The Gurkha Experiment (5 Reviews)

[Tobias Lutz]

Disclaimer: These are reviews I did for another site, in another time. The photos no longer exist, but the information will hopefully remain useful to some.

The Gurkha Experiment- Part One: Centurian Review
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper origin: Connecticut
Wrapper type: Broadleaf
Filler / Binder: Dominican Republic
Vitola: Double Perfecto
Length: 6”
Ring: 60

This is the first of 5 reviews that I will post under the title “The Gurkha Experiment”. Since the beginning of my time online I have noticed an unmatched criticism voiced against Gurkhas. Some posters cite experiences with burn issues and shoddy construction. Some seemingly jump on the bandwagon absent of any real familiarity with the brand. I have smoked a handful from this maker, but none have been terribly notable to me (either in a positive or negative way). Recently I went digging through my humidors and coolers to find a total of 6 different Gurkhas that I have either purchased or received in trades on the boards. I want to give these cigars a fair shake by approaching them with an open mind and seeing what they really have to offer. If they do indeed suck, I have no problem saying that, but I suspect that the voices of opposition simply tend to be louder and there are plenty of content Gurkha smokers among us who are more interested in enjoying their cigars than debating them.

This stick was rested ~6 months @ 65Rh.

The wrapper was a medium brown with some small veins but nothing significant. There were a couple minor wrinkles towards the foot, but overall the cigar seemed well constructed. There were two separate bands that took up over 40% of the stick’s surface area. They seemed a bit over-the-top for a perfecto, but were harmless, so whatever.

The foot had a surprisingly robust tobacco scent with a slight cocoa essence. I trimmed about 1/4” off of the head with a guillotine cutter in order to give a better pull. The draw was mild with a “bright” tobacco flavor that bordered slightly on acidic. I toasted the foot with a torch before finishing with a wooden match and purging a couple times.

Once the cigar was lit, I found the draw to be a little tight. This improved as I went along, but was still annoying for several minutes. The flavors however got off to a good start immediately with hints of leather and soil. It was a refreshing profile with a slight “tanginess” but without any astringency. The burn wasn’t razor sharp, but it came along fine on its own without any touch-ups. The ash was a darker grey, layered nicely, and held very tight to the cigar.

The flavor didn’t change drastically as I moved into the 2nd third of the stick. It maintained its mild profile and while the tangy nuances fell away, the leather flavor became slightly woody and mildly sweet. The cigar began to canoe in this section. I left it alone to work itself out, but began to strip off the bands before they became scorched at the halfway point. The burn issues managed to resolve themselves and aside from being ugly, they were of little consequence. I did become a little concerned with how “spongy” the cigar began to feel as I moved towards the nub. The flavors stayed on course, becoming only a little more pronounced as I went along.

I was surprised by how fast this cigar moved along. I was coming into the nub after only 40 minutes. The flavors steadily became more robust, but still similar. The leather flavor returned and was accompanied by a slight nuttiness. The burn remained spastic, but I never had to put a flame to it after the initial light. Total smoking time ended up being 55 minutes.

I think this is definitely an all-day smoke. As quick as it burned, you could almost enjoy one after lunch before heading back to the office. If you want to smoke them on the course, I suggest you take at least 3. Contrary to popular theory- the wrapper never exploded (or even cracked) and the flavor was not adversely affected by the burn problems. They did however make me a little anxious throughout my time smoking. For some reason (mainly people’s chatter) I kept waiting for the stick to blow-up in my face like a gag cigar. Overall, this was a fairly one-dimensional smoke that never tasted bad, but didn’t wow me either. The MSRP is $30, but they can be had for well under $5. If you pick a few up on an auction site at that price, then I think they are worth having around.
Overall 8.4/10

The Gurkha Experiment- Part 2: Gurkha Status Maduro Review
Origin: Honduras
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: USA Connecticut
Wrapper Color: Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Shape: Torpedo


This was a nice looking cigar with a dark oily wrapper that was slightly toothy with a few small veins. It seemed to be well rolled, felt firm, and I was particularly impressed by the head of the cigar- I could not find the seam in the wrapper anywhere. The foot had a pleasant cocoa scent that was slightly sweet and smelled like a freshly unwrapped dark chocolate bar. There was also a slight toasty smell that made the whole cigar smell reminiscent of a smore. I cut the end with a guillotine cutter. The draw was pretty good with a taste that was mainly cocoa, but it also had hints of grass. It was sort of like Cocoa Puff cereal. There was a bit of pepper in the taste of the wrapper. I used a torch to toast the foot and finished the light with a match.

The very first taste I got from this cigar was like a well balanced cup of black coffee. It was one of the better first couple puffs I can recall getting from a stick. Often times I purge after lighting, but there was no need to do that here. The burn was good early on and I enjoyed watching the wrapper get extra oily just ahead of the fire. Behind this coffee flavor cam a slightly bitter chocolate, but most interesting was a faint barnyard flavor in the retrohale. I think this might have been connected to the dty grass I picked up on in the cold draw. The first third was excellent.

The burn started becoming unbalanced in the next section. It was very humid outside when I smoked it and that might have contributed to the canoeing. The sweetness began to come out in the stick and I caught a very distinctive taste of cumin in the smoke. This is something I don’t notice too often, but it’s hard to ignore that toasted seed flavor. Once the canoe was over ½” long, I touched it up with a torch in order to get things back on track. After the correction and a purge the flavor mellowed out some and slightly buttery medium profile settled in. Overall, the 2/3 was a pain in the rear, but the cigar seemed worth continuing on at that point.

As I approached the nub a peppery spice came back out in the wrapper and it literally left my lips burning. This was accompanied by a split in the wrapper that grew from the base of the burn line and headed towards the head of the cigar. The draw became very tight and the stick went out in spite of my consistent puffing. I knocked off the ash and used my torch to get it going again. It seemed to recover okay and I can only assume there was a knot of excess tobacco rolled unevenly in that section. The split did not grow and the flavor became heavy with dark chocolate with some molasses aftertaste. As the cigar finished up, it stayed fairly stout, but grew sweeter until the very end.

Total smoking time was 95 minutes. This one could be enjoyed anytime of the day, but I smoked immediately after lunch and found the timing quite satisfying. The best part of this one was the flavors. They were more medium than mild and rich. There was enough “movement” throughout the smoke to keep it interesting. The burn issues that required a few lighter revisits were frustrating, but I’m optimistic that this was partially due to the weather (though some was definitely the way it was rolled). Overall, this stick seems to run in the $7-9 range, which I feel is a little bit high. You can grab them on auction sites for <$5, and at that cost I would give it an 8.5/10. It would have hit a 9 if the damn thing had burned better.

continued in next post...

[Tobias Lutz]

The Gurkha Experiment Part 3: Spec Op SRS Limited Edition Review

Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican Republic
Vitola: Churchill
Price: ~$6-7


This was a larger cigar than I typically smoke, so the length was a little intimidating (that’s what she said ). The wrapper was two tones of a darker brown and slightly oily with quite a few veins. When I rolled it between my fingers I only found one soft spot under the larger band. The cap looked like it was rising up a little bit off the head of the cigar. The foot had a distinctly sweet cocoa scent with a little bit of spice to it (maybe toasted cumin?). I punched the cigar and the cold draw was pretty loose with a slight “tang” to it. Sort of like a chocolate covered lemon drop. I could also get a dry grass/hay flavor after several pulls. I toasted the foot with a torch and finished the light with a soft flame. There was a slight crack in the wrapper on that end of the cigar and I wanted to be careful not to let the fire run up the side of the stick, leaving the binder and filler behind.

The first several puffs were surprisingly mild. I wasn’t expecting a full-bodied cigar, but this wasn’t even medium. It had some faint sweetness that was less potent than the scent I had picked up in the foot prior to lighting. As the cigar moved along it had nuances of chocolate, but generally just tasted lie mild tobacco. It was pretty one dimensional, but the burn was consistent.

A woody flavor emerged in the 2/3 of the cigar. This was accompanied by an intermittent pepper that wasn’t very strong, but could easily be picked up. It still only flirted with having any real depth of flavor as the profile inched more towards medium. As the halfway point the stick began to canoe come. Moving towards the nub the oak flavor emerged and the canoe worked itself out, not requiring a touch-up.

It took over an hour and a half, but the cigar finally achieved the medium profile that Gurkha claims it possesses. The smoke became creamier and sprinkled with a little bit of spice. My lips began feeling a slight burn from the pepper. Overall it remained one dimensional, just a little more stout through the finish.

As far as the burn goes, the cigar had a testy phase, but corrected itself. I suppose all is well that ends well. Total smoking time was a whopping 2:30. This stick would be an okay smoke any time of day, but because of the vitola, you’ll need to set aside a couple hours.

Pros: Decent construction, never gave any unpleasant tastes.
Cons: The flavor really never developed. If I had to describe it in one word I would say “boring”.
Overall: 8.3/10 I don’t consider this one worth the price. It was my least favorite Gurkha so far.

The Gurkha Experiment Part 4: Gurkha Beauty Review
Strength: Mild to Medium
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Origin: Honduras
Shapes: Gordo
Dimensions: ( 6.5"x58 )


I got this cigar as part of a PIF trade back in the spring. It has rested for several months in the 63 to 65 Rh range. My first impression is “Damn, that’s a large cigar”. While occasionally I enjoy a Nub, I typically don’t fool with 58rg cigars. The wrapper was also a very light Connecticut leaf, which is the least common amongst the cigars I own. It had a number of thin veins and a couple wrinkles towards the head. The cap was slightly raised up in one spot, but construction seemed pretty solid overall without any “squishy” spots. It was finished off with a classic ostentatious Gurkha band and a separate one for the name of the cigar.

The wrapper gave off a scent of very mild tobacco with hints of fresh mowed grass. The foot offered little change, with only the faint addition of nuttiness. I punched the cigar and the pull was pretty firm, but not so tight that it was annoying. The nut flavor (something sweeter like almonds or pecans) was mixed with the taste of heavy cream in the cold draw. I toasted the foot with a torch and finished the light with a wooden match. I smoked while drinking a cup of Constant Comment tea.

The first few puffs had a slight amount of cedar like spice to them, but in general the cigar began very smoothly. The woodiness remained in the smoke after the initial light, but the spiciness was only evident in a couple of the retrohales through the first third of the stick. There was a nice sweetness that seemed to lightly wash over any other flavors I could pick up, including some residual nuttiness from the cold draw. The burn was damn near perfect and produced pale grey ash in distinctive layers. The profile was mild which made the prospect of such a large vitola easier to handle.

As I moved into the middle of the Beauty, I started realizing that this was very much a “one-trick” pony so to speak. While this cigar wasn’t suffering from the weaknesses most associate with the brand (poor construction and burn), it was horribly one-dimensional for a cigar that retails in the $26 range from Cigars International! They advertise it like this: “Beauty offers a divine smoking experience that’s deep in rich, luxurious flavors.” I didn’t find this anywhere! I did find hints of fennel and maybe a touch of ginger towards the begging of the nub, but these were mainly drowned out by the singular mild woody flavor that had been a constant since lighting the cigar.

As I transitioned into the final third I removed the bands off the cigar and found both of them to be stuck to the wrapper. I was very gentle and managed to get them off with minimal tearing, but when I couldn’t get the wrapper to lie back down, I was forced to perform a little surgery with my pocket knife in order to keep the Connecticut leaf from flappin’ in the wind. My cut briefly exposed the binder, but allowed the burn to continue without having to touch it up.

The remainder of the cigar was pretty uninteresting- the same woody notes, but there were some passing notes of leather towards the very last of the nub. The smoke became a bit buttery and the profile stayed mild-medium. The total smoking time was 2 hours flat. This wasn’t a bad tasting cigar, just a boring one. The burn was fine without any corrections, but the issue with the bands and the wrapper coming up are not something I would expect from a cigar costing this much. I give it an overall rating of 8.2/10. This really more of a rating that takes into account the actual price of the sticks versus what you get. If these were in the $5 range, I would say they make a great option for a BBQ or golf course type smoke.

The Gurkha Experiment Part 5: The Beast Review
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper: Costa Rican
Origin: Dominican Republic, Honduras
Shapes: Gordo


As its name might imply, this cigar looked like the darker twin to the Gurkha Beauty. Same vitola (a whopping 6.5” x 58rg), same band design, the only difference to the eye is a darker Costa Rican maduro wrapper. The wrapper leaf is mildly only and considerably toothy, with some small veins but nothing substantial. The length of the cigar smells like a nice cup of French roast coffee with some cocoa powder stirred in. The foot is more muted, but still primarily cocoa scented. Overall, the cigar seems firm and well constructed. After a quick punch I found the draw to be rather tight but still serviceable enough to smoke. I tasted mainly hay in the cold draw, with only the faintest chocolate note. All together it was very underwhelming, especially compared to the impressive scents that came off of the wrapper leaf. I toasted the foot with a torch and lit with a wooden match.

The initial few puffs of this cigar were surprisingly smooth, but very potent, with an overwhelming bittersweet chocolate taste early on. After a quick purge and a few more draws to let the stick settle down it took on a softer note with hints of cedar in the retrohale. The burn was pretty clean through the first third and I got lots of creamy smoke. The profile stayed medium and there was an interesting flavor like gingerbread as it transitioned into the second third.

The middle of the cigar was a bit stronger, but still not what I would call full bodied. It tasted like dark coffee with cedar spiciness stirred in. The wrapper began to protest, lifting up and cracking as I approached the first of the two bands. When I removed the “Beast” band, the split grew some more. While it never really effected the burn of the cigar it was certainly ugly as hell and not something I consider acceptable in a stick that sells for $17 a piece in fivers on CI! As I approached the nub I began picking up an interesting flavor that reminded me of nutmeg or maybe allspice. It was sort of eggnog like.

The final section of the cigar wasn’t as ugly to look at as the middle. The flaking wrapper finally burned away and it resumed a sharper line through the end of the stick. The smoke began to seem a little “greasy” and heavier than it had been before. It returned to some of the bittersweet flavors that were present in the first several puffs. Instead of black coffee, I think this cigar would have been more enjoyable if paired with a cherry cola or Dr. Pepper. It burned well until I nubbed it out at the 1:50 mark. Overall I was torn about how to rate this cigar. The flavors were fairly complex and never unpleasant but the wrapper issue was ridiculous for a stick that cost over $15, and while interesting, none of the flavors knocked me off my feet. I wouldn’t pay for another one of these, but would smoke it if it came to me in a trade. The vitola is also a little larger than I would prefer. Overall: 8.3/10

[Billb1960]

Great reviews! I could almost taste those flavors!

How come no pics?

[Tobias Lutz]

Great reviews! I could almost taste those flavors!

How come no pics?

These are all recovered from cache pages, and I no longer have the original images.