Because of that boom and the bust that followed it we are now smoking some of the highest quality cigars that have ever been produced. Only the best survived the bust of the late 90's early 2000's.
Because of that boom and the bust that followed it we are now smoking some of the highest quality cigars that have ever been produced. Only the best survived the bust of the late 90's early 2000's.
My point exactly.. Cigar producers realized they better improve the quality and keep the price reasonable in order to remain in business . Production was cut way back. cigar were not available, and the " fashion smokers " left.. making more product available for the dedicated.. I remember paying 5 bucks for a Curly Head back in the late 90's. Everything was right around 8-10 bucks for what was considered good, and Macanudo was the GOLD STANDARD.. Times are so much better now.
Heh. I like that, kas. I'm totally gonna steal it.
I hear what you guys are saying, but there's way too much "maybe you just got a bad one" for me to believe they've completely sorted out their problems.
I've never had a Davidoff, maddy, but you're making want to try them.
Urbi, I'm actually not a huge Davidoff fan as they are typically too light bodies for me but even as a mild bodied cigar they are ALWAYS full flavored. Pick up a millenium blend small perfecto.
The fact that you put Macanudo and GOLD STANDARD in the same post makes me want to cry. Truly it is a sad, sad thing.
Now I never claimed they were the gold standard but people talked about them like they were hand made by God himself.. No kidding..if you didn't have a mac you were smoking s..., in others opinion..
I will say the only thing Gurkha and Rolls Royce have in common aside from their ridiculous price tags, is that they are handmade. The difference is one is in an industry that requires that.
kuzi16:
they are in the same legue as Rocky Patel, OpusX, and to an extent, davidoff.
Kuzi here is where strongly disagree with you, they are in the same league as RP whos sticks cost 1/3 of the price. But they aren't in the same class as Davidoff. First and foremost they only produce cigars they don't own and control every aspect of the cigar making from hand picking the seeds and soil to having a standard for how straight the cut on the foot must be.
Another thing that strikes me as odd is that Hansotia has recently come out with the new line of non-Gurkha, Gurkha's which bear his name instead of the Gurkha name. THese are the cheaper Gurkha's, why would you put your name on something inferior. If I made something and came out with a line of that product that was going to bear my name, it would be the best! Just my little rant sorry.
Finally has anyone ever seen a rating of any Gurkha cigar by any major publisher? I hate CA personally but what about Insider or Smoke? Anyone?
and
madurofan:
WOW, I sounded like a complete cigar snob, and I apologize for that just had to go on a little rant about Gurkha. While I do appreciate some of their cigars, I am rather tired of hearing how they are the "Rolls Royce of Cigars". Just pricing yourself to the high end doesn't make you the high end. Whether I am a fan of their cigars or not is irrelevant. I'm not a Davidoff fan but I have to say they are the "Rolls Royce of Cigars" PERIOD!
i can see what youa re saying. i believe that they are still iving off of their previous status. like i said they wanted more market share. quality went down. when they were a boutique brand their price was because of the limited quantity. and in a way its the same now. they dont roll that many cigars. people still want them. they charge more for them. its good buisness. once they cant sell them like they used to, the price will come down.
camacho put out two brands not under their name: jerico, danli reserve. its not a name issue, maybe its a way to train better rlollers, or get in on the low end market without killing gurkhas name. the Gurkha name is still good. the G3, the regent, the centurian, the titan, the beast, and the legend still command respect. they are still good cigars. you cant put them into the same class as some of the $3 "by gurkha" cigars out there. just like you dont put davidoff in the same class as cigar.com house blends, or jerico and danli reserve with camacho... even though they are made in the same factory. gurkha doesnt call themselves the "rolls Royce of Cigars" their website says "worlds finest cigars" thats just taking pride in their work. THe fact is, they sell tons of cigars and on all websites that sell cigars the ratings of gurkha cigars by consumers is always very high. the ratings by the staff are very high. speaking of ratings.
when was the last time we saw a rating of a 5 vegas in CA, CI, or smoke? we all respect them dont we? ... and since when do the cigar rags tell US what we like?
The fact that you put Macanudo and GOLD STANDARD in the same post makes me want to cry. Truly it is a sad, sad thing.
Now I never claimed they were the gold standard but people talked about them like they wer hand made by God himself.. No kidding..if you didn't have a mac you were smoking s..., in others opinion..
i can see what youa re saying. i believe that they are still iving off of their previous status. like i said they wanted more market share. quality went down. when they were a boutique brand their price was because of the limited quantity. and in a way its the same now. they dont roll that many cigars. people still want them. they charge more for them. its good buisness. once they cant sell them like they used to, the price will come down.
I'm a business man and agree here if they can get that much for them then they damn well should, I just won't pay that much for them.
kuzi16:
camacho put out two brands not under their name: jerico, danli reserve. its not a name issue, maybe its a way to train better rlollers, or get in on the low end market without killing gurkhas name. the Gurkha name is still good. the G3, the regent, the centurian, the titan, the beast, and the legend still command respect. they are still good cigars. you cant put them into the same class as some of the $3 "by gurkha" cigars out there. just like you dont put davidoff in the same class as cigar.com house blends, or jerico and danli reserve with camacho... even though they are made in the same factory.
Its the fact that he put his own name on an inferior stick that bothers me, not that he came out with a cheaper stick. Its just odd to me.
kuzi16:
gurkha doesnt call themselves the "rolls Royce of Cigars" their website says "worlds finest cigars" thats just taking pride in their work. THe fact is, they sell tons of cigars and on all websites that sell cigars the ratings of gurkha cigars by consumers is always very high. the ratings by the staff are very high.
No doubt they should have pride in their work or they shouldn't be doing it at all. I understand its not their slogan but I'm just tired of people throwing around the idea that they are the "Rolls Royce of Cigars" when in reality they have nothing in common with Rolls aside from being very expensive. Its BS. The reality is they take more time with their tobacco but aside from that their is nothing exceptional that they do. They are good, sometimes very good cigars that are overpriced, just my opinion as far as the pricing. But I believe more people would agree with me on that than wouldn't. Have you ever wondered why these online retailers always have some deal on Gurkha's?
when was the last time we saw a rating of a 5 vegas in CA, CI, or smoke? we all respect them dont we? ... and since when do the cigar rags tell US what we like?
Thanks for that info. I'm definetly with you on rags tells us what to smoke. My take on the 5 Vegas thing though is we all respect them at their price point, at $20+ a stick I'd want to see some 90+ scores before I bought them. Again just my opinion.
ok i did some reading of old CAs and out of a 6 issue subscription (one year) they did review 6 gurkhas.
feb 07 Gurkha Class Regent 89. ( beat a cuban cohiba at 88 and a don carlos no 2 at 87)
April 07 Gurkha Black Beauty 84 ( lowest in the section)
June 07 Gurkha legend 90 ( beat a La Aurora preferidos no1 at 85 )
Aug 07 Gurkha Grand Age 90 ( same as a san cristobal del la habana and beat the diamond crown maximus at 85)
Oct 07 Gurkha Shaggy 83 (second lowest on the list)
Dec 07 Gurkha G3 88 (beat a davidoff 5000. it had an 87 and a davidoff aniversario no3 tubo at 86)
for those who cant count thats one an issue. and though they arent always in the 90s you can see that they are on par with other cigars that cost about the same or have the same kind of (if not more ) respect than the gurkha.
not that i take CA as my leader but it is more evidence that gurkha can compete --even at the price point.
Oct 07 Gurkha Shaggy 83 (second lowest on the list)
They gave the Gurkha shaggy an 83! Thats just BS! The shaggy IMHO should be higher than an 83! Also I stand corrected Kuzi, apparently I just missed all these reviews! Those Davidoffs are half the price of Gurkha's though. I'm not arguing they aren't quality cigars, I'm arguing they are overpriced and they aren't they the "Rolls Royce of Cigars", thats all nothing more nothing less. I mean damn I just bought a 5 pack, but it was at the right price.
Oct 07 Gurkha Shaggy 83 (second lowest on the list)
They gave the Gurkha shaggy an 83! Thats just BS! The shaggy IMHO should be higher than an 83! Also I stand corrected Kuzi, apparently I just missed all these reviews! Those Davidoffs are half the price of Gurkha's though. I'm not arguing they aren't quality cigars, I'm arguing they are overpriced and they aren't they the "Rolls Royce of Cigars", thats all nothing more nothing less. I mean damn I just bought a 5 pack, but it was at the right price.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
Comments
I hear what you guys are saying, but there's way too much "maybe you just got a bad one" for me to believe they've completely sorted out their problems.
I've never had a Davidoff, maddy, but you're making want to try them.
camacho put out two brands not under their name: jerico, danli reserve. its not a name issue, maybe its a way to train better rlollers, or get in on the low end market without killing gurkhas name. the Gurkha name is still good. the G3, the regent, the centurian, the titan, the beast, and the legend still command respect. they are still good cigars. you cant put them into the same class as some of the $3 "by gurkha" cigars out there. just like you dont put davidoff in the same class as cigar.com house blends, or jerico and danli reserve with camacho... even though they are made in the same factory.
gurkha doesnt call themselves the "rolls Royce of Cigars" their website says "worlds finest cigars" thats just taking pride in their work. THe fact is, they sell tons of cigars and on all websites that sell cigars the ratings of gurkha cigars by consumers is always very high. the ratings by the staff are very high.
speaking of ratings.
http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Daily/CA_Daily_Cigar/0,2345,484,00.html
http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Daily/CA_Daily_Cigar/0,2345,331,00.html
90, and 88. not too bad. and that was a very quick google search to find those. im sure there are more out there.
when was the last time we saw a rating of a 5 vegas in CA, CI, or smoke? we all respect them dont we? ... and since when do the cigar rags tell US what we like?
Its the fact that he put his own name on an inferior stick that bothers me, not that he came out with a cheaper stick. Its just odd to me.
No doubt they should have pride in their work or they shouldn't be doing it at all. I understand its not their slogan but I'm just tired of people throwing around the idea that they are the "Rolls Royce of Cigars" when in reality they have nothing in common with Rolls aside from being very expensive. Its BS. The reality is they take more time with their tobacco but aside from that their is nothing exceptional that they do. They are good, sometimes very good cigars that are overpriced, just my opinion as far as the pricing. But I believe more people would agree with me on that than wouldn't. Have you ever wondered why these online retailers always have some deal on Gurkha's?
Thanks for that info. I'm definetly with you on rags tells us what to smoke. My take on the 5 Vegas thing though is we all respect them at their price point, at $20+ a stick I'd want to see some 90+ scores before I bought them. Again just my opinion.
feb 07 Gurkha Class Regent 89. ( beat a cuban cohiba at 88 and a don carlos no 2 at 87)
April 07 Gurkha Black Beauty 84 ( lowest in the section)
June 07 Gurkha legend 90 ( beat a La Aurora preferidos no1 at 85 )
Aug 07 Gurkha Grand Age 90 ( same as a san cristobal del la habana and beat the diamond crown maximus at 85)
Oct 07 Gurkha Shaggy 83 (second lowest on the list)
Dec 07 Gurkha G3 88 (beat a davidoff 5000. it had an 87 and a davidoff aniversario no3 tubo at 86)
for those who cant count thats one an issue. and though they arent always in the 90s you can see that they are on par with other cigars that cost about the same or have the same kind of (if not more ) respect than the gurkha.
not that i take CA as my leader but it is more evidence that gurkha can compete --even at the price point.
oh... no 5 vegas at all. geeeez CA!!! not one??
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
Urbi, have you tried the Oliva Master Blend 3? It's like a V but lighter.