(This is my first review posted on BOTL, so please let me know if I did something wrong, ie. not posting the link back to my blog correctly, not providing the reciprocal link properly, etc. Thanks!)
So after a trip to Wal-Mart (or as I like to call it now...the Gates of Hell), I needed a cigar. Connecting the dots to something equally as esoteric, I picked the Red Witch from my humidor. The Red Witch is the second release from the East India Trading Company, a subsidiary of Gurkha, and was premiered at the 2012 IPCPR. Their first release was the very popular Wicked Indie (of which I still have a stick in my humidor as well). Without further adieu...
Gurkha Red Witch
Size: Rothchild (6x54)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Rosado
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Jalapa, Nicaragua
Purchased: Don Juan Cigar Company of Metairie, LA (~$7 USD)
Appearance, Construction, and Pre-light: I have to say, the stick looks and feels fantastic. The box-press on this chocolate rosado is quite defined. Very soft tooth to the wrapper...much like a paper bag. It is packed well and seams are mostly invisible. Two visible caps. The unlit aroma is that of toasted grains. After the guillotine cut, a test draw is not too lose or snug. Just right. The stick looks and feels well put together.
Burn, Taste, and Strength:
The first third starts off well with cedar and spices lingering from the first draw. Much like a spiced tea. Lots of creamy smoke right off the bat. Very mild-medium. Great first impression. As the first third progresses, the flavors meld into sweeter cedar wood. Aroma much the same. Clean, fast finish. Flavors easily distinguishable. Nearing the second third, coffee makes an appearance. Burning great, no complaints. Ash falls off on its own. No complaints.
The second third hails the arrival of more pepper, less spiced flavors. Much more medium bodied and flavors take on an earthy tone, reminds me of a mossy kind of earth. Burn continues to remain consistent. Finish also fades quickly, so the strong pepper doesn't last very long. And as the cigar nears the final third transition, spiced tea creeps back in. No sweetness. Dry wood, spiced tea. Very toasty kind of flavors.
The final third comes back with a pepper vengeance. After removing the band, a slight touch up was required. Flavors settling into a toasty tobacco. After over an hour of smoking, the strength finally comes into play. Luckily I put down most cigars at this point because I'm not a big fan of too much nicotine rush. The Red Witch rounds out at the end with some soft bitter flavors.
Final Impression: Now while the Gurkha Red Witch is not a nubber for me, though I definitely think some more age would do wonders with this blend, it is a fantastic stick and extremely easy to recommend. Not necessarily a novice cigar, it would make a great introduction to someone who smokes mild, but wants to make that transition to fuller-bodied sticks. Its constructed with obvious care. It smokes beautifully and has easy to distinguish broad flavors. A premium everyday smoke from a fantastic cigar manufacturer. Pun intended, a bewitching stogie.
Recommendable: Absofrickinglutely.
http://squaredcigars.blogspot.com/
So after a trip to Wal-Mart (or as I like to call it now...the Gates of Hell), I needed a cigar. Connecting the dots to something equally as esoteric, I picked the Red Witch from my humidor. The Red Witch is the second release from the East India Trading Company, a subsidiary of Gurkha, and was premiered at the 2012 IPCPR. Their first release was the very popular Wicked Indie (of which I still have a stick in my humidor as well). Without further adieu...
Gurkha Red Witch
Size: Rothchild (6x54)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Rosado
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Jalapa, Nicaragua
Purchased: Don Juan Cigar Company of Metairie, LA (~$7 USD)
Appearance, Construction, and Pre-light: I have to say, the stick looks and feels fantastic. The box-press on this chocolate rosado is quite defined. Very soft tooth to the wrapper...much like a paper bag. It is packed well and seams are mostly invisible. Two visible caps. The unlit aroma is that of toasted grains. After the guillotine cut, a test draw is not too lose or snug. Just right. The stick looks and feels well put together.
Burn, Taste, and Strength:
The first third starts off well with cedar and spices lingering from the first draw. Much like a spiced tea. Lots of creamy smoke right off the bat. Very mild-medium. Great first impression. As the first third progresses, the flavors meld into sweeter cedar wood. Aroma much the same. Clean, fast finish. Flavors easily distinguishable. Nearing the second third, coffee makes an appearance. Burning great, no complaints. Ash falls off on its own. No complaints.
The second third hails the arrival of more pepper, less spiced flavors. Much more medium bodied and flavors take on an earthy tone, reminds me of a mossy kind of earth. Burn continues to remain consistent. Finish also fades quickly, so the strong pepper doesn't last very long. And as the cigar nears the final third transition, spiced tea creeps back in. No sweetness. Dry wood, spiced tea. Very toasty kind of flavors.
The final third comes back with a pepper vengeance. After removing the band, a slight touch up was required. Flavors settling into a toasty tobacco. After over an hour of smoking, the strength finally comes into play. Luckily I put down most cigars at this point because I'm not a big fan of too much nicotine rush. The Red Witch rounds out at the end with some soft bitter flavors.
Final Impression: Now while the Gurkha Red Witch is not a nubber for me, though I definitely think some more age would do wonders with this blend, it is a fantastic stick and extremely easy to recommend. Not necessarily a novice cigar, it would make a great introduction to someone who smokes mild, but wants to make that transition to fuller-bodied sticks. Its constructed with obvious care. It smokes beautifully and has easy to distinguish broad flavors. A premium everyday smoke from a fantastic cigar manufacturer. Pun intended, a bewitching stogie.
Recommendable: Absofrickinglutely.
http://squaredcigars.blogspot.com/
