The KC/DW Review Series

[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]

Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Maduro Robusto (6x52)

This was an attractive, sharply box-pressed cigar (not quite as sharply as the Gran Habano), with a cream-colored band and a paper sleeve where some cigars have cedar. The sleeve color and texture appeared to be an attempt to imitate the maduro leaf that wrapped the cigar, and was a nice addition to this cigar’s presentation. Aroma before lighting heralded a peppery experience. The wrapper was a deep dark-chocolate brown, with a definite oily sheen. Color and construction were very even. I enjoyed this stick with a glass of water and a piano concerto (Joachim Raff, if you’re curious).

I muffed the cut, and lost the cap. Nonetheless, the cigar did not unravel at all. This cigar was aces in construction. Upon lighting, the smoke was very voluminous, but the taste started out very weak in intensity. The pepper aroma did not break its promise, at least in the first third. The aroma wafting from the cigar, once lit, was subtle and lovely, better than any other cigar I have had.

The first third opened with a light, peppery taste, with a mild bite on the tongue, perhaps a bit of sweetness on the lips. Soon, a leatheriness started to develop. The ash, (streaked light and medium gray) was firm and fell off after about an inch, perhaps a little more. By the end of the first third, the aftertaste got steadily nicer, if perhaps remaining a bit thin. The pepperiness of the very start faded fairly rapidly; the cigar evolved little after this point, and a lack of complexity was becoming evident.

In the second third, this cigar made a top-notch presentation of what I call a leathery taste, but offered little added dimension. The final third increased the intensity in an impressive fashion, and perhaps started to hint at chocolate.

Smoke volume remained enormous throughout the smoking experience. My only reservations with this cigar were its lack of depth and its weak start (but this latter tends to be a common criticism of mine; it might just be me). The burn was nice and slow, taking an hour and a half to smoke.

The Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Maduro is a pleasant, friendly, uncomplicated cigar that falls just short of spectacular. I would wager that this cigar would be a very good pairing with a meal of steak and red wine, which it would complement very well, but not overpower.

Score 16.65 (x5) = 83.25; I gave it an extra 0.75 for excellent aroma, and another half point for a very slow burn that made for an unhurried experience, for a final score of 84.5. I plan to get myself another one and give it another chance after the aforementioned pairing with a meal and a drink.

I looked up this cigar after I finished it, and read about how chocolatey it is supposed to be, but I was underwhelmed by its “chocolatiness” (which is neither good nor bad); I also discovered its price, and I was a bit taken aback. A very nice cigar, but I’m not sure it’s quite worth its retail price. At half the price, I would certainly make sure I had a few on hand.

Many thanks to D.W. for another great smoke, and one I probably would not have tried on my own anytime soon. I have to say right here that I would have a very hard time matching his generosity.

[DeeDubya]

Glad you enjoyed it KC. Very thorough review. I must say that RP carries a pretty good line. I usually smoke the 1990/1992 which are always good. I still have a couple of the sticks you sent to review but for the last several evenings have been trying out the Diablo Caliente. Very inexpensive yet a pretty darn good smoke for an everyday.
Have a good day.