Gurkha Viper
Monday, March 14th, 2011I picked up a couple Viper’s at a local shop. I was drawn to the fact that this was a cheaply priced Gurkha. The wacky looking box press caught my attention as well. The non-flashy packaging and presentation is definitely not what Gurkha is known for. I paired this cigar with water, and here are my findings on the Gurkha Viper.
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Nicaraguan & Dominican
Size: Grand Corona 6 x 46
Price: Around $5.00
Pre-Smoke & Construction:
The first thing you notice about this cigar is the odd rectangle shape. The wrapper was a little blotchy looking, with some small veins. The odor coming off of the wrapper and foot was almost non-existent. I could only pick up a note of spice and natural tobacco. The cigar was evenly packed, with no soft or hard spots. The pre-light draw was free, and had almost no taste. Perhaps a little wood and bitterness.
The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for about one inch.
Flavor:
The first third had a slight peppery spice when exhaled through the nose. There wasn’t really any strong flavors, just some notes of earthiness, wood, and coffee. As I transitioned out of the first third, there was a slight bitter sweetness.
The second third had an uptick in the peppery spice, which was noticeable when passing smoke through the nose. The smoke became smoother and thicker feeling. Like before, the flavors were a combination of coffee, wood, and earthy notes. That bitter sweetness picked up in strength to round things out, for awhile. As this third came to an end, the bitter sweetness took over the flavor profile.
The last third had that dominant bitter sweetness. Woodiness and coffee remained way in the background. When exhaling through the nose, the spice remained the same as before. The spice also lingered on the lips and tongue after exhaling.
Conclusion:
This was an OK lower medium to medium bodied cigar. At times I found myself being underwhelmed with the flavor. On the other hand, I did enjoy the smoke at times too. I think it meets the price point, but in the end this was just an OK cigar.