Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Ecuadorian
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Dominican (All Ligero leaves)
Size: 5 x 52 “Tyrant”
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $6.25 by the box

This is the third release of a cigar under the umbrella of its East India Trading Company. And distributed by the Gurkha Cigar Group, Inc. The cigar has a box press that looks more like an oval than rectangular or square. It also has a closed foot. The cigar comes in 5 sizes:
Rascal 5.5 x 46
Tyrant 5 x 52
Ruthless 6 x 54
Bamboozle 6 x 60
Armageddon 6 x 66

The cigar has been around for a few months but mostly in B & M’s. I got mine from BestCigarPrices.com. At in-store events, Gurkha has been handing these sticks out like little blue pills.

From the Gurkha Press Release:
“We are very excited about the upcoming launch of Rogue,” said Juan Lopez, National Sales Director of Gurkha Cigar Group. “We feel this is one of the most complex blends we have come out with to date and we are looking forward to this cigar going to market.”
They claim that this stick is a flavor bomb. We shall see. It also calls the foot as unfinished but mine is pretty much closed on top of itself.

The press release also says the stick has a flavor component of roasted chestnuts. ? Anyone remember, off hand, what the hell roasted chestnuts taste like? Maybe this time of year, but how about the rest of the year?
2/3 of the cigar is covered in a double band on the robusto size. It reminds me a little of the Paul Stulac line. It is a white band with an ornate gold skull. The edges of both bands are a little ragged to give them the pirate look. The second band merely states the name of the size in black lettering.
Paul Stulac Logo:

The wrapper is a true coffee bean color. It has a matte finish and no tooth. The stick feels like it is missing some tobacco. And when I give it a little push, I hear a “crack.” The cap is really a joke. The color isn’t even close to that of the wrapper and looks like a bad toupee. As I said earlier, the box press is more an oval than any other shape.

I clip the cap and find aromas of cocoa, earthiness, spice, baking spices, leather, vinegar, and an open can of mixed nuts.
Time to light up.

Big blast of red pepper. More crackling noises coming from the wrapper. This cigar is too dry. Huge plumes of smoke emit from the once closed foot. I don’t know what it is, but lately I’ve reviewed several pepper laden bombs. I like it because it wakes you from one’s stupor…which I find myself in most of the time. Dementia is next. I have to keep reminding our 28 year old daughter, who won’t move out, that I am almost 64, not 40. I am decrepit; not the vibrant young man of long ago.

This is a damn fine tasting cigar. Gurkha, or the East Indian Trading Co., scores another hit. I just reviewed a Gurkha house cigar for BCP called the Blade. Excellent $5 stick.

OK. The construction remains in good shape. The toupee was removed but fell apart while clipping the cap. The draw is very good. The char line is almost perfect. I am getting large doses of pepper but underneath that layer are cream, caramel, nuts, and earthiness. No roasted chestnuts yet. And I must remind you that this ain’t fair. I’m a Jew. Roasting chestnuts at Christmas time is a gentile affair. I don’t think I’ve eaten a dozen of those little bastards my entire life. I don’t know what the hell they taste like.

The shaft softens up a bit removing my fear of wrapper cracklin’s.

Creaminess, sweetness, some kind of fruit, and cocoa lead the pack as almost one flavor module.

I end the first third and this is a nice cigar. Unless it does something magical, like make those Hobbit movies go away, this cigar should really be in the $4-$5 register. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the Lord of the Rings movies when they came out: once. But enough! A bad movie script can’t keep a giant grossing film down.

The stick is a flavor bomb. But nothing really unusual I haven’t tasted in a gazillion Nic puro flavor bombs. But it is nice to see Hansotia is finally making the push to use the New Breed Tattooed Ones’ type of blending. Really. About time.

The cigar has only been in my humidor for a week. And for a lark, I wanted to create an experiment on how good this cigar would be with such little humidor time. Well, Hansotia fooled me. As this cigar behaves perfectly in all aspects of a good cigar, I don’t think months of additional humidor time is going to transform this cigar into a La Grande Classe.

I hit the halfway mark and the cigar is a candy bar. A Snickers bar. I cannot identify roasted chestnuts, just nuts. So you gentiles, knock yourself out. I’m at a total loss.

There is too much glue on the secondary band. I am forced to cut it away. The cigar band material is almost like blotter paper. Hmmmm. I cut a little piece and throw it on to my tongue. I will get back to you in 45 minutes to see if my theory is correct.

The body has been classic medium this whole time. Very smooth. Nicely balanced. An extremely long finish. Chewy. Just an excellent cigar that doesn’t challenge your palate. There is nothing wrong with that and I think we should glory in the fact that Gurkha is catching up with the times.

The last third bursts with flavor like a chewing gum bubble exploding in your face. I think this is a cigar you should try. And then tell me where the chestnuts show up in my comment section.

The pepper shows up in force. It is pounding my palate like the first time I had sex with my kid’s turtle. A few rips and tears, but worth it.

I’m at the point that I am just body painted with flavors. Here they are in descending order: Red pepper, creaminess, cocoa, caramel, sweetness, nuts, dried fruit, leather, and burned wood. Tastes almost fire cured now.

The main band comes off. It’s a disaster. There is too much overlap of the paper. I peel it back almost an inch and it still won’t come off. I use a sharp knife and I am slashing away at the wrapper. Then I use some small scissors and it does the trick but leaving a gaping rip in the wrapper 1-3/8” long. I use some cigar glue. I only have one of these sticks so I don’t know if it is a fatal flaw of the cigar or just a fluke. Bummer. The cigar looks like Frankenstein’s Monster on one side.
I allow the copious amounts of glue to dry.

With a couple inches to go, the body kicks up and the nicotine shows itself. It is now medium/full. Amazingly, the char line has been a joy. Just the slightest of waviness.

The cigar finishes up with a couple new flavors: buttered toast and something that may indeed be the roasted chestnuts. It is very nutty but different from the earlier nutty flavor.

My arse is getting kicked by the nicotine and I am close to seeing double.

Do I recommend this cigar? A couple of issues…the construction. If the troubles I had with the wrapper are just a fluke, then all is well. And the price. I must admit that this cigar is a tad better than the $4-$5 cigars I spoke of earlier. For one, the flavor bomb experience hit very early in the cigar. That’s a big plus. And the cigar is very complex which most $4 cigars are not. The complexity is the big seller for me. I do recommend this cigar but only in a 5 pack to start. And another plus is that the cigar does not need a lot of humidor time so if you are impatient, like me, or are on a small budget, you can reap your satisfaction early in the possession of the cigar.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars, east indian trading co., gurkha, gurkha rogue review