down, and it's over. This Gurkha changed his dance once, but otherwise just kept dancing. It's 1am and I have no desire to speak more about my encounter with this Symphony. The last half hour was pleasant and a decent smoke, but to have to endure over an hour of blandness to get here is just not worth it. This was by far the 'best' Gurkha I've smoked to date and even then I'd only call it mediocre. This would do well as an early morning cigar while mowing the lawn or getting some other random chore done. This is not one to dedicate time and effort with.
I feel like I've wasted time, I think I should have cleaned out my garage or worked on my car while smoking this guy. Either way, he deserves no Kukri's, he is not deadly. He's an office warrior that can only fight politics. I have no desire to rate him high either, that said he gets 1 and a half nerf swords.
Now take this weakling away from me! [At least my taste buds are intact]
So it all begins with a glance, and let me tell you this glance impressed me. This symphony is well dressed in a light, smooth Connecticut wrapper. I smell the faintest aroma of the farm with a trace of cedar. I can't tell if I'm going to be in for a trick or a treat. I've made the first strike and I remove the Sergeant Major of his delicately placed cap. The draw is a little tight while the texture seems just right. Let's light a fire under this soldier's foot, shall we.
I take my time toasting the whole foot. I want to give this Sergeant the best opportunity in combat. Time lit, 11:05. Draw is still a little tight despite the hefty removal of his cap. Smoke is very forthcoming but very mild in scent. So far this cigar seems light to medium bodied to me with only the slightest hint of spice at the tip of my tongue and a bit of white pepper on the retrohale. It hasn't impressed me, but he hasn't offended me either. Am I being set up?
At 10 minutes this dubious gentleman is burning slowly, despite my humidor being kept at a constant 65%, but he's also burning perfectly evenly. Smoke is still coming with no coaxing and so far, I haven't had to baby this warrior. I believe this fighter is either lazy or chooses to fight his battles through wit and not blood. On that note there's a subtle flavor bound with the slight creaminess this cigar is providing. I can't determine at this point if it's good or bad. Is this a Gurkha sneak attack?
20 minutes in and this Gurhka is beginning to bore me. I see no fight, just a solder that paces himself around the arena. Sure, he looks good, he smells good, he seems very adept, but where's the flavor, where's the fight? Even the slight pepper on the retrohale is gone. I'm still wondering about the creaminess, while there is still plenty of it, it's been like all the other Gurkhas I've smoked, it's not a sweet creaminess, it's smooth but with an odd undertone. We'll have to see how this develops.
30 minutes into the fight. Neither of us is getting tired, but that should be expected because neither of us are really doing anything. I'm more than halfway through the first third and I've had to touch up the burn line on this fighter twice. These Gurkhas either seem to need to wear their hat crooked or burn in such a way that it looks crooked. Everything else seems to be fine, a mild cigar with very mild flavors. Neither impressive nor unimpressive, just there. I feel as though I may be dancing with this Sergeant more than fighting him. I'm still keeping an eye on that creaminess though, while it does seem to be abundant, it still has some underlying 'flavor' that I can't quite place. It's not sour like a moldy or overmoistened cigar but it's certainly not sweet, and I like sweetness with my cream.
At 40 minutes I've completed the first third. The first ash just fell off at two inches. For a cigar with a Nicaraguan filler I'm wondering if any Nicaraguan's were actually utilized in the making of this stick. The Gurkha is essentially still dancing around the ring. To a layman he's a glorious warrior, sharp in his dress, crisp in his aroma and patiently waiting for perfect, well timed strikes in the name of glory; to the experienced he's a pig with lipstick. The impressive dance is nothing more than a ruse, the way he wears his uniform reminds me of the worst of POG's, ready for inspection, great in formation, but a miserable mess in the field. I will say the 2nd third is beginning to provide me with some other flavors, a bit of nuttiness is adhering to the cream, but only the slightest tang is hitting the tip of my tongue. The Sergeant Major has sat behind a desk too long, he's so political I can't tell if he's beginning to play a more complex match or if this is just more smoke and mirrors.
On a side note I have, I believe, I determined the odd flavor behind the creaminess(that is now beginning to dissipate by the way), it's almost woodsy – but not in a good way. I can only imagine describing this as pouring fresh cream upon the side of a cedar tree and then deciding to lick the tree clean.
I'm sitting here, 10 minutes before a complete hour and I'm wondering if this idiot is going to do anything. I hope nobody paid money to watch this. I hope nobody paid for this guy. I've sat here for 5 minutes trying to think of anything new to write and I'm left speechless. No significant flavor change, no complexity. The only thing that has struck me as different is that the cream has subsided, and I'm getting some nuttiness. The retrohale is utterly boring, and the draws are unimpressive. This lazy bastard is trying to kill me of old age.
2/3's done and 1:10 minutes of my life gone. The flavor has finally undergone a change, not much of one but still, it's exciting, this bastard did something! Cream is gone, pepper is barely there, nuttiness is definitely there. It's nothing wonderful and the retrohale is utterly pathetic but it's finally behaving like a decent cigar. Decent mind you, not good, not bad, just decent. I would never pay for this cigar. This desk jockey is still running around in circles pretending he knows what he's doing. With Gurkha leadership like this no wonder their junior ranks are vile and mean.
I should mention I'm looking for any excuse to end this thing, but unfortunately for me it is burning evenly and not even trying to go out. Hell, the bastard is moving so slowly he's not even getting hot.
2 hours down, and it's over. This Gurkha changed his dance once, but otherwise just kept dancing. It's 1am and I have no desire to speak more about my encounter with this Symphony. The last half hour was pleasant and a decent smoke, but to have to endure over an hour of blandness to get here is just not worth it. This was by far the 'best' Gurkha I've smoked to date and even then I'd only call it mediocre. This would do well as an early morning cigar while mowing the lawn or getting some other random chore done. This is not one to dedicate time and effort with.
I feel like I've wasted time, I think I should have cleaned out my garage or worked on my car while smoking this guy. Either way, he deserves no Kukri's, he is not deadly. He's an office warrior that can only fight politics. I have no desire to rate him high either, that said he gets 1 and a half nerf swords.
Now take this weakling away from me! [At least my taste buds are intact]
