After a weekend of camping (and no cigars), I think it is time to sit back, enjoy the beautiful weather, and light something up. The other day I purchased a Gurkha Vintage Shaggy Toro for a sale price of $4.99 (normally about $7). This will be my first Gurkha, and hearing mixed reviews, I'm not too sure what to expect.
The stick looks nice, the wrapper has a few nicks, though not from a bad leaf. It measures 6x50, excluding the foot, which is left unwrapped for the last half inch, giving it a rugged, old world look. Cut is a Xikar straight, light is a torch to the shaggy foot, and my drink of choice is cold water.
Pre-light - The cigar looks good, with a clean, unlumpy wrapper. The shaggy foot is growing on me, and the cut was perfect. pre-light draw has a bit of pull, but is not bad. Smells as if it has been lit before for some reason -not bad just odd.
First Third - It starts out as a mild, earthy/woody taste, with a toasty hint in the background. The burn is even for the most part, and the draw is the same as the pre-light. It has a relaxing quality about it, and is a lighter meduim-bodied smoke -a surprisingly pleasent change from my usual full-bodied smoke. The stick gives off a mild amount of smoke, which has a nice aroma and is not "stinky" as some can be. So far there is nothing outstanding about the stick, but for the price I am definatly not disappointed.
Second Third - Moving farther in I start to notice a slight nuttiness, though the flavors have not changed much. If complexity is what you are looking for, than this stick is not for you. I got the ash up to about an inch and a quarter before dropping it; a ragged, loose kind of ash. The burn line has become more unsteady, but I haven't had to relight at all. Smoking past the half way point has proved to show a bit of bitter/harshness, though a nice carmel flavor appeared. The thin Dominican wrapper has the flavor of a cameroon to me. The burn has significantly slowed down, and the flavor has become more robust (the same earthy/woodyness as befor with the carmel now), though still lighter-medium bodied.
Third Third - The stog has started to heat up, not enough to stop smoking though. The burn has evened out and the wood and carmel have taken over with a toasted aftertaste. Flavor has diminished a bit, maybe 2/3 of what was there originally. Not worth nubbing, though I smoked it down to a bit over an inch.
Conclusion and Score - This was a milder smoke for me, but a nice change on a very hot day. The flavors were far from complex, with a pretty constant woodyness thoughout and a few minor overtone changes. The draw and burn were adequate though not outstanding at all. For the sale price of $5 and change with tax, I will definatly pick a few more up to have around. I would have to give this cigar an 84, and believe that age would not really change at all given it has a rather thin wrapper and is a mild Dominican puro. If you're looking for a decent, cheaper smoke with a milder body, than check out the Gurkha Vintage Shaggy.
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