I don't understand Gurkha

Goldy

Ok, Here is what I do not understand. Gurkha cigars have some of the highest MSRP discounts I have seen during specials (80%) so is the high price of these cigars just a marketing ploy or do they actually expect people to pay 30.00 for a Titan? To me, Gurkhas are OK, nothing I would jump up and down for but I won't decline one either. Thoughts?

deaDKennedys

I happen to love the Titan a lot since it opened my taste buds to full body cigars, but I still wouldn't pay 30 a stick for it cause at that price I'll rather buy a GoF or Opus X. I just buy in them bulk when they run deals on them.

kuzi16

Goldy:

Ok, Here is what I do not understand. Gurkha cigars have some of the highest MSRP discounts I have seen during specials (80%) so is the high price of these cigars just a marketing ploy or do they actually expect people to pay 30.00 for a Titan? To me, Gurkhas are OK, nothing I would jump up and down for but I won't decline one either. Thoughts?

i suspect a fwe things here.

the tobacco used in some of gurkha's short run or very high end cigars is fairly rare. but they buy the tobacco at a good price. they then say how rare it is and place the price high because its "rare" and limited supply thus, a higher price.
when the cigar does not move at a pace that is profitable they make deals with retail establishments to run deals to move cigars at a discount. at the discounted price, people will say that it is a good cigar. for example, i love the centurian. i have a few in my humidor. i would love to smoke more. its probably my favorite gurkha. is it worth $20? this is where the line blured. i would have never bought the cigar hat it been $20. i got a few on a one day deal somewhere a few years ago and now i love em.

its all marketing.

when my wife and i were setting up our chocolate business and we were deciding prices a bit of advice that we got was:

If you sell out all the time, your prices are too cheap. If you cant sell 50% of your stock your prices are to high. look to sell 85% - 90% of what you have on display at any given time. thats how you know your prices are right on.

im not 100% sold on this concept but, there is some merit to it. they set the prices where they set them because they make money on them there and sell enough to do so.

Lasabar

I've had a BEAST and a Gurkha that Kuzi sent me and the BEAST to me was a little bland, but that's because of two things
1. There's not a good wrapper to filler ratio and I love me some wrapper flavors (that's where the most flavor comes from) so the fact that the BEAST is so gosh darn thick that it lost a little to me
2. I was out drinking... I've noticed that a Gurkha does demand a little attention to be truly utilized
Yet the other Gurkha (I think class regent) was really smooth and a well crafted cigar

I do respect Gurkha and I have to say that I am super excited for a couple reasons, I have heard up and down how good Gurkha's are and I have done my research and waited patiently and I have a good deal of centurians and TITAN II's... the TITAN's are going to be amazing with the reduced ring guage!!! (hopefully since I've only smoked two Gurkha's in my years)

Lasabar

Question for Kuzi

I'm a little heart broken for I made a dumb mistake and wondering if anyone can help me

I have two Gurkha Centurians from May '08 and I just recently purchased 6 more from the Weekend Blitz and a resigning of the COTMC...
After giggling like a school girl about the beauty of the 8 Centurians and thinking that I can smoke at least ONE of the year old one's for I have a small stash built...

"Wait a minute... I have all 8 together... which ones are the year old ones???.... poop"

Now I've tried to look at the cellophane but not one is really overly yellow so I'm kinda stuck, is there any definitive way to tell which ones are 3 weeks old and which ones are a year???

rwheelwright

I did the same thing with a bunch of cigars, mostly Gurkhas. I wasn;t paying attention and just had in my mind that I wanted to consolidate most of my gurkhas into the same humidor if possible. I mixed up 5 Warlords from middle of last year with the box I bought in December. And the same thing happened with the Grand Age. THEN... I did the same thing with the Beasts and Beautys that I bought. I have since learned my lesson and the Centurions I have gotten this year are separated from the ones I got last year. I think I have approx 15 I got this year and maybe 10 from last year. So, I feel your pain Lassy. I don't think there is a way to tell.

rwheelwright

kuzi16:

Goldy:

Ok, Here is what I do not understand. Gurkha cigars have some of the highest MSRP discounts I have seen during specials (80%) so is the high price of these cigars just a marketing ploy or do they actually expect people to pay 30.00 for a Titan? To me, Gurkhas are OK, nothing I would jump up and down for but I won't decline one either. Thoughts?

i suspect a fwe things here.

the tobacco used in some of gurkha's short run or very high end cigars is fairly rare. but they buy the tobacco at a good price. they then say how rare it is and place the price high because its "rare" and limited supply thus, a higher price.
when the cigar does not move at a pace that is profitable they make deals with retail establishments to run deals to move cigars at a discount. at the discounted price, people will say that it is a good cigar. for example, i love the centurian. i have a few in my humidor. i would love to smoke more. its probably my favorite gurkha. is it worth $20? this is where the line blured. i would have never bought the cigar hat it been $20. i got a few on a one day deal somewhere a few years ago and now i love em.

its all marketing.

when my wife and i were setting up our chocolate business and we were deciding prices a bit of advice that we got was:

If you sell out all the time, your prices are too cheap. If you cant sell 50% of your stock your prices are to high. look to sell 85% - 90% of what you have on display at any given time. thats how you know your prices are right on.

im not 100% sold on this concept but, there is some merit to it. they set the prices where they set them because they make money on them there and sell enough to do so.

I would like to add that I think part of it is "Hey, if I can get $20 for this cigar then good for me and to bad for them but if I get $5 - $6 then I'll break even". It's almost like a way to take advantage of the customer. If people wound't pay the $20+ then they wouldn't be able to get away with charging that but to some people, price doesn't matter. I mean, I could get a HMR for approx $400 compared to other prices like $750.

Vulchor

I personally have never found a brand more consistent than Gurhaka.....each one I have tried from any of their lines (save maybethe cheap Parl Ave. line) have consistenly been the most average cigars I have ever smoked.

Vulchor

kuzi16:

Goldy:

Ok, Here is what I do not understand. Gurkha cigars have some of the highest MSRP discounts I have seen during specials (80%) so is the high price of these cigars just a marketing ploy or do they actually expect people to pay 30.00 for a Titan? To me, Gurkhas are OK, nothing I would jump up and down for but I won't decline one either. Thoughts?

i suspect a fwe things here.

the tobacco used in some of gurkha's short run or very high end cigars is fairly rare. but they buy the tobacco at a good price. they then say how rare it is and place the price high because its "rare" and limited supply thus, a higher price.
when the cigar does not move at a pace that is profitable they make deals with retail establishments to run deals to move cigars at a discount. at the discounted price, people will say that it is a good cigar. for example, i love the centurian. i have a few in my humidor. i would love to smoke more. its probably my favorite gurkha. is it worth $20? this is where the line blured. i would have never bought the cigar hat it been $20. i got a few on a one day deal somewhere a few years ago and now i love em.

its all marketing.

when my wife and i were setting up our chocolate business and we were deciding prices a bit of advice that we got was:

If you sell out all the time, your prices are too cheap. If you cant sell 50% of your stock your prices are to high. look to sell 85% - 90% of what you have on display at any given time. thats how you know your prices are right on.

im not 100% sold on this concept but, there is some merit to it. they set the prices where they set them because they make money on them there and sell enough to do so.

JKuzi is exactly right. Economics (which I took much more in college than I have ever used in my job) shows that the ideal percent to strive for is an 80-85% sale ratio at what your prices are listed at. This means your selling most of your goods at a price you can benefit from while maximizing your overall profits....and have a small amount left over which can be lowered to attract new customers.

kuzi16

Lasabar:

Question for Kuzi

I'm a little heart broken for I made a dumb mistake and wondering if anyone can help me

I have two Gurkha Centurians from May '08 and I just recently purchased 6 more from the Weekend Blitz and a resigning of the COTMC...
After giggling like a school girl about the beauty of the 8 Centurians and thinking that I can smoke at least ONE of the year old one's for I have a small stash built...

"Wait a minute... I have all 8 together... which ones are the year old ones???.... poop"

Now I've tried to look at the cellophane but not one is really overly yellow so I'm kinda stuck, is there any definitive way to tell which ones are 3 weeks old and which ones are a year???

thats a tuffie.


the cello is not yellow... are some cellos more wrinkled?

very early in my cigar collection (second shipment) i started to date them. the date was when they hit my humidor. ive never had this problem.


this may be a long shot but can you pull them out and see if you feel a difference? if the newest ones are fresh in there is a good chance they will feel a tad over humidified. maybe.
thats a long shot. im not sure i could do that. its worth a try though... right?

gmill880

Is there a little bit of loose tobacco in the cello? Maybe a sign of being handled over time ? Thats very un scientific I know but just a long shot ...

JZ

If you would like, send them to me, I will fire them up and let you know which ones I think was the new and old. I can send back the nubs after I am done! JK

gmill880

Now here's a thought. I have bought cigars that have sit at B&M's for awhile, probably at least a year. When I took the band off the wrapper the cigar was always darker under the band area. If you don't mind losing the band thats probably going to be one of the closest ways of finding out. Just my thoughts. Good Luck !

undulac

I haven't had too many Gurkhas, maybe 6. Most of the reason is that they make so many of them that I am not going to spend the money on singles to find which I like before I would multiple. Also, out of the 6 or so that I have had, 4 had burn issues with 2 being major. I know that stuff happens but it has just put a bad taste in my mouth about them.

bbc020

undulac:

put a bad taste in my mouth about them.

yeah, I haven't had many Gurkha's put a good taste in my mouth

j0z3r

Vulchor:

I personally have never found a brand more consistent than Gurhaka.....each one I have tried from any of their lines ... have consistenly been the most average cigars I have ever smoked.

HA! That sounds like something I might say.

Vulchor

j0z3r:

Vulchor:

I personally have never found a brand more consistent than Gurhaka.....each one I have tried from any of their lines ... have consistenly been the most average cigars I have ever smoked.

HA! That sounds like something I might say.

LOL---A man with good humor is always nice to find....a woman too I suppose but thats another story entirely.

kuzi16

Vulchor:

I personally have never found a brand more consistent than Gurhaka.....each one I have tried from any of their lines (save maybethe cheap Parl Ave. line) have consistenly been the most average cigars I have ever smoked.

i think thats very fair though. gurkha has something like 74 different blends out right now. not only that, but as a company, they have a distinct blending style. the gurkhas that i like best are the classic gurkhas that exemplify that style. those are the cigars that they made because they wanted to make good cigars, not just more money with new blends. those factors put together (many blends all with a similar style) have taken away from the "wow factor" of gurkha.

they may be well made cigars with rare tobacco, but to tell the truth, im a bit gurkha-ed out.


that being said, i still love the regent for a mild smoke.

Lasabar

kuzi16:

but to tell the truth, im a bit gurkha-ed out.


that being said, i still love the regent for a mild smoke.

Ummmmmmmmm.... anyone else feel a bit scared, like food doesn't taste the same anymore... Your girlfriend isn't as hott anymore... Your camp counselor doesn't touch you as well anymore.... the sun isn't as bright anymore....

Que the seven horsemen and the seven seals and seven trumpets

rmccloud

Lasabar:

Your camp counselor doesn't touch you as well anymore....

Is there something that you need to talk about with your therapist?

Lasabar

rmccloud:

Lasabar:

Your camp counselor doesn't touch you as well anymore....

Is there something that you need to talk about with your therapist?

Already do........ Sadly, Already do........

kaspera79

>> Lassie, you do have some issues that should be addressed.

bigj51

Lasabar:

Your camp counselor doesn't touch you as well anymore....

Show us on the doll where he touched you.

Lasabar

bigj51:

Lasabar:

Your camp counselor doesn't touch you as well anymore....

Show us on the doll where he touched you.

I'm going to need more dolls

RoyalCigars

In regard to Gurkha, from the samples I have tried I find their cigars to be of good quality but my problem with Gurkha is too much emphasis is put on fancy packaging. This to me raises questions. I am to beleive that the steep price tag is justifiable because the packaging is fancy? Is the packaging perhaps compensating for the content? When you look at other prominent cigar manufacturers such as Don Pepin Garcia who as we know makes exellent cigars, we see his products come housed in straight forward packaging. I mean lets be honest here, good presentation is appreciated but in the end you cant smoke the box. It almost seems like Gurkha needs the packaging to be ornate and exotic to uphold there claim as the "Rolls Royce of Cigars" as you may see mentioned here on CCOM. I beleive as a avid cigar smoker that as the saying goes "the proof is in the pudding".

-ROYAL-

phobicsquirrel

Vulchor:

I personally have never found a brand more consistent than Gurhaka.....each one I have tried from any of their lines (save maybethe cheap Parl Ave. line) have consistenly been the most average cigars I have ever smoked.

I haven't had a lot of problems with them either and since there are so many of them it's pretty good. I can't say I like all cigars from them but the one's I do like I have many of them. But yes, the prices are way inflated. I've been able to find good buys on all the one's I have, minus the red and green dragons which I paid 150ish for a box of 10. But I couldn't find them cheaper or many places.

Goldy

Funny, I was just about to go dumpster diving for this thread.

Can someone explain why every single gurkha cigar smells like a hog barnyard to me? Do they furment all of their sticks the same way? Its starting to really bother me.

KCW

deaDKennedys:

I happen to love the Titan a lot since it opened my taste buds to full body cigars, but I still wouldn't pay 30 a stick for it cause at that price I'll rather buy a GoF or Opus X. I just buy in them bulk when they run deals on them.

I do the same thing excpet the ones I like are the Legends. I won't pay full price for them though.

Krieg

bbc020:

undulac:

put a bad taste in my mouth about them.

yeah, I haven't had many Gurkha's put a good taste in my mouth

I would have to say I agree with you except thanks to Laker, I actually had a decent Gurkha. He sent me a few and I tried one of the Sherpas he sent me. I have to say, it was a totaly different experience from the first few Gurks I've had.

Alex Williams

Lasabar:

kuzi16:

but to tell the truth, im a bit gurkha-ed out.


that being said, i still love the regent for a mild smoke.

Ummmmmmmmm.... anyone else feel a bit scared, like food doesn't taste the same anymore... Your girlfriend isn't as hott anymore... Your camp counselor doesn't touch you as well anymore.... the sun isn't as bright anymore....

Que the seven horsemen and the seven seals and seven trumpets

my world just turned upside down.... everything anyone ever told me has been a lie! im gonna go curl up in the fetal position and cry...

Unthought_Known

To me it's just a marketing gimmick. It sounds nice when people can get a cigar at an 85% discount, so by setting the bar really high it enables them to mark it down well. There's no way they expect to get retail price for them.