The KC/DW Review Series

**DeeDubya** · 12-01-2008, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by logan37

Nice reviews guys.

The first La Riqueza that I smoked had a really tight draw. I'll have to give it another shot one day.

Now that you mention it, this one did too, but not so that I had to re-cut it. I usually try a v-cut first and if it won't draw I clip the cap.

**logan37** · 12-01-2008, 04:48 PM

I smoked the No. 1 size (6.5 x 42). I think that may have been part of the draw issue. The draw was so bad that I barely got any taste from it and hardly any smoke. I tried to cut a little more off to no avail. I'll try a No. 2 (5.5 x 52) if I pick up another one.

I tend to stay away from smaller ring sizes as a personal preference now. Most of my sticks are 50-52.

**King Catfish** · 12-06-2008, 07:24 PM

A gift from brother Sammis.

Full disclosure: I am biased toward Gurkhas; I love almost all of the Gurkha varieties I have tried, and I was expecting this one to be a big hit. This was my first Titan. Read on to see if my expectations were met.

The Gurkha Titan is aptly named, appearing in a chunky 6.5x56 toro vitola. The cigar is a deep brown, with the classic gold Gurkha band and a black secondary band proclaiming the variety of the stick in silver letters. A cedar sleeve covers most of the rest of the cigar, but enough is visible in the cellophane to project a squat, belligerent impression, like a sumo wrestler poised to attack.

This big stick is composed of Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Columbian fillers, a Nicaraguan binder, and a dark, slightly veiny 1996 Costa Rican wrapper. A little research revealed that the Titan debuted at the 2005 Retail Tobacco Dealers tradeshow and only 1,000 boxes were produced. This is a special stick indeed!

I smoked this cigar with a couple of Pilsners and Joe Pass and his colleagues on the music box. Handling the stick, I found the construction to be aces, very firm and straight and even. There was a slight sheen on the wrapper. I held the cigar to my nose; the wrapper smelled strongly of that fermented tobacco aroma we all love (but on the sweet end of that particular type of aroma), plus a good bit of cedar. (The cedar taste was no surprise, given the packaging). My cutter handled the task, and the prelight draw was surprisingly chocolatey. (I was not expecting that, given the aroma.) Draw was very easy.

It took a while to properly toast the cigar (which issued a subtle woodsy tang to the air), but once toasted it lit readily. I expected the volume of smoke to be huge, and I was not disappointed. The first few puffs were mild and sweet. The smoke was noticeably cooler than I am used to, which can be attributed to the large ring gauge. Once the cigar got warmed up a bit I tasted sweet iced coffee with the tiniest hint of chocolate.

In the first third, the burn line was slightly uneven but very sharp, demarcating a grayish white ash, and the slight chocolate tinge to the taste wandered away and was gone, leaving the mild, sweet, cool coffee taste. I was surprised to see a spot of burning coal had popped up a half in from the burn line; a bit of tunneling I was not expecting given the apparently excellent construction. However, it was no issue, as the main burn line caught up with this spot and devoured it soon enough, restoring the cigar to flawlessness. The ash fell off at nearly two inches and sat like a miniature concrete tower in the ashtray.

The middle third showed not so much a return of chocolate but rather the arrival of a powdery cocoa to complement the coffee taste, and the body started to build, with some spice developing. Also starting to emerge was a bit of an alkaline undertone, which seemed to be morphing slowly into, but never quite becoming, a leathery flavor. The aftertaste, weak up to this point, began to assert itself.

In the final third all the flavors intensified and started to work together more harmoniously. The body was quite mild in the beginning, becoming medium in the middle onwards. A very long-lived smoke, this cigar exceeded an hour and a half.

The Gurkha Titan is a special cigar: it’s uncommon; large and intimidating to the eye, but gentler than it appears. I did not find this cigar to be as amazingly complex as it has been described in some reviews I have read about it. While not one dimensional, I would not consider it remarkable for its complexity. However, it did evolve nicely, and the evolution made sense; the flavor at the end of the cigar was a more mature, developed version of the taste at the beginning. I recommend one approach this cigar like a special event; make sure you’ve got a full belly, a good drink or two, and a quiet evening in which to devote your full attention to the experience. This cigar has a unique flavor profile and a great evolution worth one’s full consciousness.

I scored this cigar 17.00 (x5) = 85.00, adding a full point for a well-thought-out blend that achieved a very sensible and satisfying evolution of flavor profile and another full point for a strong and harmonious finish, for a final score of 87. I would love to try this blend of tobaccos in a robusto vitola.

Many thanks to Sammis for this rare and special cigar.

**King Catfish** · 12-13-2008, 07:57 PM

A gift from my friend Deedubya.

This evening I smoked an Olor Fuerte in the bellicoso/torpedo size (never could tell the difference, really). I saw a review of this cigar by Logan37, and it seems he found it to be a complex stick with a “dark” taste. I thought I saw a review of this by Deedubya as well, but I could not find it. Perhaps I am mistaken, there.

The cigar is made up of Dominican, Nicaraguan and Brazilian fillers with a Mexican San Andreas binder and a dark Talanga Cubano wrapper. The cigar was slightly rough but with a very oily sheen asd a solid heft. The unlit aroma was rich and dark, and the smell of cherries (mentioned by Logan37 in his review) was strong and clear.

I cut the cap, and the prelight draw was delicious, like chocolate and cherries. I contemplated the serious-looking black and gold band as I toasted the foot, and drew in the first couple of puffs of smooth, voluminous smoke. It tasted like more chocolate, and the cherry flavor was there, too, and as Logan37 mentioned, sweet leather.

The opening third saw in increase in leather; the sweetness started to fade a bit, the cherry flavor was nearly gone, and the cigar started to settle into a smooth, creamy mouthfeel and a rich leathery aftertaste with a slight note of that cherry flavor at the very end. The ash held on for the ride to a length of more than an inch and was solid and light gray. Smoke volume was really pleasantly big.

The middle third was mainly a continuation of the first third, with the flavor profile holding steady. The final third showed an increase of leather and a strengthening of body. The cigar showed a smooth, gradual, undramatic evolution from a memorable start to a strong finish. The draw was perfect throughout.

The Olor Fuerte is a fine, medium-bodied stick with abundant, consistent character and a long lifespan, and well worth the asking price. I had this cigar with a low-budget Pilsner, but I would hazard a guess that a strong red wine would be a better pairing with this stick; I would stay away from whiskey, which I believe would tarnish the sweetness in the aftertaste.

I saw some complaints online about construction problems with this variety, but I did not encounter any problem; construction of this stick was absolute aces. Also touted was the cigar’s complexity, and I agree with that for the most part. Some retail outlets advertise this as a full-bodied cigar, but I think medium would be a better categorization. I scored this stick a solid 84, plus one point for the fabulous unlit aroma and prelight draw and another half point for the aftertaste of leather and cherries. I added yet another half point for a stylish start, for a final score of 86.

**DeeDubya** · 12-15-2008, 08:51 AM

Good review KC,
Olor should be proud.

I've smoked 10 or so and find them to be a little inconsistant in quality. You might have smoked one of the better. I can't say that they are all that good. But, on average, they are a pretty decent stick.