Tag Archives: Gurkha

by Craig Vanderslice | January 7, 2024 · 10:32 am

Gurkha, Adrian Magnus and HVC Cigars, and a Story

Seems like almost a replay of last week, eh? Some of the same brands, different cigars. I smoked the Adrian Magnus XO, which is Cognac infused, and decided it wasn’t for me. Besides the fact that I haven’t touched spirits in over 30 years and have no frame of reference for that flavor palate, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Less said about it, the better, but if you like that sort of thing, go for it. So I hoped for some redemption with the Gurkha 35th Anniversary Toro. This has a Habano wrapper, Indonesian binder and Criollo 98 Nicaraguan Esteli fillers in a 6″ x 54 format, made at the Artista factory. I don’t usually look up the stats on cigars before smoking them, but I was not at all surprised when I read that this was predominantly Criollo. This is a really nice looking cigar, the Habano wrapper is a nice café au lait brown, and it was well made. Criollo tobacco has a tart bite that I don’t care for, going back many years. So much for redemption. If I smoked cigars I really liked all the time this would be a boring blog. If you like Criollo tobacco, you’ll really like this Gurkha 35th Anniversary, and it’s reasonably priced.

Adrian Magnus does made some really good cigars, and the Supremos is another one that I tried and really enjoyed. Maybe I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the Imperials, but I certainly liked it more than the XO. This is a medium bodied cigar made in the Dominican Republic in a 5″ x 50 format. It boasts seven year aged tobaccos, and to my eye, the only way I could tell it apart from the Imperials is by the color of the band. Again, the company is not forthcoming with blend details. The flavor is different though, so it’s definitely more than just the age statement. This starts with a sourness, not off putting, but like a sourdough bread. Eventually a sugar cane sweetness takes over, not excessive, but enough to be interesting. I enjoyed this one, but find myself wanting to go find an old favorite to smoke.

I have a story to tell that I probably should have told nearly 2 years ago when it happened, but I had some reasons for holding off. Since I just heard that the store has closed, I’m going to put it out there. When Son’s Cigars opened up in late 2020 I was told by the manager that if I ever wanted part time work to let him know. It wasn’t until the winter of ’21 that I was in the position to work some extra hours, and I offered my services for Friday nights. Knowing the manager (who has since moved on to another shop), I trusted that compensation would be handled at some point, I wasn’t looking to get rich, but I wasn’t looking to do volunteer work either. Over the course of three months I put in over 40 hours before I said “enough is enough”, I gotta start seeing a paycheck here, and the fun started. I was told that the owner, who also owned a shop or two in NY, and owns a cigar brand, hadn’t approved my hiring, so I couldn’t be added to the payroll. He offered to compensate me with a store gift card. Then, he came back and reneged on that and said that my purchases using an employee discount was equal to the compensation I was due. I could have made a scene, I only mentioned it to a couple people, and I avoided the owners offer to meet to tell me his side of the story because I really didn’t want to hear it, I’ve heard plenty of stories about this guy and just wanted to chalk it up to experience. It was just better for my sanity to let it go and walk away. I spent a few Friday nights smoking cigars and helping customers select cigars that they might enjoy. In the future, I’ll get some details ironed out up front, I was dealing in good faith, and that was taken advantage of. I think the manager was complicit in this as well, he had to know, as I knew he was getting screwed over by the owner as well. I wish he’d have been a friend enough to cut things off before I had to. I distanced myself from the establishment, I even gave back a sample of the owners cigar to his distributor at the trade show on principle. I’ve left the names out to not be a complete d*ck, but it’s not hard to put things together. It’s a shame that Son’s wasn’t handled better, but there are better places around now. Karma gets you every time. I have Cigar Mojo less than a mile away, which has a much nicer lounge, and the selection is getting there…

Speaking of Cigar Mojo, I stopped in yesterday looking for something that I hadn’t smoked before, but I felt would scratch that itch I was having. I was fortunate to run into Trae, one of the owners, there and we had a nice chat. I ended up getting a couple HVC Black Friday 2023 Petit Gordo that I hadn’t smoked. This turned out to have been a great choice. The Petit Gordo is 4½ x 56, just the right size for a hockey period! It has a Mexican San Andrés wrapper with a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Nicaragua, which are lower primings. This is a medium bodied cigar, like a larger Black Friday Firecracker, without the kick! It was smooth and chocolaty, not that it didn’t start with some spice, it did, but it was quite good. It scratched my itch and I’m glad I got more than one and there’s a bunch of them a mile away if I want more! I need to sample more of the HVC line as I have always enjoyed the ones I’ve smoked. I haven’t met Renier Lorenzo, but I’ve heard good things about him. I’ll grab some more HVCs.

That’s more than enough for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as 35th Anniversary, Adrian Magnus, Black Friday, cigar, cigars, Gurkha, HVC, Supremos

by Craig Vanderslice | December 31, 2023 · 10:43 am

Happy New Year! A Gurkha and an Adrian Magnus Cigar

Another year is in the books! It’s the last day of 2023, and we are participating in our annual tradition of trying to talk ourselves into going to Red Lion, PA for the New Years Raising of the Cigar. Red Lion used to have dozens of cigar factories, I think the last one closed a few years ago. I remember buying very inexpensive bags of cigars at a local farmers market that were made there, Van Slyke & Horton, which closed around 2011. The cigars weren’t premium cigars, they might not have even been natural wrapped cigars, they were something like $5 for a bag of 20, whattaya want? Granted, it’s been 25 years since I bought these, the farmers market is now a Home Depot. Anyway, let’s see if we make it tonight! 2023 was a quiet year here, not a lot of travel, not a lot of excitement. I only smoked maybe 150 new to me cigars or so, which seems like a pretty big number, but it’s down considerably from years past. If I had to pick a standout cigar this year it would be either the Muestra de Saka Krakatoa, or the Red Meat Lovers Club Ribeye, both Dunbarton Tobacco and Trust products. 2024 should have some more activity, I hope to travel some more. Anyway, Happy New Year, be careful, and enjoy some fine cigars!

Gurkha Cigars sent a nice holiday care package this year, consisting of a little humidor with five of their cigars within. It may or may not have been packed in loose tobacco that made what can be best described as a tobacco glitter bomb (hat tip: Kap), I’m not looking any horse in the mouth, let alone a gift one. It’s appreciated, and the little humidor makes a nice “on deck” humidor. It’s not Gurkha over the top like they’ve done in the past, very classy. I selected one of the cigars that I hadn’t smoked before, a Gurkha Grand Age II in the Toro size. I hadn’t heard of this one, but I didn’t get to the TPE show where this was presented. Apparently its a budget cigar, in the $7 range, this was the Habano, it comes in Maduro and Connecticut also, made in Nicaragua. This one had a very floral taste, and I got a hint of a mintiness, much like I got from the East India Classic Havana Blend, which makes sense now. This is probably not a cigar I’d smoke again, although I’d give the Maduro a shot. It performed well, the burn and draw were perfect, and it just wasn’t a flavor profile that I gravitate towards. There are some other cigars that came in that package that I’m looking forward to trying. Thank you to Gurkha for thinking of me.

I had correspondence a while ago with a gentleman from Adrian Magnus Cigars. I hadn’t heard of this brand, do I did some poking around, didn’t find much more info, and kinda tried to talk him out of sending samples. New cigar brands with high price tags aren’t really my thing. I wasn’t successful, and a package from Hungary showed of a week or so ago. I’m working up my courage to try the Cognac infused cigars, as a non-drinker, I have no frame of reference for spirits flavors, but the other two looked good. Adrian Magnus started in 2020 and is based in Spain. The cigars are made in the Dominican Republic, they aren’t forthcoming with too much blend information. The cigars arrived sealed with Boveda packs (60 gram packs for 3 cigars!) and were in good condition. After a few days rest I decided to sample the Imperials in the 5″ x 50 Robusto size (they list the length on the website as 152, which, it that’s millimeters, it’s closer to six inches, and this is definitely 5″). Like I said, $17 cigars aren’t in my wheelhouse, so I have to really think about what makes a cigar that price. Shipping has to figure in, small batches, aged leaf. This has an age statement on the band of 10 years, not sure if that refers to the wrapper or one of the component tobaccos. The cigars (I smoked two yesterday), smoked well, although one has some wrapper damage where I tried to remove the band. I want to say these are blended for the European palate. There’s a (again) floral, fruity component, with a sweetness that starts vert subtle, but builds. If I weren’t such a cynic, I might not be surprised to find out there was Cuban tobacco in this cigar. Of course, export of Cuban tobacco to the DR seems unlikely, and it would be illegal to sell cigars containing it in the US. Anyway, I quite enjoyed this cigar as an afternoon change of pace and look forward to trying the Supremos and XO next. Thanks to Vadim for sending these!

That’s all for now, today, this week, this month, this year! A big thank you to all of you for your support over the last year! Until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Adrian Magnus, cigar, cigars, Grand Age II, Gurkha, Imperials

by Craig Vanderslice | April 2, 2023 · 9:38 am

Toscano, Gurkha, Dos Niños and Cavalier Cigars

I started off this week with something a little different. I had a Toscano Master Aged Serie 3 in the humidor from last year’s PCA show, and I decided it was time to give it a try. I’ve been enjoying Toscano cigars for over 20 years, my wife brought me some from a trip to Italy in 2000 (Anticos), and I’ve been a fan. I bought some more when I went to Italy myself a few years back, Unfortunately, I have so many other cigars to smoke, these get pushed to the back of the rotation. They are dry cured, so they are great to keep in the car in case of emergency, and it’s totally acceptable to cut them in half. The Master Aged 3 I smoked is a high end Toscano, made with aged Kentucky tobacco, which is fire cured and tastes like it. I probably should have cut it in half, because it had a hole in the middle of the cigar, under the band, which I had to cover with a finger to get a decent amount of smoke. I only realize as I type that I could have cut it in half, it never occured to me when I was smoking it. that would have saved me some frustration! It was a bold, tasty cigar with the smoky, bar-be-cue type of flavors which is nice from time to time. I still think the Modigliani is the best Toscano I’ve smoked.

I bought a Gurkha Ghost Gold a few weeks ago after hearing someone rave about it. I like the original Ghost well enough, so I wanted to give this a try. They have replaced the Brazilian wrapper with a Habano, grown in Ecuador. I have to give a little critique of the Gurkha website here, on the Ghost pages there are some errors, the Gold list all three sizes the same, when it should be the Shadow at 5″ x 54, and the Exorcist at 6″ x 60, with the Asura, 6″X 54 being the only one correct. There is also an inconsistency in the blend info, one place it says a Criollo 98 binder and Mexican in another. I tend to believe it has a Mexican binder. This was a very nice smoke, I smoked it while watching Blazing Saddles, which may be a little ironic. The cigar burned well and had a nice, creamy sweetness. I dug it, although it wouldn’t make any lists for me. I’d smoke either the Ghost or the Gold again.

Another PCA show leftover was a Dos Niños robusto, which I believe to be the Corojo variety. The guy behind this cigar is someone I’ve known for many years, from the Usenet days, named Chris Kelly. There are an abundance of Chris Kellys in the cigar business, one owns Tesa Cigars in Chicago, one is one of the owners of Ezra Zion/Cigar Federation, and one is the owner of Leaf Lovers Tobacconist in the incorrectly named town of North East, PA. (it’s near Erie, with is in the North West part of the state). It’s the third one who owns the Dos Niños brand. From what I remember, he started this brand rolling the cigars himself in his shop. If I also remember correctly, which is a crapshoot, by the way, the are now produced by Francisco Almonte of DBL Cigars, and distributed by Sutliff. This cigar started off bold, which is why I think it was the Corojo as opposed to the Habano. It had a rich, heavy chocolate flavor that was quite good. It was less of a sweet chocolate, but very lush and satisfying. I quite enjoyed the cigar, although I’ve been passing it over for the last 8 months, worried that if I smoked it and didn’t enjoy it I’d hurt a friend’s feelings. No issue, it was very good. I’ve spent my weekend power-watching House of the Dragon before my free trial expires, and this got me through an episode and a half, pretty good for a 5″ x 50 robusto.

Finally, I smoked a Cavalier Geneve White toro last night. I was watching TV, and a wicked thunderstorm passed through, knocking out the power for 45 minutes or so. Oddly, when the main TV came back on, and we were trying to watch hockey, it didn’t have any sound. I was quite unhappy since the TV was only a few months old. I did some Googling, and came across an unlikely solution which involved turning the TV off, unplugging it, then holding down the power button in the remote for 30 seconds. Seemed far fetched, but I was desperate. It actually worked. Reduced my stress level considerably. This all went down after I finished the cigar. I first encountered this brand at the 2016 show where I met Sebastien Decoppet, who started this brand shortly before that. He’s a young, hip guy with the beard and tattoos, last time I talked to him was in the Starbucks line after the ’22 TPE where he was kind enough to buy me a coffee. Phil of Comedy-Cigars-Music fame sent me this Cavalier Geneve White toro, which I hadn’t had the chance to try yet. This 6″x 52 cigar has a Habano wrapper, a Connecticut binder (guessing broadleaf, shade isn’t used for a binder often, if ever), and Habano fillers, probably made in Cavalier’s own factory in Honduras. Again, I was distracted by a reasonably violent thunderstorm, but this tasted very good, on the mild to medium side, with some bready notes and some spice. I can never taste the 24k gold leaf when I burn though it, but it’s a cool touch. I’ve enjoyed the Cavalier cigars I’ve smoked, although it’s been limited to a handful of the “Black” varieties. This White was really good, and another thanks to Phil for sending this!

That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as Cavalier, Cavalier Geneve White, cigar, cigars, Dos Niños, Ghost, Ghost Gold, Gurkha, Master Aged Serie 3, Toscano

by Craig Vanderslice | October 23, 2022 · 9:48 am

La Flor Dominicana Solis, Gurkha Pure Evil and Founders Roosevelt Cigars

I smoked a few PCA show samples this week, some I was looking forward to, some not so much, maybe. The first was the La Flor Dominicana Solis, the first cigar blended by Litto Gomez, Jr., who is in his early 20’s. This 6½ x 50 cigar is a companion, of sorts, to the La Nox line, which his older brother, Tony, created a few years ago. La Nox = night, Solis = sun, or day. Nice idea, same size cigars that are on the opposite ends of the flavor spectrum. The Solis has a Sungrown Habano wrapper, Sumatra Binder, and a blend of Dominican tobaccos from La Flor Dominicana’s farm. This cigar has nice, bright flavors and a sweet spice. Much like the La Nox, I really enjoyed this cigar, it was well balanced and a really beautiful smoke. Thanks to Jon Carney for this cigar, easily the best cigar I smoked all week, and tied with the Cuevas Sangre Nueva for the best from the PCA show, interesting that both cigars were blended by young guys.

I was listening to a podcast recently, and the host made some comments that surprised me. I listen to a lot of podcasts, and it riles me up when some mis-information is spewed. This particular one is kinda low in my rotation, I listen when I run out of other stuff, mostly for this reason, there always seems to be some erroneous information passed on be the host as fact. In this instance, the host was saying how terrible the Guy Fieri Knuckle Buster was, and how it was made by Espinosa, which used to be Torańo. He finally realized that the Knuckle Buster was a Punch (although I think he said it was a CAO), and Guy Fieri’s cigar was the Knuckle Sandwich. If the listener is in the know, the host sounds foolish, if the listener doesn’t know any better, this could, potentially, damage a brand. I find that sort of thing irritating!

Also irritating is the name of the next cigar, the Gurkha Pure Evil. I know hat Gurkha has an “Evil” in the line, and I guess this is an extension of that, but when tobacco is in the crosshairs of the government, perhaps helping them out by calling a cigar “Pure Evil” isn’t the best idea. I was given a handful of samples at the Gurkha booth at the PCA show, and, so far, this is the only one I’ve smoked that’s worth writing about. Name aside, this was a very good cigar. It was a 6″ x 54 Toro and has a Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers. It starts boldly, with a strong pepper flavor, and mellows slightly throughout the smoke. Burn and draw were perfect, and it was a very satisfying cigar. I’m sure there’s people who think it’s a cool name, however I still don’t think we need to give the people who already think tobacco is “pure evil” any ammunition. Good cigar, unfortunate name.

Yesterday I smoked a Founders Cigar Co. Roosevelt robusto. This is a very new company, dating way back to 2020! They are veteran owned, and the theme of the line is prominent individuals in US history. They are based in Minnesota, and I was racking my brain trying to remember who introduced me to them at the show, and the Minnesota thing connects some dots for me. I need to start writing everything down! So this Roosevelt is the maduro in the portfolio (the Franklin is the Connecticut, the Douglas is the Habano and the Signature, with George Washington’s profile on the band, is a barber pole). It has an Ecuador Maduro wrapper, Ecuador binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. I dislike blend descriptions like this, the only have the country of origin of the leaf, not the varietal. I’m sure the ambiguity is a FDA, CYA thing. I was expecting a routine maduro experience, some dark coffee and cocoa. I was surprised by the uniqueness of the flavor, it had a savory, mouth coating flavor. You know how licorice can be a bit cloying to the palate? This was a little bit that way, but without the anise flavor. I liked this cigar a lot. They seem to sell direct, and I’m not sure if they got in brick and mortar shops as a result of being at the show (why else be there?), but the cigars are good.

That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

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Tagged as cigar, cigars, Founders, Gurkha, La Flor Dominicana, LFD, Pure Evil, Roosevelt, Solis

by Craig Vanderslice | September 11, 2022 · 9:59 am

Nat Cicco Aniversario, Particulares and Casa Cuevas Cigars

I’m taking advantage of every Sunday that it’s warm enough to enjoy a cigar as I write my Sunday post. Soon enough it will be too chilly. So I lit up something special from the PCA show, the new Sangre Nueva from Casa Cuevas, but more on that later. So far it’s amazing. Friday evening I was in the mood for a larger cigar, so I grabbed the Nat Cicco Aniversario 1965 Liga No. 4 Churchill. This is a square pressed, 7″ x 54 cigar with a pigtail cap. I picked up a few of these last month when I met up with Dean Parsons at Cigar Mojo. I like this blend, which has a dark Ecuador wrapper over Nicaraguan binder and fillers. I hadn’t ever smoked any Nat Cicco cigars until Dean sold his company, Epic Cigars, to them and joined their team. This cigar performed well and was delicious, with some earthy, sweet flavors. I think I prefer the smaller sizes though, they seem to have more pronounced flavors.

Last night I smoked a Particulares Deliciosos, from Sindicato, distributed by Gurkha. Sindicato and Gurkha share CEOs in Jim Colucci, who had retired from Altadis several years ago. I only include that factoid in case anyone wondered how Sindicato came to be distributed by Gurkha. Particulares is a really old brand name, going back to the late 1800s, and the branding reflects that heritage. The cigar is a Nicaraguan puro, and is 6″ x 52 and is made at TABSA, the Aganorsa Leaf factory. For me, the cigar started off unnecessarily strong, it was really spicy and peppery. I regretted selecting it, to be honest, but I figured it would settle down, and it did, a little. It remained a powerhouse, spicy cigar throughout. It was pretty good, despite the rough start. I might try it again, but it’s not going to be a priority.

Now, the Casa Cuevas Sangre Nueva. I’ve said before what genuinely nice people the Cuevas folks are. Luis, and his son, Alex are instant friends, one feels like one has known them forever. This cigar was blended by Alex, who is 24, I think. I have shoes older than him, heck, all of my children are older than him! I regret not taking time to interview him at the show, but the two days I was there they were pretty busy. This cigar has a Cameroon-seed wrapper grown in Ecuador, a Honduran Corojo binder and Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Pennsylvania fillers. I don’t want to start anything, but I was under the impression that African Cameroon tobacco is a Sumatra seed, but I suppose if they got the seeds from the African Cameroon plants it could be called Cameroon seed. They weren’t handing out samples of this at the show, but I have connections! This is a SPECTACULAR cigar! I want more. I’m smoking this early in the morning (for me), with coffee, and it has been distracting me from writing the whole time. It’s on the fuller side of medium, with some of the nutty Cameroon flavors, and earthy cocoa. Alex, his father and grandfather can be very proud of this cigar, the new blood is on the right track! I have to get my hands on more.