Gurkha Ancient Warrior
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012I picked up this cigar at Ed’s shop a couple of weeks ago. Gurkha has quite a large following of fans and bashers alike. I sit somewhere in the middle. They have quite a few blends that I like, and some that I’m not so fond of. I haven’t smoked a Gurkha in a long time, so I figured it was time to revisit a cigar I used to smoke from time to time – the Ancient Warrior. I paired this cigar with water as always.
Wrapper: Brazil
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican republic
Size: Robusto 4.5 x 50
Price: $6.95
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The dark oily wrapper looked great, with only a ding here and there. The smell of the wrapper was a mild sweet earthiness. The foot had almost no odor at all, perhaps a generic sweetness. The cigar was evenly packed, with slight give when squeezed. The pre-light draw had slight resistance with a mild earthy flavor on the pre-light draw.
The ash held for around an inch, and the burn required several corrections.
Flavor:
The first third had a robust dark coffee flavor that clung to the mouth long after exhaling. When passing smoke through the nose, there was a smooth pepper. The coffee developed a sweetness that was similar to a thick mocha flavor. Very faint earthy notes were in the background.
The second third took on a creamy smoke feel that had a caramel sweetness. At about the half way point a woody flavor joined in with the coffee and caramel. The pepper felt in the nose didn’t go anywhere. That faint earthy aftertaste remained as well.
The last third had a dominant woody flavor at times. At other times coffee and mocha would take center stage. All the while a sweet caramel undertone remained. The creaminess didn’t go anywhere. The smoke clung to the mouth and tongue for a nice sweet, tingly aftertaste.
Conclusion:
This was a damn good medium to upper medium bodied cigar. Say what you will about Gurkha, but they do have some blends that hit the spot for me. I will admit I am guilty of bashing Gurkha for their fancy packaging and selling of a lifestyle. But in the end it’s the cigar that matters to me, and this one was a satisfying experience. If you are a Gurkha fan or not, this one is worth a try.
