Gurkha Cellar Reserve 21 Year

[vinceuher]

Ok, So I just celebrated my 47th birthday and I wanted to treat myself with an expensive cigar. I proceeded to my local cigar club and looked around. I decided to pick a Gurkha Cellar Reserve 21 year old. It cost me just under $20. On my way home I stopped at a coffee shop and ordered up a good Kenian coffee (I don't drink alcohol). At my house I sat on my back porch, cut the cigar and lit it up. My impression of the cigar: Horrible! I was greatly disappointed. I first noticed difficulty lighting it. Then when I finally had it lit, the draw was terrible. Very hard to puff on and very little smoke. I didn't even finish it.

I wonder if anyone else ever had issues with this cigar before? I buy cigars often from that cigar shop and never had problems before. As a matter of fact, I usually smoke Perdomo's and they are stored in the same case.

My father always told me that you get what you pay for; not so in this case.

 

[cursethis]

Gurkha kind of has a reputation for being overpriced and having bad construction. I'm sure they have good cigars in their lineup, but I stay away from all of their offerings.

 

[Commander Quan]

I've never done it, but it's been said you can take a plugged cigar back to the shop for a refund or exchange.

 

[alpster]

I've never done it, but it's been said you can take a plugged cigar back to the shop for a refund or exchange.

This^

 

[Kentos]

Sometimes the more elaborate and ornate the band the less impressive the Cigar. I have gotten some Gurkha samples but never bought any to stock up myself.

 

[CWX]

Gurkha with their 7231 different blends can be quite hit or miss. I remember their G3 and Master Selects with the cedar sleeves being really good but I can remember plenty of their other blends being just meh.

If you are looking to treat yourself to a great cigar you probably can't miss with something from Padron or Alec Bradley.

 

[Price]

Kaizad Hansotia does not grow tobacco, he buys it in smallish batches, hence the 80,000 different blends with the Gurkha name on it. That's not necessarily a bad thing - a lot of cigar makers buy leaf, although they usually try to fit it into the flavor profile of the cigar they are producing, rather than creating a new cigar based on the leaf they buy.

I've had some really great cigars from Gurkha in the past, but it seems to me that, for at least the past 8-10 years, they have focused more on creating glitzier and more elaborate packaging than on the cigars themselves. Not that the cigars are bad, but you get a lesser cigar for the money because more of the retail cost is going toward individual Madagascar ebony coffins or hand-carved dinosaur bone boxes or some other cool-sounding but kinda ludicrous merchandising gimmick.

A plugged cigar, though, is just a plugged cigar. It happens. Sucks when it does, but like Derrick said...many reputable cigar shops will allow you to bring a plugged stick back for an exchange.

 

[jazzguy]

I have some Gurkhas in my humidor that I like. But I've had some that were not to my liking. Certainly if I was spending $20 on a stick I would be looking at other brands. Bad draw happens with every brand at least once in a while in my experience. It's kind of the luck of the draw so to speak. Hopefully the Kenya was good.

 

[oc_in_fw]

You spend that much on a cigar, the draw ought to be perfect.