Gurkha Park Avenue Maduro
Thursday, October 27th, 2011Since I enjoyed the Connecticut wrapped Park Avenue, I figured I’d give this one a try. You can find them online easily and at a pretty cheap price. It is claimed that only 5000 boxes were made. Once they are gone, they are gone. I paired this cigar with water and offer you my thoughts…
Wrapper: Habano Maduro from Jalapa, Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Size: Torpedo 6.2 x 52
Price: $3.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The wrapper was blotchy looking and a bit ugly. For the price I don’t expect a pristine dark maduro look. The wrapper had a different smell to it. It was earthy with a mild soapy odor (I swear!). The cigar was rock solidly packed with tobacco. The pre-light draw was a little to stiff for my liking, which I found to be common with these cigars. The pre-light flavor was earthy.
The ash held for around an inch, and the burn required no corrections.
Flavor:
The first third started off with earthiness and a mild pepper. After an inch or so, a generic sweetness gradually made it’s way into the flavor profile. I also picked up a hint of woody notes.
The second third had a dominant dry cocoa flavor. The earthiness fell into the background. The pepper stayed mild and was easy to move through the sinus. There were woody notes in the background. Simple but not bad.
The last third continued with the dry cocoa flavor. It almost drowned out everything else, which isn’t a bad thing. The peppery spice through the nose remained mild and had a woody aftertaste.
Conclusion:
This was a decent mild to medium bodied cigar for the price. It was pretty uneventful but the flavors were decent. The only bad aspect is construction. Out of the dozen or so that I’ve had, more then half of them had tight draws. I know this is a value cigar, but I expect a good draw. Over all, I prefer the Connecticut wrapped version of this cigar. The flavors just seem to be better and more refined. The Park Avenue is basically just another cigar.