12-29-2007, 06:56 PM
I picked up a fiver of these a couple of weeks ago. I would only be guessing but I believe they may be a CI only make?
Here is an exact quote from Cigar Internationals Web site, "The Gurkha Fuerte is something special, one of the rarest Gurkhas in existence. A mere 80,000 cigars were produced for 2007. The vintage Costa Rican Maduro leaf is enchanting, a prized â96 wrapper thatâs dark, toothy and oily. The filler blend is composed of of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan and Honduran long-fillers. Together, these supremely aged, choice tobaccos marry into a luxurious bouquet of powerful yet balanced flavor. Rich, toasty hints of dark chocolate tease the palate, and a long and lingering aftertaste of sweet pepper coats the mouth. The cigarâs strength grows in intensity as it burns, completing an eventful and satisfying cigar youâll want to savor again and again."
We shall see.
Pre-Light: I clipped the end of the big bad boy(7"x54" torpedo) with my Xikar and the smell was gentle. The draw was good and the taste was very mild. I didn't notice any spice but just a mild tobacco taste. The wrapper was very black and looked enticing.
Light: The cigar lit very well and produced a moderate amount of smoke. I then noticed I had a split wrapper about 1/3 of the way in.
First Half: The burn was a little off because of the split but it only canoed a little toward the split. I never did need to touch it up. It corrected itself after burning past the split. The first few puffs I can only describe as a Padron X000 series with some floral notes. I am a little weird in that with a clean palate I get a sort of salty taste with a Padron. After about a inch, the floral notes went away and a nice oak wood flavor was left. The overall body was about medium. The ash was a nice grey but not very solid. This was also attributed to the split as you will see later. At the half way point it suddenly added a little sweet spice to the oak mix.
Second Half: The spice hung in there but was gradually slightly over run by a leathery/licorice flavor. The wood and spice were still there in the background. I off and on got some nice sweet favors. The overall body was medium to full. On my second ash I let it go about 2-1/2 inches and tried to tap it off. I had to crush it to make it let go.
Conclusions: Upon first seeing this cigar I didn't know what to expect since I have had only two other Gurkhas(Regent+G3). The wrapper looked good and inviting. I was expecting something a little more full bodied with Fuerte in the name but I liked it. I admit to thinking I probably wouldn't buy anymore of these during the first part of the cigar but then it kicked in and changed my mind. It won't be an everyday smoke but just an occassional change of pace.
Here is an exact quote from Cigar Internationals Web site, "The Gurkha Fuerte is something special, one of the rarest Gurkhas in existence. A mere 80,000 cigars were produced for 2007. The vintage Costa Rican Maduro leaf is enchanting, a prized â96 wrapper thatâs dark, toothy and oily. The filler blend is composed of of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan and Honduran long-fillers. Together, these supremely aged, choice tobaccos marry into a luxurious bouquet of powerful yet balanced flavor. Rich, toasty hints of dark chocolate tease the palate, and a long and lingering aftertaste of sweet pepper coats the mouth. The cigarâs strength grows in intensity as it burns, completing an eventful and satisfying cigar youâll want to savor again and again."
We shall see.
Pre-Light: I clipped the end of the big bad boy(7"x54" torpedo) with my Xikar and the smell was gentle. The draw was good and the taste was very mild. I didn't notice any spice but just a mild tobacco taste. The wrapper was very black and looked enticing.
Light: The cigar lit very well and produced a moderate amount of smoke. I then noticed I had a split wrapper about 1/3 of the way in.
First Half: The burn was a little off because of the split but it only canoed a little toward the split. I never did need to touch it up. It corrected itself after burning past the split. The first few puffs I can only describe as a Padron X000 series with some floral notes. I am a little weird in that with a clean palate I get a sort of salty taste with a Padron. After about a inch, the floral notes went away and a nice oak wood flavor was left. The overall body was about medium. The ash was a nice grey but not very solid. This was also attributed to the split as you will see later. At the half way point it suddenly added a little sweet spice to the oak mix.
Second Half: The spice hung in there but was gradually slightly over run by a leathery/licorice flavor. The wood and spice were still there in the background. I off and on got some nice sweet favors. The overall body was medium to full. On my second ash I let it go about 2-1/2 inches and tried to tap it off. I had to crush it to make it let go.
Conclusions: Upon first seeing this cigar I didn't know what to expect since I have had only two other Gurkhas(Regent+G3). The wrapper looked good and inviting. I was expecting something a little more full bodied with Fuerte in the name but I liked it. I admit to thinking I probably wouldn't buy anymore of these during the first part of the cigar but then it kicked in and changed my mind. It won't be an everyday smoke but just an occassional change of pace.
