Gurkha Crest Short Cigar Review
I received this sample from Cigars Direct, which does have a good selection of rare cigars.
0/3: Ah, another Gurkha. How many different lines do they have now? At least a couple dozen. I guess it is a sign of the times. Cigar companies, just like every other company out there, needs to do things in order to stay relevant and for many that means either line extensions (new vitolas or a different wrapper) or new products.
Back to the cigar now. It is a good looking torpedo. The wrapper is a little dry to the touch, the feel of the cigar is uniformly properly packed with just the slightest give and the wrapper looks mottled – vacillating between medium brown and dark brown. The prelight draw is a little tight.
Wrapper: USA/Connecticut | Binder: Nicaraguan | Filler: Nicaraguan | Box of 10: $100.00 | Single: $28.00 | Torpedo | 6″ x 52
1/3: The first third is enjoyable with soft spicy notes and bread. While the draw is a little tight it does not hamper the flavors all that much. There is also a bit of sweetness that is trying to punch through.
2/3: Spice continues with a small helping of sweetness that borders on cherry flavored. The tight draw is beginning to hamper the flavor development somewhat. There is a sharpness that is borderline unsavory to the flavor profile at this point. Wood is an addition during this third.
3/3: The final third sees a great increase in the intensity and the enjoyability of the spice. I would have to peg this cigar in the medium-full bodied range and it has a good burn with a somewhat tight draw.
4/3: Overall, I cannot say that this cigar justifies it’s very expensive price tag. The flavors, while good, are somewhat muted due to the fact that there is a tight draw. Additionally, the flavors are not all that complex and leave much to be desired. However, if this cigar is available in a sampler pack with some other sticks that you like do not be discouraged because it is a good cigar overall; just nothing special.
3.5 points
Monte Pascoal Cigar Review
About half a year ago I was contacted by a cigar maker of Brazilian puros. They ended up sending me three samples of their Monte Pascoal Double Coronas and this is my review of that cigar.
Honestly, when I first received these cigars I wasn’t expecting much because I can’t think of any good Brazilian puros. But they looked like they were well made. The parejo shape was pretty uniform but there are these bumps that dot the entirety of the cigar’s structure. It’s oily but it’s also a little veiny too, which could cause problems with the cigar’s burn. Here is what the makers of this cigar have to say about the tobaccos used:
The Mata Fina tobacco is characterized by complex aromas and an elegant bouquet, while the Mata Norte provides the full-bodied flavour most experienced cigar smokers enjoy.
Here is what they have to say about the blend:
All of the cigars in the Monte Pascoal line are blended with these two tobaccos, in different proportions, allowing each smoking experience to be completely unique from one vitola (size) to another.
That is basically true for every cigar: different vitolas deliver different flavors whether that is in intensity, nuance or proportionality. Alright, enough with this egregiously long preamble, lets get down to business.
Cigar Stats
Length: 7 5/8″
Ring Gauge: 49
Wrapper: Brazil Mata Fina
Binder: Brazil Mata Fina
Filler: Brazil Mata Fina & Mata Norte
Price: $34.00/5 Pack | $166.00/Box of 25
Hitchens and the Bible Fire!
Before anything else this must be said: it’s unique. The two major flavor profiles that I am picking up are sweetness and herbal and they are paired with this molasses after taste that isn’t altogether bad. Additionally, the flavors are not all that strong in the beginning (can flavors get lost over 7″ of cigar?).
During the second third, which takes a while to reach since this cigar is fairly long, sees an increase in the intensity of the flavors. Another change is that the flavors are now sweet and floral. While this isn’t exactly my idea of what constitutes great flavors for some it might be more appealing.
As the final third commences there is an oakiness that starts to come through but the main flavor is still that sweet floral flavor. This cigar has a slightly tight draw and the burn is good. I would peg it in the medium bodied range.
I have heard that some other people really like this cigar, which is something I can understand. It’s unique because it is a Brazilian puro and should be tried so that you can expand your cigar smoking horizons. Personally, I thought it was a decent cigar.
87 points
La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Cigar Review
I had a couple of the La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Maestros last summer and I liked them. Hopefully another few months resting in the humidor will have made this cigar even better.
Extremely oily wrapper with a number of small veins running from the foot to the cap. It is very uniform in shape and is relatively fully packed. There are a couple of cracks in the wrapper: one near the foot and another by the cap. The one adjacent to the cap will probably prove to be bothersome due to its close proximity to the cap. Too bad, hopefully I can cope.
On a side note, I just saw the other day that Cigar Aficionado put the LFD Air Bender Chisel in its Top 10. That’s one vote for the cigar (in a different vitola).
Cigar Stats
Corona Gorda
Length: 5 ½″
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price: $7.25/Single | $115.00/Box of 20
Restrepo Flame!
Sure enough after cutting the cigar the crack extends itself all the way through my cut. It probably won’t be too big of a problem in the early goings of this cigar but I’m positive it will make things more difficult the closer to the end I get. That’s going to be especially true once I take off the band because that is what is holding the wrapper together down there right now.
This is one of those cigars where the flavors seem submerged. I can taste the warm spice and the woody flavors but they are echoes of what they should be. During the first third, at least, this cigar is lacking the requisite intensity to keep these flavors interesting. Part of the problem is attributable to the fairly tight draw but I do not believe the crack near the head of the cigar is to blame.
The second third shows some signs of improvement. For example, the spice has come on line a little more strongly now growing from a veiled pseudo-spice to a dry, somewhat sweet spice. It’s a good change all in all. Another flavor that is coming through now is bread dough. At the tail end of the second third there is a graham cracker flavor.
Entering the final third and the main flavor, pretty much its only flavor, is spice. And that flavor is enjoyable enough. But it’s one of those things that you know should be much better, something special. Maybe there was something a little out of phase with this cigar because, honest to God, I remember these cigars being much better. At times with this cigar there are some flashes of inspiration but, overall, it is not that impressive of a cigar. It’s still good though.
Full bodied with a tight draw and an even burn. I think that the Air Bender deserves further investigation and I will probably be doing another review of these cigars in a few months time, perhaps with a different vitola. Normally, I don’t plan on giving mulligans for cigars that I review but this is a special enough case based solely on my previous experiences with this cigar. Right now I’m pegging it as an average cigar.
88 points
Minotaur Cigar Review
This is another cigar I received from Felipe Gregorio (full disclosure and all that).
The best intro for this cigar has already been done by the Stogie Guys during their coverage of the 2010 IPCPR:
Felipe Gregorio is releasing the rosado-wrapped Minotaur at a price point of $15 a cigar for the only size in the line. Minotaur is sold in boxes of 15 and was made at the request of a prominent cigar distributor in France. It is blended to approximate the profile of Cuban cigars to make it more marketable in Europe.
The cigar itself looks beautiful. The rosado wrapper doesn’t have any raised veins, has some oils, evenly packed well and no visible imperfections. Looking forward to it.
Cigar Stats
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 55
Wrapper: Rosado
Price: $15.00/cigar
Ricochet Fire!
A tidy group of pleasant flavors great you from the start. Mild fruitiness, tobacco, earth and some burnt hay. My one reservation about these flavors is that, at least in the beginning, they are not as strong as I would like.
As the cigar progresses the flavors do gain in strength to a certain extent but not in complexity. A lack of complexity, or, to be more exact, a lack in the evolution of the flavors over the course of the cigar, is not a big problem for me as long as those flavors are enjoyable. And they are.
Nearing the end now and the flavors are getting stronger, which is definitely a good sign. Good flavors.
The draw is a little tight and the burn requires some pretty sizable touch ups. It is a medium bodied cigar. My problem with this cigar is that the flavors are a little weak until sometime around the halfway point. That problem is somewhat overcome by its improved performance after the halfway point.
88 points
Cabaiguan Cigar Review
It’s got a pigtail – and we all know pigtails are cool – so it must be a good cigar. If you haven’t guessed it already I am smoking the Cabaiguan Guapos Rx, which is a robusto. Besides the pigtail the cigar looks great: it’s oily, not too veiny and the imperfections are kept to a minimum.
Here’s what Pete Johnson has to say about this line:
Blended in the style of the flavorful yet Medium Bodied Cuban Cigars.
Cigars are rolled in classic Cuban tradition by Master Rollers.
Headed by Maestro Tobaquero Jose Garcia.
Cigars are rolled with a beautiful Cuban triple-cap and are Medium to Mild in flavor.
Not having smoked a lot of Cubans in my life (maybe one? I know, sad) I won’t be able to tell you whether or not that claim is realized or not. But if it’s a good tasting cigar I don’t care what the style is!
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5 1/4″
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $9.50
Garage Light!
Three matches and it is lit (well, four matches if you count the one that went out before its flame could touch the foot of the cigar, which I won’t count)!
While the draw is somewhat too tight for my liking it isn’t tight enough to deny me the bouquet of flavors that comes from a Cabaiguan. Really earthy, hints of licorice and woody flavors. It’s a nice, medium bodied cigar. No real hints of spice or anything aggressive – this is the kind of cigar you can smoke with your morning cup of coffee.
Even though the draw is a little tight the burn is even.
This is a flavorful cigar but there is something missing from it. Like the earthiness and all the other flavors (which now includes oak, sweetness, some burnt tobacco and a general lightness of flavors) it is an enjoyable cigar. There’s just something that would have put it over the top.
During the second half of the cigar there is a transformation from the deep earthiness to a sweeter oakiness. It becomes a lighter cigar – not necessarily worse but not better either, not at all.
Around this time the draw gets a little tighter and the burn goes awry at times. Maybe it was a combination of these two things that makes the cigar take a downturn or not but the cigar does become less enjoyable.
Overall, it is a good cigar. The high points all center around that dark earthiness because it’s just such a good example of what an earthy cigar should be. But, to be honest, earthiness is not one of my favorite front line flavors. And, once you add in the second half’s oakiness, it just doesn’t work out all that well for me.
87 points
