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Gurkha Centurian

jarublajarubla Posts: 2,329 ✭✭✭✭✭
Smoked one last night.

Having read the overall consensus regarding the brand, I figured this was going to be a bit of an experimental smoke for me. Please know how stubborn I am, and note I was determined to finish it in order to give it a full/honest chance. 

It almost sounds like a cliche, but it blew up. I tore apart the nub this morning and the wrapper leaves seem exceptionally thin; compared to the other nubs in my butt box, there was a noticeable difference in the Gurkha wrapper versus the other wrapper nubs.

On to the actual smoke itself:

Pre-light smell was faint barnyard (the secret to a good smoke, IMHO), and something else, a slightly tangy/off odor. The cello had a nice yellow tinge to it. 

Pre light draw was good.

Smoking the actual stick:

Butane torch, toasted the foot, then lit it.

First 3rd was pretty bland. All I could describe was an indistinct, slightly funky aged profile. I was searching for descriptors and the only other profile I found a off-flavor nuttiness. I was not expecting much from that point. 

Second 3rd it opened up and tasted better -- I was surprised. I got cedar and some light pepper profiles. The odd funk went away. This may be due to the shape of the cigar itself as the ash was significantly past the closed foot area (but to be fair, other closed foot cigars I have sampled did not taste like this). The wrapper came undone early in the second third. Had to be retouched once.

The ash fell only once, during mid second 3rd. 

The final third/down to nub: hot. Spicy red pepper, and a very generic profile.

Overall smoke time was 1 hour 40 mins. 

I will not buy this one again, but will smoke it if it is the only choice I have. I am still surprised that the cliche rang true. This one is a odd one--it blew up, it is relatively expensive for the quality of the smoke, and subsequently I feel it to be overpriced. I know I might offend some, but I would even dare say this is a overpriced yard gar. 

If you dig these, I am not writing this to attack you (grins), just not my cup o' tea. 

Cigars I have well and truly enjoyed? A. Funete (any), Nub (any), Macanudo (esp. when searching for light flavor), CAO (any), & Davidoff cigarillos. The only other cigar other than Garcia y Vega and Swisher, I truly was non-plussed with was a Wicked Indie (another Gurkha brand).

And so, I am sharing this review as I thought people had some misunderstood-by-me case of the a.s.s. against Gurkha. But the stick exploded like clockwork, and the overall smoke left me wanting a lot more.

So a single burning question remains for me: is the exploding phenomenon due to the thinness of the wrapper leaf?

Overall, I rank this one and a half out of five stogies. It lit, the ash was phenomenal, and the company I shared for that nearly two hours under the sky was fantastic. The smoke left several things to be desired.

N00b out.

-Jay
“There’ll be two dates on your tombstone and all your friends will read ’em but all that’s gonna matter is that little dash between ’em.” -Kevin Welch

Comments

  • Gray4linesGray4lines Posts: 4,691 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It really does seem like every Gurkha I've had has an extremely thin wrapper. This was true for all of the Titans, Ancient Warrior, some other random lines...  paper thin. No wonder they always pop or unravel.

    I think it is definitely a contributor.  I'm not sure why they blend it that way... maybe it's all about the "small batch" tobacco and who cares if it's not really a suitable leaf for a wrapper.  
    LLA - Lancero Lovers of America
  • Usaf06Usaf06 Posts: 10,932 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I bought a mazo of 10 Beauties and didn't have one issue with them blowing up. They were actually very tasty. The only issue was the draw for the first 3rd
    "I drink a great deal. I sleep a little, and I smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in two-hundred-percent form."
    -- Winston Churchill

    "LET'S GO FRANCIS"     Peter

  • jimmyv723jimmyv723 Posts: 1,858 ✭✭✭
    Got some of these a few years ago and they were good Cigars but every single one of them had wrapper issues and unraveled. 
    Ken Light 3K MOW Badge - 8/14
    2015 Gang War - East Coast
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  • ExpendableYouthExpendableYouth Posts: 2,105 ✭✭✭✭✭
    When I first started smoking I bought the Gurka 50 sampler and couldn't give them away fast enough. The Centurion was my favorite of the sampler, but I sure wouldn't smoke them again if I could help it. They were all very one dimensional and plagued with construction issues. 
  • EulogyEulogy Posts: 2,463 ✭✭✭✭✭
    The centurion, like all of the Gurkhas that I've tried, have a thin wispy smoke that I also don't enjoy. This is one of the better Gurkhas but that isn't saying very much. For the price there is far better choices out there.
  • Lee.mcglynnLee.mcglynn Posts: 5,960 ✭✭✭✭
    Best Gurkha I've ever had was the one I never smoked!
    Money can't buy taste
  • ExpendableYouthExpendableYouth Posts: 2,105 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Best Gurkha I've ever had was the one I never smoked!
    This ^
  • skydiverDskydiverD Posts: 2,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Fudge!.  I shoulda read this before bidding on 6 Centurians! Oh Well, lesson soon to be learned....LOL
    How do you like my profile pic Taborski?   @matkn293          
  • peter4jcpeter4jc Posts: 15,315 ✭✭✭✭✭
    skydiverD said:
    Fudge!.  I shoulda read this before bidding on 6 Centurians! Oh Well, lesson soon to be learned....LOL
    And to think, I was just going to PM you about a fiver trade...  pheew, saved again!
    "I could've had a Mi Querida!"   Nick Bardis
  • skydiverDskydiverD Posts: 2,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
    But you'll receive 6 while only giving up 5. B)
    How do you like my profile pic Taborski?   @matkn293          
  • skydiverDskydiverD Posts: 2,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
    By the way, I smoked one of these. Very bad plastic like flavor.  Checked to see if I was smoking the cellophane along with it, but no, it was just the cigar. The rest of these are now aging in my trash can awaiting transport to a landfill where they can age indefinitely.  I wouldn't dare send these out to anyone even with a $10 bill wrapped around each one. LOL
    How do you like my profile pic Taborski?   @matkn293          
  • jarublajarubla Posts: 2,329 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @skydiverD, @brodskaleswill take those from you, he is a fan!

    -Jay
    “There’ll be two dates on your tombstone and all your friends will read ’em but all that’s gonna matter is that little dash between ’em.” -Kevin Welch
  • brodskalesbrodskales Posts: 78
    You and I have very similar taste in everything but Gurkha. Though I do agree that the Centurion is way ogrepriced. Mine too did blow up. 
  • mb92755mb92755 Posts: 34
    I had the Monster Maduro Sampler recently and didn't have any wrapper issues. I thought the flavors were pretty one dimensional though. I had wicked bad burn issues too. They'd smoke ok for the first third and then start burning one-sided and keep going out. This was consistent on almost every one. I also picked up a Signature 1887 at my local store that was so densely rolled that I could not draw through it. It was the most dense cigar I've ever had, had knots that were hard and I had to throw it out. All in all I consider it a lesson. No more Gurkhas.
  • brodskalesbrodskales Posts: 78
    I bought the sampler as well and I had a Gurkha do that to me.  But man that Genghis Khan was so good.
  • mb92755mb92755 Posts: 34
    The Genghis Kahn was the best of the sampler IMHO. Maybe because it was the smallest gage of them all. It burned normally unlike the 58's and 60's. Maybe that's my problem. I seem to be a slow smoker. Sticks that others experience for an hour last me an hour and a half or two.
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