May 19, 2013

Gurkha Assassin and Gurkha Ninja Cigars Reviewed

 

No, this is not a new Jackie Chan Kung Fu movie, but Gurkha’s latest cigar blends by K. Hansotia & Co.

GURKHA ASSASSIN CIGARS:

The Gurkha Assassin, a Nicaraguan blend with tons of charisma, debuted in the U.S. in 2009. Blended by Paul Flores, the Assassin is a full bodied line with a distinctive and refined sweetness. Paul started off with a thick, oily and dark, extra-fermented Brazilian wrapper and complimented this firecracker with an intense blend of aged Peruvian and Nicaraguan long fillers within a Cuban-seed Dominican binder from the Cibao Valley.

Gurkha Assassin Cigars at My Discount Cigars

Gurkha Assassin Cigars at My Discount Cigars

The Gurkha Assassin is at times viewed as somewhat uneven or slightly lumpy, but do not fear, this cigar pulls through on its burn, draw and in its perfect ash. The draw on the Assassin starts off perfectly and stays open to the end. This Gurkha’s construction is quite firm to the touch and only becomes slightly soft toward the last third of the cigar.

Prepare your palate to be blown away, because the Gurkha Assassin takes no prisoners when it comes to flavor! It is a powerhouse of a cigar offering up a diverse range of flavors from wood, wheat, licorice, hearty spices and ending with a long, sweet finish and traces of charcoal. Not only are you treated to immense flavor with the Gurkha Assassin, you will want to hang on to the incredibly artistic and beautiful packaging. The time and detail that went into each Gurkha Assassin box from the raised lettering to the quality of the art will blow you away. If this were the world of cooking, Emeril Lagasse would be proclaiming his infamous line “BAM!” after tasting the Gurkha Assassin cigar!

RATED 88 FOR THE GURKHA ASSASSIN TORPEDO BY CIGAR AFICIONADO!

Available in the following sizes:
Dagger (3 7/8 x 60)
Robusto (5 x 50)
Toro (6 x 50)
Torpedo (6 1/2 x 53T)

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Flavor: Full
Wrapper: Brazilian
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Peruvian and Nicaraguan

To purchase a box of 20, a sampler of 5 or a single Gurkha Assassin cigar online, please visit MyDiscountCigar.com.

To learn more about the Gurkha Assassin cigars please visit GurkhaCigars.com.

 

GURKHA NINJA:

With names like Ninja Knife and Ninja Spike, the latest addition to Gurkha cigars, the Gurkha Ninja blend, you know you’re getting something unique as you’ve never tasted before. Created by K. Hansotia, the Gurkha Ninja falls under full-flavored but medium-bodied. It is Gurkha’s more “Budget Friendly” creations balancing smooth, earthy flavors with their strict quality control.

Gurkha Ninja Cigars at My Discount Cigars

Gurkha Ninja Cigars at My Discount Cigars

This blend marries a thick Brazilian wrapper with a sheen, aged, Cuban-seed Dominican and Nicaraguan long-filler selection of tobaccos for its binder and filler. The Gurkha Ninja will leave you satisfied with its sweet bouquet, coffee bean and nutty notes, clean finish, even burn and fine draw. If you’ve been meaning to smoke a Gurkha cigar in the past but it was not within your budget, fear not! The Gurkha Ninja is affordable, allowing you to step into the premium world of Gurkha.

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Flavor: Full
Wrapper: Brazilian
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan

Available Sizes:
Churchill (7 x 50)
Knife (5 x 55)
Spike (4 1/2 x 48)
Torpedo (6 x 52T)

RATED 91 FOR THE GURKHA NINJA KNIFE BY CIGAR AFICIONADO!

To purchase a box of 20, a sampler of 5 or a single Gurkha Ninja cigar online, please visit MyDiscountCigar.com.

~ Peace, Love, Cigars ~


Gurkha Vintage Shaggy and Gurkha Cellar Reserve 15 Cigar Reviews

 

The Gurkha Vintage Shaggy and the Gurkha Cellar Reserve are both Gurkha blends that you might have a tough time finding in local cigar shops but an equally hard time finding online as well.

GURKHA CELLAR RESERVE 15:

Gurkha Cellar Reserve Koi at My Discount Cigars

Gurkha Cellar Reserve Koi at My Discount Cigars

This more rare Gurkha line got its name due to the 15 year old Dominican tobacco used as its filler. The remainder of the cigar is blended with an oily 1998 Dominican Criollo wrapper and a fine Dominican Olor binder. To round out this unique blend, Kaizad Hansotia used a small percentage of Nicaraguan tobacco as well. This is what gives it a little kick. The lovely Gurkha Cellar Reserve cigars are dressed with a band that is printed with ample information about the cigar and the cigars are then housed 20 to a unique wooden box that resembles a maturing wine barrel.

Medium to full-bodied, the Gurkha Cellar Reserve 15 is wrapped in an oily, chestnut brown, delicate wrapper with barely any apparent veins on it. It’s constructed and rolled evenly, avoiding any soft spots. Just as you might suspect from looking at its band and the box it comes in, the flavor profile is reminiscent of oak wood and red wine tannins with a soft white pepper on the retrohale.

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Flavor: Medium to Full
Wrapper: 1998 Dominican Criollo
Binder: Dominican Olor
Filler: Nicaraguan and Dominican Criollo

Available in the following vitals:
Hedonism (Gran Rothchild, 6 x 58) – GURKHA CELLAR RESERVE HEDONISM WAS RATED 90 BY CIGAR AFICIONADO!
Koi (Perfecto, 4 x 58)
Kraken (XO, 6 x 60)
Prisoner (Churchill, 7 x 54)
Solaro (Double Robusto, 5 x 58) -GURKHA CELLAR RESERVE SOLARO, RATED 88 BY CIGAR AFICIONADO!

We aren’t suggesting you should run out and order a box of the Gurkha Cellar Reserve cigars because they are so hard to find, or because Cigar Aficionado has rated this blend with a 90 rating,  (although we can see how an avid collector might jump on this deal), but because it truly is a unique, solid and flavorful smoke that you will be proud to add to your cigar collection.

To purchase the hard-to-find Gurkha Cellar Reserve online please visit MyDiscountCigar.com.

If you want to read more about the Gurkha Cellar Reserve go to GurkhaCigars.com.

 

GURKHA VINTAGE SHAGGY:

What do you think of when you see the Gurkha Vintage Shaggy cigar? It reminded me of a freshly hand-rolled cigar that a master cigar roller just rolled only for me. In this line of Gurkha’s K. Hansotia created a surprising end, literally, when he created the Gurkha Vintage Shaggy cigar with its open-ended shaggy foot. It is Gurkha’s newest addition to their growing and creative lines. the Gurkha Vintage Shaggy is a medium-bodied blend using an 8-year-old Dominican wrapper and a 5-year-old Dominican and Nicaraguan filler and binder.

Gurkha Vintage Shaggy Cigars at My Discount Cigars

Gurkha Vintage Shaggy Cigars at My Discount Cigars

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Flavor: Medium
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan

Available Sizes:
Churchill (7 x 52)
Robusto (5 x 50)
Toro (6 x 50)
Toro Maduro (6 x 50)
Torpedo (6 1/2 x 53T)

You might assume that the shaggy foot is purely for aesthetics, but in reality it serves a purpose… it promotes the Vintage Shaggy cigar to start off with a much more even burn when first lit. Upon tasting the Gurkha Vintage Shaggy your senses will fill with the warm oaky smoke and coffee notes, leather, vanilla, spice, hints of pepper to round it out this balanced and smooth stogie.

While I wish the Gurkha Vintage Shaggy really was a freshly hand-rolled cigar, I admit, it does come pretty close and I can assure you that you WILL be reminded of one every time you light one up.

To purchase the Gurkha Vintage Shaggy online please visit MyDiscountCigar.com.

If you want to read more about the Gurkha Vintage Shaggy go to GurkhaCigars.com.

~ Peace, Love, Cigars ~


Rich, Chewy, Toasty and Flavorful – Cigar Review of A. Fuente’s Sun Grown Blend

 

The next time you are in the market to restock your humidor, take note of the Arturo Fuente Sungrown blend. Each A. Fuente Sun Grown is blended with their exclusive Ecuadorian sun-grown wrappers (which are distinguished from the other blends by the black ribbon/band at the foot of each cigar as opposed to a green or red band like the other blends have). The Arturo Fuente Sun Growns are naturally sweeter (like most maduros) than other Fuente lines, yet their wrapper is lighter in shade. The Fuente family utilizes the A. Fuente Gran Reserva’s binder and filler tobaccos, with the exception of the dark, Ecuadorian sun-grown wrapper leaf, to assemble the tasty A. Fuente Sungrown blend.

Arturo Fuente Sungrown at My Discount Cigars

Arturo Fuente Sungrown at My Discount Cigars

As you smoke your way through the Arturo Fuente Sun Grown cigar you will be pleasantly surprised by its natural sweetness which is imparted on your palate, complemented by a medium-bodied, balanced and smooth richness. The Fuentes treat all their cigar lines with the highest standards and care, including the Sun Grown line, utilizing the highest quality vintage tobaccos alongside impeccable hand workmanship guarantees a rich, flavorful smoking experience with tantalizing aromas each time you light up.

The A. Fuente Sun Grown is an oily, toothy and stout cigar exuding chewy leather, notes of earthiness and a touch of spice and pepper on its finish. If you pay close attention you might even pick up some cocoa, toastiness and vanilla. It will grow in strength as you smoke your way through it. They are each individually wrapped in cedar with a black band at the foot. All in all the A. Fuente Sungrown is not for the lighthearted as it is a fairly rich and fuller smoke, but there is no denying that they are VERY well crafted. Kudos to Arturo Fuente for bringing their A-game each and every time. Do yourself and your palate a favor and pick up an A. Fuente Sungrown today!

RATED 91 BY CIGAR AFICIONADO!

Arturo Fuente Sungrown Cuban Belicoso Cigars at My Discount Cigars

Arturo Fuente Sungrown Cuban Belicoso Cigars at My Discount Cigars

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Flavor: Full
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sungrown
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

Available in the following vitolas:

Chateau Fuente Sungrown (4 1/2 x 50)
Cuban Belicoso Sungrown (5 3/4 x 52)
Double Chateau Sungrown (6 3/4 x 50)
King B Sungrown (6 x 55T)
Royal Salute Sungrown (7 5/8 x 54)

 

 

To order your Arturo Fuente Sungrown cigars please visit MyDiscountCigar.com.

If you wish to read more about the A. Fuente Sungrowns visit ArturoFuente.com.

 

~ Peace, Love, Cigars ~


Cigar Review of Arturo Fuente Hemingway Cigars: Perfecting the Perfecto

If you are a true cigar enthusiast you might know how difficult it is to craft a Perfecto cigar.  The Fuente family are true masters (and one of the only ones left) that still make the Perfecto cigars, and not just one but an entire line of them!  The Arturo Fuente Hemingway line is a truly special and very unique line.  Between the 1920s and 1940s the Perfecto shaped cigars were quite popular.  But sadly the masters responsible for creating the Perfecto cigars either retired or passed away.  In the early 1980s the Fuente family revived this old-world style craft and tradition and we have them to thank for keeping it alive.  They have such a love, appreciation and talent for the rarity that is the craft of the Perfecto cigar.

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story at My Discount Cigars

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story at My Discount Cigars

 

Cigar Aficionado has been rating the 8 different Hemingway sizes in the 90s since their debut in 1983.  The Arturo Fuente Hemingway Best Seller and the Hemingway Classic have both earned a whopping 93!  This line is a true medium-bodied blend using exquisite vintage Dominican filler tobaccos and delicate African Cameroon wrappers.  Their maduro wrapper is the newest addition to the Hemingway line and because they are in such great demand they might be harder to come across.  The Fuentes only produce limited batches of 75 Hemingway cigars per day.  They are then aged for half a year in cedar-lined aging rooms which enhances their flavors and aromas.  The unique shape of the Arturo Fuente Hemingway cigars is a figurado-shape with a finely crafted “nipple” as its foot, a subtle taper and a perfect symmetry.  When you light one up your palate is treated to complex flavors ranging from spices, toastiness, cedar, sweet wood, and hints of orange peel, honey and even coffee undertones.

The Arturo Fuente Hemingways have been captivating cigar smokers since 1983 with their flawless construction, white ash, delicious flavor profile, and just overall pleasing to the eyes as well as the palate.  Now that you are more aware of how truly unique the Hemingways are and how much work goes into perfecting the Perfecto vitola, hopefully you won’t let another moment pass without trying an Arturo Fuente Hemingway cigar today… we are certain you will become as hooked to them as we have!

RATED 93 BY CIGAR AFICIONADO!

Arturo Fuente Hemingway at My Discount Cigars

Arturo Fuente Hemingway at My Discount Cigars

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Flavor: Medium
Wrapper: African Cameroon (or Maduro Wrapper)
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic

Available in the following sizes and shapes:
Best Seller: 4 1/2 x 43/55
Classic:  7 x 48
Short Story Maduro:  4 x 48
Short Story:  4 x 48
Signature:  6 x 47
Masterpiece:  9 x 52
Work of Art:  4 7/8 x 56

To order your Arturo Fuente Hemingway cigars online please visit MyDiscountCigar.com.

To learn more about the Hemingways you can connect with ArturoFuente.com for more details.

~ Peace, Love, Cigars ~

The Montecristo Afrique: A Cigar Review of an African Rarity

Montecristo Afrique Sublimation at My Discount Cigars

Montecristo Afrique Sublimation at My Discount Cigars

The Montecristo Afrique, is a truly rare gem.  Rarely is a truly unique, new blend created in the cigar industry, as most new brands are just remodifications of existing blends.  One of the reasons being that there is a limited variety of black cigar tobacco available for cigar producers to create new blends.  Master blenders, like great chefs, when given the same ingredients as the others to work with, can create amazing tobacco blends. But unless given a new ingredient to work with they are limited in creating truly unique cigars.  The Montecristo Afrique is exactly the rare and unique cigar that only a master blender can create.  It is the joint efforts between George Gershel, Altadis USA’s Tobacco Expert, and Lew Rothman.  The Montecristo Afrique is blended with African-grown black tobaccos, specifically a wonderful new leaf from Tanzania.  After much experimentation, a nearly all-African blend was created, which includes a touch of spicy Peruvian ligero bound by an Ecuadorian Sumatran binder, and wrapped in a African-grown Cameroon leaf.

Just like its unique Tanzanian leaf, the flavor of the Montecristo Afrique is equally unique.  Stronger, more dense and richer in body in the smaller ring sizes, and considerably milder in the larger ring sizes, the Montecristo Afrique is certainly a complex smoking experience.  While its ligero core is more peppery, the velvety smoke of the Tanzanian leaves kicks in.  The flavors progressed from a woody, spicy earth to a creamy, chocolatey, coffee.  With the delicate spice of the Cameroon wrapper, the Montecristo Afrique cigar’s flavor is intoxicating on the palate, to say the least, and is possibly the creamiest cigar our staff has ever smoked.

The Montecristo Afrique is an absolute must-try for all cigar aficionados.  With several sizes available, here are just a few    we sampled:  Lemosho (5 x 40), Machame (5 x 44), Sublimation (5 1/2 x 43 in glass tubes), and Uhuru (5 x 47).  The Montecristo Afrique cigars are nabbed up very quickly, if you can get a box of them consider yourself lucky!

Montecristo Afrique Cigars at My Discount Cigars

Montecristo Afrique Cigars at My Discount Cigars

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Flavor: Medium to Full
Wrapper: African Cameroon
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Peruvian Ligero, Africa, Nicaragua

The Montecristo Afrique blends are available online here at MyDiscountCigar.com.

You can learn more about the Montecristo Afrique cigars at AltadisUSA.com.

~ Peace, Love, Cigars ~

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Cigar Review of the Montecristo Afrique Uhuru Cigar by Walt, of Stogie Review

Origin: Dominican Republic

Montecristo Afrique Uhuru Cigars

Montecristo Afrique Uhuru Cigars

Length: 5.00
Ring: 47
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper Color: Medium Brown (E)
Wrapper Type: Cameroon
Binder: ECU
Filler: AFRICA/NIC/PERU
Shape: Parejo

Yesterday I was in the mood for a cigar. I had been running in and out of the house all day and I just wanted to kick back and relax. I opened up the Humidor and it was a toss up. It was either going to be the Montecristo Afrique or a Romeo y Jullieta – Aniversario. On a whim I picked up the Montecristo Afrique Uhuru and vastly enjoyed this cigar.

I purchased a five pack of the Montecristo Afrique Uhuru smokes from JR back in Feb. This was my last one, and I think that the two months of aging put this cigar over the top. It was much different than I remember the last ones being. Here is how it went.

I pulled the Montecristo Afrique Uhuru cigar out of the cellophane sheath if came in and took some time to look over it. It was slightly veiny but attractive. The Montecristo Afrique Uhuru cigar was firm yet pliable between the fingers. This cigar smelled very rich inviting. My plug cutter cut a beautiful plug with no cracking or splitting in the cap.

Upon lighting the Montecristo Afrique Uhuru there was a vibe from this cigar that made you feel as though it was going to be a good cigar. The initial draw was very light and flavorful. The resting smoke emitting from the foot was nice and light.

The first couple of puffs were kind of tricky. The aroma of the Montecristo Afrique Uhuru cigar was almost woodsy while the taste was sweet and totally different from what I was expecting from the smell. The smoke exiting from my mouth left a sweet taste on my lips that was nice. I’ve never had this before.

As I moved on down the Montecristo Afrique Uhuru cigar the flavors became more and more subtle. After about an inch and a half, the flavors were sort of soft on the pallet. They sort of rolled on then rolled clean off the pallet as you blew out the smoke.

At around the half way point of the Montecristo Afrique Uhuru cigar there were slight hints of pepper that complimented the smooth initial tastes of the cigar. From the start the burn rate was nice and slow with a perfect burn. The ash was firm and what I would describe as a bright grey ash.

The flavors started to evolve some more as I continued to smoke. At this point I was getting sweet smells in my sinuses as I blew the smoke out of my nose. The pepper flavor on my pallet was starting to pick up a bit and I was now getting what tasted like black coffee.

All of the initial flavors started to subside and there was now a distinct pepper flavor on my pallet that was quiet good. The build up to this was very enjoyable. The burn rate was still good as well as the ash. By now there was only about an inch of the cigar left. I continued to smoke the Montecristo Afrique Uhuru until I could no longer hold it.

The worst part of this cigar was when it was time to let it go out. The Montecristo Afrique Uhuru was so enjoyable that I just couldn’t get myself to put it down and walk away. I smoked this cigar for just over an hour and a half. I don?t know if it was just the atmosphere or the fact that I was looking forward to a good cigar all day, but this stick was an absolute joy to smoke and I would highly recommend the Montecristo Afrique Uhuru as a late afternoon early evening smoke.

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Thanks for sharing your smoking experience of the Montecristo Afrique Uhuru, Walt!