Ed and I got together last weekend to review the Gurkha Cellar Reserve. It boasts 15 year aged tobacco, Criollo 1998 wrapper, Dominican Olor binder and a 15 year old Criollo, Nicaraguan filler. I know a lot of people slam Gurkha as simply an overpriced brand. I’ve been guilty of it myself. But Ed and I have reviewed a few Gurkha’s in the past and had good results. So naturally I was more than happy to try this one when Ed suggested it. Let’s just say the Cellar Reserve was a roller coaster. It was just OK sometimes, other times it was great, and I’d even call it “Ho-hum” at some points.
Check out our 24 minute review and see if it meets the $12.00 price tag. We ran a little long with some off topic banter, so light up a smoke and enjoy our monthly Stogie Review guest spot.
-Tom
Nice review, but I’ll pass on this one. The end of the vid was funny! hahahahaha!
The best looking guys on stogie review are back.
What was the music in this review?
Dream Theater
Understandable if you’d pass on this cigar considering the price point. I may have another if the situation presents itself, but won’t go out of my way. I’d bet there are plenty of Gurkha fans that would disagree with our review.
Mike – Fast forward to the credits and watch all the way til the end of the vid. I think it’ll be worth it. 😉
Sounds like another underwhelming, overpriced Gurkha. Anther reason why I do not smoke Gurkhas.
True this one had left to be desired. Check out some of our other Gurkha reviews though. They do make some good cigars, but like Rocky Patel, not all of them are that great.
Liked your review. i purchased one of these at my local cigar store. I asked the tobacconist to point me towards a good, flavorful, full bodied Nicaraguan. He initially pointed toward a nice looking woman back in the corner, then laughed and offered up one of these cigars. I had some pretty serious burn issues with mine, the wrapper started loosening soon after first light. It got kind of bulbous looking around the burn area. The flavor was never more than medium, so my tobacconist failed me there. I’m thinking he just sold me a high priced, underselling stick. Overall, it was just okay, definitely did not justify the price point. i would not buy again. I’ve had some really good Cain cigars for way less than what this cost…
The previous reviews remind me how much of cigar smoking is subjective. What is often lost in a review is the environment and time a smoke is enjoyed, which greatly affects the attention paid to the cigar. I have had 4 of these cigars, 2 of each size my retailer carries. All 4 cigars were at least a 4 out of 5. Great aroma, well constructed, nice burn(though near the end the burn was a bit hot on the larger size), complex flavor that changes as the cigar is smoked. I agree that Gurkha makes a lot of mediocre cigars. This is not one of them. My only complaint is that of most other reviewers, at $12-$13 a stick these are not in the price range for me personally to be a regular smoke. I hesitate to term them overpriced however; as previously stated, I really enjoyed this cigar, and I’ve had numerous other cigars(La Flor, Tatuaje, Ashton, AVO, Romeo, Rocky, PDR, etc.) in this price range that I did not enjoy as much as the Cellar Reserve. If these came down to $8-$9 a stick I would probably make them a more regular smoke; as they are very different from most cigars out there currently. In the end; while I thought they were very good, the price point keeps them from being a regular smoke.
I would say that the Cellar Reserve is one of the best sticks I’ve tried in the past two years. I’m a medium to full bodied guy who tends to play in the Padron/La Gloria Cubana Serie R/La Flor Dominica Double Ligero sandbox. This stogie doesn’t approach their strength but there are flavor notes here that I have NEVER found in any other cigar. It’s a sweetish (but not cloying) leather/cedar with a touch of caramel/vanilla for me. No pepper or other spice notes. Yeah, I’ve had some burn issues. The Koi size is too small for the profile to become fully developed…go one size up to the Kraken…THAT friends is a stick. Pair it with a nice bourbon or scotch with one ice cube and you have 60 to 90 minutes of bliss in front of you. Take your time…don’t overheat it; relish it.
And if you really think “i’ve had the same somewhere else” I’d like to know what that is, because for me, in a crowded world of excellent Nicaraguan and DR smokes, this one stands apart.
Just finished a cellar Reserve I bought in FLA. I was wanting to be impressed, but it left me empty.
You guys are high. This cigar rocks.