Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran
Size: 5 x 50 “Robusto”
Body: Medium
Price: $5.00
In the past, I’ve worked for certain online cigar stores that shoved their crappy house brands down my throat. I was a real whore. A lot of bad blood because of that.
But now, I work for a cigar store whose house brands are actually very good. BestCigarPrices.com has sent me several cigars made for them by some of the big guys in the cigar industry.
I also normally steer away from Gurkha house brands. Hansotia does not care what he puts his name on.
But Jason Harding, who knows what I like, sent me the new Gurkha Blade. You can only buy them from BCP.
I tried one a couple days after I got them. Blecch. I then tried one a week or so later and a transformation had occurred. It was good, but not ready for review.
Now, three weeks later, the cigar is ready.
Construction is rough. Typical of any house blend. Lots of veins that are so big they look like seams. The wrapper is a light brown color with a combination of toothiness and smoothness as your fingers caress the cigar down its shaft. (Just bought a Penthouse.)
I clip the cap and find aromas of mild cocoa, coffee, baking spices, spice, cedar and leather…with a touch of wood.
Time to light up.
Smoke fills the room and the draw is nice. The char line starts out impeccable and then goes straight to wavy. Black pepper fills my mouth and throat. So does the tastes of cocoa and coffee. Sweetness is met by some thick creaminess.
At the 1” mark, the cigar is about to become a bona fide flavor bomb. It’s not a pretty cigar but it sure does taste purty’.
The cigar’s flavor profile has all the earmarks of a Nicaraguan puro. Thick in flavors and eager to show them off. The cigar finds the end of the first third and the flavors, in descending order: Creaminess, cocoa, coffee, spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, oak, and cedar.
This is a nice cigar. And since Gurkhas are typically Old School; taking months in your humidor, it is a nice surprise that the cigar is this flavorful so early on in its resting period.
The ash has clamped its jaws on to the foot like Yohannian can grip a punch line.
The pepper goes from black to red now. I am getting a Garcia-like blast at the beginning of the second third. Very nice.
The body has been a classic medium from the start. There is no sense about it that it will get stronger.
The ash has me in a quandary. Do I tempt the fates and see how long I can let it grow to impress you; or just knock it off in the ashtray? Or, even better, take a photo of the ash as it has fallen on to my Fruit of the Looms because my bathrobe is open? The ash is daringly close to the halfway point without me breaking my back and laying on the floor or holding it upright while I type with one hand.
I snap a photo and it gently remains in the ashtray.
This cigar could do with a month or two more humidor time. I do believe it can get better. The chocolate oozes. And then a tart citrusy flavor arrives.
“Squeeze me baby, till the juice runs down my leg.
“The way you squeeze my lemon, I’m gonna fall right out of bed.
“I’m gonna leave my children down on this killing floor.”
One can always find a place for Zep lyrics.
The Blade is a different type of Gurkha. It is earthier and more flavorful. It does, indeed, taste like some of the New Breed Tattooed Ones’ blends. The sweet spot hits at the halfway mark. The creaminess explodes and makes the lemon move over. The sweetness is enhanced by all of this. The cigar keeps building like blocks one on top of each other. The cigar is not terribly complex, but time may fix that.
So far, this is a perfect Wally Guse cigar. It goes down well on an empty stomach and not a hint of nicotine.
The last third sees the explosion of a good Nicaraguan cigar. The price point is good for this stick. It is worth every bit of the $5 and maybe more.
The cigar is a delightful flavor bomb. And now, the spiciness really ramps up. I wasn’t expecting that.
I like this cigar. And I really was worried I’d let Jason down by writing a negative review of this Gurkha. So this is a big relief that the stick is full flavored and smooth as glass. The balance is that of a snail on a razor blade and the finish is very long…like Rene Cardona.
With 2-1/2” to go, the cigar sees some complexity. If you like your cigars heavy on the cocoa, coffee, creaminess and citrusy; this is your baby.
As rustic as the cigar is, I am surprised that it performs admirably. The foot required only one correction and it was minor and more for aesthetic reasons for my photo.
The last third is delicious. I grabbed a Diet Coke long ago to taste the egg cream experience. A New York delicacy of seltzer water, chocolate syrup, and milk.
The last bit of the cigar remains smooth and not a hint of harshness. The nub is cool as a cuke. A bit of nicotine shows itself but not enough to make me swoon.
I can recommend this cigar due to its full flavored characteristics. When you hand these out to your friends, they may not be impressed by its looks but they will be impressed by its flavors.
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Sounds like a winner for Wally world…I’ll give that stick a try based on your recommendation…Nice review…Thanks !
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Wally my boy,
This is the perfect cigar for you. It never goes above medium in body and is very flavorful. The only drawback is that it really does need a month, at least, of rest in your humidor to bring out those delicious flavors.
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Do my eyes deceive me? Can this be true? Has the great prophet of the forbidden leaf Kohn been conned himself by the ubiquitous cheap house brand wares of the notorious Kazaid??? And the Guseman is in on it as well? Why is my finger twitching to pull the trigger on this “Blade” to sample for myself? So many unanswered questions. These are indeed signs of the end times. I guess I will have to build that backyard bunker after all.
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