I don't know about Gurkhas in general or RPs in general. I only know about the ones I've smoked. And on that basis, there's just no contest, for me. The Sherpa is a very promising cigar, if, as I smoke the box (bundle, really) I got, it doesn't have a high rate of construction problems. Other than that, though, I haven't had a Gurkha I'd buy again. The RPs I've smoked, OTOH, have all been excellent, with no construction problems at all.

I've still got 5 Centurians, the COTM starter kit, and the Gurkhas others here have sent me. If I don't see something much better from those, I'm pretty much going to be done with the brand (with the possible exception of the Sherpa). They're just too expensive for me to live with a 50% dud rate.

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Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

urbino:

They're just too expensive for me to live with a 50% dud rate.

i just havent had that problem. out of all the gurkhas ive had only one was ever a dud. and i let that one sit and it was better. the closest thing to a "problem" that i had was a centurian that had to have a corrective light or two.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

I can't say I blame you there Urbi. I've got a buddy who is a big Gurkha fan(although he agrees with me on their price and also laughs at their being compared to Rolls) and he hasn't mentioned having construction issues. As long as this guy has been into cigars I imagine he's smoked more Gurkhas than the 3 of us combined. I haven't had enough Gurkha's to truly comment on this but I've never had a dud. The perfectos(I believe all centurians are perfectos right kuz?)are always going to have burn issues. I've never smoked a perfecto from any brand that didn't require some corrective lights.

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I don't wanna hold a job down if its just to make ends meet. I prefer rapid rise and faster falls, I wanna die the American dream.
~~ Josh Martinez

kuzi16:

december 07
gurkha g3 score 88. price listed in CA 9.50
Davidoff 5000 score 87 price listed in CA 13.70
Davidoff aniversario no.3 tubo score 86 price listed in CA 17.60

you are making your argument that they are over priced for what they are. I am arguing that they are not. oh ... and for the right price id buy some RP 1992s also. i respect your opinion. i know you arent saying they suck. im just saying they are worth it in my opinion. you are saying they are not. its all opinion. and its all fun and games.
this friendly rivalry is fun. it makes me think. i dont know about you but i like that. its just making me pay more attention to my favorite hobby. darn! i hate it when that happens.


.... and im a huge gurkha fan. REPRESENT!!!


ok im not that ghetto.

Hmmm I couldn't agree more in fact you forced me to do a little research. On cigar.com the average sales price for a single gurkha(taking the HMR out of the equation)is $14.40, that is lower than I expected still too high IMO but lower than I expected. I imagine in a B&M it would be more like $20. I love this rivalry and look forward to, in 6 months or so when you are done resting them, your reviews of the RP's you're getting as a bonus prize for my 1000th post.

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I don't wanna hold a job down if its just to make ends meet. I prefer rapid rise and faster falls, I wanna die the American dream.
~~ Josh Martinez

mmm bonus...


i really hope that people dont think that we are truely mad at eachother when we begin to speak passionatly about some of our favorite brands. I really DO respect Rocky Patel, as im sure you respect Gurkha. We will never convince the other about anything. i understand that. you understand that. I just think its fun to get into a debate that goes so deep.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

I hope so too. I definetly respect Gurkha, the way they hold back tobacco and age longer than anyone in the business is to be commended.
I usually end up laughing or spend hours researching and going "damn he's on to somethign here" when we get going like this.
Hoepfully everyone learns somethign from our debates, I know we both do.

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I don't wanna hold a job down if its just to make ends meet. I prefer rapid rise and faster falls, I wanna die the American dream.
~~ Josh Martinez

if learning is the goal then we should pick fights more often.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

kuzi16:

if learning is the goal then we should pick fights more often.

My humidor is better than your humidor!

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I don't wanna hold a job down if its just to make ends meet. I prefer rapid rise and faster falls, I wanna die the American dream.
~~ Josh Martinez

yes it is.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

kuzi16:

yes it is.

LOL. Are you limiting your humidor size intentionally?

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I don't wanna hold a job down if its just to make ends meet. I prefer rapid rise and faster falls, I wanna die the American dream.
~~ Josh Martinez

yup. that how i regulate how much i spend on cigars. otherwise id just sign my paycheck over to several websites selling cigars and the B&M.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

madurofan:

I can't say I blame you there Urbi. I've got a buddy who is a big Gurkha fan(although he agrees with me on their price and also laughs at their being compared to Rolls) and he hasn't mentioned having construction issues. As long as this guy has been into cigars I imagine he's smoked more Gurkhas than the 3 of us combined. I haven't had enough Gurkha's to truly comment on this but I've never had a dud. The perfectos(I believe all centurians are perfectos right kuz?)are always going to have burn issues. I've never smoked a perfecto from any brand that didn't require some corrective lights.

I actually didn't have any real burn issues with the Centurian. It just didn't produce much flavor.

On the different experiences with Gurkhas, I agree. That was kinda my point. Kuz and your friend have had good experiences with Gurkhas, so, for them, it's a good brand and worth the money. For whatever reason, I've had bad experiences with them, so, for me, it's a brand I just can't get behind. Thus far, anyway. We each have to go primarily on our own experiences, tempered by what we hear from others.

So that's why I was saying I couldn't speak to Gurkhas in general or RPs in general. I can't say, "Gurkhas aren't worth the money." I can only say the Gurkhas I've had haven't been worth the money. (Or wouldn't have been, if I'd had to pay full price.)

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Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Cigar: Rocky Patel Fusion Double Maduro
Size/Shape: Lancero
Time In My Humidor: 3 weeks
Smoking Time: 1:15
Overall Rating: 8.75

This is the second one of these I've smoked, though I didn't review the first one because I smoked it immediately after giving up on a different cigar that wasn't burning well.

This cigar is like a character from a romance novel: tall, dark, and handsome. Very elegant. Unlit, it smells earthy, and the draw produces, surprisingly, not a lot of flavor. The draw is excellent, though; just a bit on the loose side of perfect, but still excellent. These slender cigars just couldn't be any easier to cut and light well. In fact, the cut and light are pretty representative of the overall experience of smoking this cigar: smooth, easy, and extremely low-effort.

Once burning, the flavor is primarily peaty. I don't think I've ever said that of a cigar before, but it's certainly true of this one. Maybe it's the 2 maduro leaves -- binder and wrapper -- and the extremely high wrapper:filler ratio of this shape. Anyway, it's a peaty cigar. Not as peaty as, say, Laphroiag. More like, oh, Bruichladdich or Glenlivet, maybe. There's a hint of dark spices during the first third, and then a nice sweetness develops during the last third.

This thing burned dead even, start to finish. You might think a cigar this skinny and with a draw a bit on the loose side would get hot, late in its life. Nope. Cool as can be, all the way to the end.

If it had produced just a bit more of its excellent flavor, this cigar would be a 9.1 or 9.2. It's a terrific smoke; ideal for when you're in a contemplative mood. Get some.

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Cigar: Oliva Serie O
Size/Shape: Perfecto
Time In My Humidor: 2.5 weeks
Smoking Time: 1:00
Overall Rating: 9.0

Y'all are going to say I'm crazy, but you know what this cigar tasted like? Honey roasted peanuts. No kidding. It's main flavor was a great salty sweetness, and it had this nutty undertone. So there you go: honey roasted peanuts.

Smoking this cigar was a pleasure. It got my hopes up as soon as I clipped it and took the first draw. It was perfect. A very good sign in a perfecto. Unlit, it didn't smell or taste of anything in particular, but that just added a hint of mystery to it. What would it taste like lit?

At first, it didn't taste like much. Not a lot of flavor. But as it burned into the fatter part of the cigar, the flavor I described above developed, and from there on it just got stronger (though the saltiness faded a bit). It burned perfectly from start to finish, and I had to de-ash it only once, about halfway through. I think it actually would've gone longer than that, but I didn't want it in my lap.

All in all, this is a wonderful little cigar. It'd make a great after-dinner dessert smoke. I'll be getting some more of these.

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Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Man, that sounds good. I've had one out here in the desert but with the air so dry it has been difficult to pull flavors out of cigars. I get pleasent tastes but no big flavors. So now I know what the flavor for ir is. The Oliva site says that it has spice and rich cedar, I like the honey roasted peanuts better.

Urbi, have you tried the Oliva Master Blend 3? It's like a V but lighter.

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Andy

'THe best minds are not in government. If they were, business would hire them away' R. Reagan