I've been smoking since the boom in the early 90's. I was a young 20-something back then and of course, went in to my local hip cigar store (Willow Glen Cigars in San Jose, CA) and asked for "something mild". Needless to say, I walked out with a Connecticut Shade wrapped Macanudo.

Anyway, I've smoked hundreds of different kinds of cigars since then and have my personal "everyday smokes" that are my favs, such as A. Fuente Short Story, Punch Grand Cru and Padron Anniversario. I've always smoked various incarnations of these brands over the years and stay pretty loyal to them.

Anyway, I've been trying to branch out recently, and at the suggestion of my smoking buddy (my cousin) have smoked CAO Brazillias, various RP's and last night, a Gurkha Black Dragon.

This brings me to my question...

Is Gurkha really the "best cigar in the world"? I have to say...I think not. Don't get me wrong, it was an OK smoke. Medium bodied and IMHO a somewhat unremarkable smoke with a slight earthy tones and notes of leather. Honestly, nothing to get overly excited about especially considering the $16 per stick price tag. I think, considering my particular fondness for Nicaraguan cigars, I should have spent half as much and tried an Oliva maduro torpedo. Anyone else feel like Gurkha is the Starbucks of the cigar world, benefiting from slick packaging and marketing? Or, should I try something different from this maker with an expectation of finding a truly great cigar?

PS LOVE this forum!