The KC/DW Review Series

[DeeDubya]

OK, Let's see, I followed through with the Black Puro this evening, along with 2 fingers of MaCallan. I finished the Black Puro but am on the second 2 fingers of MaCallan. I'll try to be cordial but at the same time bluntly honest.
I am not impressed with the Gurkha Black Puro. I have had lesser cigars but cannot bring myself to brag about this one.
Wrapper (dark and no veins but a little lumpy)
Toasted (no special aroma).
Draw (heavy to medium but I didn't re-cut)
Burn (somewhat uneven but not at all unmanageable)
First half (some spicyness but not impressive)
Second half (flavors emerged progressively, none pronounced)
Finish (better than I was anticipating but still not impressed)

On a scale of 1-10 I would give this cigar a 7

IMO the Gurkha Black Puro does not live up to it's name.

[King Catfish]

OK, Let's see, I followed through with the Black Puro this evening, along with 2 fingers of MaCallan. I finished the Black Puro but am on the second 2 fingers of MaCallan. I'll try to be cordial but at the same time bluntly honest.
I am not impressed with the Gurkha Black Puro. I have had lesser cigars but cannot bring myself to brag about this one.
Wrapper (dark and no veins but a little lumpy)
Toasted (no special aroma).
Draw (heavy to medium but I didn't re-cut)
Burn (somewhat uneven but not at all unmanageable)
First half (some spicyness but not impressive)
Second half (flavors emerged progressively, none pronounced)
Finish (better than I was anticipating but still not impressed)

On a scale of 1-10 I would give this cigar a 7

IMO the Gurkha Black Puro does not live up to it's name.

Actually, I rather liked this one... although I agree it is only really good at the finish, and certainly is not as good-tasting as it is good-looking. Its impressive looks warrant a little more in the taste department, I have to concede.

[King Catfish]

This evening’s cigar was a Gispert Robusto Maduro, courtesy of DW (thank you!). Its shape is a sharply box-pressed robusto, on the short side, packed and weighty. The color was an even medium-dark brown with a slight sheen. The cigar was a bit hard to the touch, and I was anticipating a difficult draw, but the draw was acceptable at first and then improving, so my fears were not realized.

I enjoyed it this evening with the usual Tullamore Dew and a Schubert String Quartet. The initial aroma was that of unsweetened chocolate and forest loam. The band is red and silver and yellow; the lettering old-style script. I lucked into a perfect cut; the pleasant initial draws reminded me of the smell of an old cedar chest that has had some woolen sweaters in it for a long time. Smoke volume was moderate at first, and a very nice coffee aftertaste was to be had from the very beginning. Intensity of flavor and body were light at the very first, increasing to medium and diminishing slightly in the last third. Smoke volume increased throughout.

The ash was light gray and a bit on the soft side, but cohesive (not flaky). I was less than impressed with the ash length when it departed the end of the cigar bound for ashtrayville (the first one actually ended up in my lap). In the midst of a harmonious presentation there was a hint of saltiness, and no bitterness, except a little at the nub. Aftertaste was on the brief side, redolent of coffee; coffee becoming more dominant as it progressed.

After the first third had gotten comfortably underway, nutty flavors started to appear to go with the coffee. The cigar was steady through the middle third, with nutty flavor slowly challenging the coffee. In the last third it was a photo finish, with neither nuts nor coffee claiming undisputed victory.

Score: 16.4 (x5) = 82

[King Catfish]

This was a very small (3.7 x 48), hard-packed perfecto, with a robust, dark aroma. I enjoyed it with a glass of water after lunch. The band was the classic Oliva cream-and-gold. I took a diamond file to my cutter to make sure it was sharp enough for the task; this cigar was so attractive that I did not want to screw it up. I have found Cameroon wrappers to be fragile, but this cigar did not show any fragility.

I toasted the tiny foot briefly, and upon lighting it, the wrapper was immediately assertive and somewhat sweet on the lips (this sweetness disappeared quickly); the smoke came out of the gate civilized and immediately gave the impression of complexity. The aftertaste at first was shallow and shy, but it seemed to hint at more to come; I felt as if I were tasting several things at once and could not immediately identify them all.

Smoke volume was low at first, which is understandable for such a tiny cigar; however, it continued to increase, and became quite impressive. The taste was subtly leathery and peppery; the body definitely mild (increasing to medium later). When lit the aroma was perhaps woody and, again, civilized.

When the cigar hit the widest part (at the end of the first third), the flavor started to explode, and the taste got strongly and pleasantly leathery, with a bit of a peppery, alkaline finish. Well into the second third a nutty flavor was starting to add to the mix. Pepper was ascendant in the middle third; however, no single taste predominated, and the flavor remained extremely well balanced. The aftertaste remained unobtrusive, but did increase enough to become notable in the last third.

In the final third it did not change so much as it became more completely itself, and I stuck with it until my fingers were burning. The ash was admirable throughout, and lay in the ashtray in two cylinders when I was done. If I did not handle my cigars so much, I suspect it would have been one long ash. I think the most telling aspect of this cigar was that instead of trying to find its best qualities, I had to search for something not to love about it.

Score: 19.05 (x5) = 95.25

An emphatic “Thank you!” to DeeDubya for this one. Part of my next paycheck is already earmarked for a few of these.

[DeeDubya]

Holy cigar smoke. I bet I have smoked 100 of these and never knew they had so much complexity. I usually smoke one of these or a Short Story in the morning. I do know they pack a punch for such a small cigar.
Great review. Thanks for your respected opinion.
I've been busy today. I hope I can relax and enjoy something different tomorrow and write a review. Have a good weekend.

[DeeDubya]

Thanks to KC I enjoyed a very mellow Gurkha Robusto #4 (6x50).
It had a very light, nearly creamy color wrapper, hinting at a mild cigar. Very smooth, hardly noticeable veins and a light sheen. The classic ornate Gurkha band had a second silver band denoting it as a "Silver Anniversary Edition". There for a minute I thought about getting some white gloves before lighting up.
Toasting (as usual) indicated a very pleasant hour ahead.
The draw was medium with plenty smoke and a subtle hint of single roast columbian coffee.
The ash was impeccably sharp, nearly perfect white and held through the first third.
Around mid way I began to detect a little earthiness characteristic of the aging process.
Last third, still very mellow, nearly delicious with the same razor sharp burn and perfect ash.
The finish brought no surprises but then certainly no dissapointments either. I smoked this sucker to the very end because I could. It was still burning perfect and not to the inside like a lot of cigars do at the very end.
Mild cigars are not my favorites, I prefer a little more kick, but I will give this one some high marks because it was one of the best I've had.
On a scale of 1-10 I will rate this Gurkha 9.4.

[King Catfish]

Nice review. The Gurkha Symphony is certainly one of my favorites, too. I'm glad you liked it.

[King Catfish]

OK, Let's see, I followed through with the Black Puro this evening, along with 2 fingers of MaCallan. I finished the Black Puro but am on the second 2 fingers of MaCallan. I'll try to be cordial but at the same time bluntly honest.
I am not impressed with the Gurkha Black Puro. I have had lesser cigars but cannot bring myself to brag about this one.
Wrapper (dark and no veins but a little lumpy)
Toasted (no special aroma).
Draw (heavy to medium but I didn't re-cut)
Burn (somewhat uneven but not at all unmanageable)
First half (some spicyness but not impressive)
Second half (flavors emerged progressively, none pronounced)
Finish (better than I was anticipating but still not impressed)

On a scale of 1-10 I would give this cigar a 7

IMO the Gurkha Black Puro does not live up to it's name.

I decided to have another one of the Black Puros this evening, and I am smoking it now. It is much less good than I remember the last one being. I agree on all points you mention above, except that I would say the burn was very even, the draw horrible, and the taste disappointingly flat.

I wonder why I remember this one as being pretty good....