Gurkha Vintage 2001 Double Rothschild-Blind Cigar Review #6

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Welcome back!  We hope you will enjoy our sixth Blind Eye Cigar review.  We unknowingly smoke the good, the bad, and the ugly so you don’t have to!

With each review, we will post some information from the video in a TL;DW (Too Long; Didn’t Watch) write-up.  This way, you don’t have to take notes!

 

Panel: Jeremy (me), Carter, and Trey

Cigar: Gurkha Vintage 2001 Double Rothschild (6.5×58)

Manufacturer: Gurkha/K. Hansotia & Co.

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder: Cameroon

Filler: Dominican

Price: +/- $4

Smoke Time: 1 hr 30 min

Other Notes: Paired with water, lit with a single flame torch, cigar not revealed until the end of the review.

Appearance and Construction

Gene provided us with some mystery cigars for this review.  Thanks Gene!

The Gurkha Vintage 2001 was a classically-beautiful cigar, with a milk chocolate, mottled wrapper that had a few veins that added to the “vintage” look of the stick.  The cigar was well constructed, with a firm feel and a flush triple cap.  There was a bit of debris on the cut, but nothing excessive.  Trey did cut almost the entire head off of his rather than just the cap.

The draw on Carter and my cigars was perfect!  Trey, on the other hand, experienced a very tight draw that only opened slightly towards the last third of the cigar.  It caused him to have to work really hard to get enough smoke.  His also began to crack and unravel in spots after the halfway point.

Neither Carter or I had any real construction issues.  Carter did have to relight his twice and mine burned a little wavy.  I did have to touch it up once, but overall the burn was pretty decent.

The ash held on mine for over an inch at a time.  Carter knocked the initial ash off pretty early on but was able to hold well after that.  Trey’s was just doomed from the start!

Flavor

Here’s where things go south (except for Trey who started there!).  We started with a little bit of pepper, but it quickly faded.  The first third consisted mainly of earth and wood with some leather.  Carter noticed some coffee and cocoa as well, but only faintly.  So far, it was somewhat enjoyable.

The second third provided no change except the lessening of flavor overall.  There was still earth, wood, and a touch of leather, but the earth was starting to become just dirt.  Plus, the finish was so short, we did not get to experience much flavor after the exhale at all.  It was coming across as bland.  I did get a few hints of sweet tobacco, but they faded rather quickly.  Due to Trey having to work hard to draw any smoke through the cigar, he was picking up on some metallic notes from the heat as well.

The final third finished with more of the same, bland, almost non-existent flavor that we got in the second third.  At this point, we were all ready to let this one go out.  We each had over an inch left when we called it a day.

Strength/Body

The Gurkha Vintage 2001 is billed as a medium-full strength cigar but I don’t see how.  It was mild-medium at best.  It was definitely mild in the flavor department as well.

Recommendation

We all agree that this a cigar we would strongly advise against purchasing.  They can be found for very cheap online, but I don’t see them as a good bargain cigar.  Gene told me he smoked one and thought it was pretty good, which worries me even more. If you get a 5 or 10 pack for cheap and at least 3 of them are not very good, then you have still wasted your money.  There are definitely other “bargain” sticks out there that you can get instead of this one.

Now, the shelf price on one of these is over $10, which I think should be a crime.  Please, do yourself a favor and NEVER PAY MSRP FOR THIS CIGAR!!!

 I know that many people hate Gurkha cigars.  One of the main reasons for this is the huge discrepancy between their MSRP/shelf price and what you can get them for online.  In most cases, the online price is usually the more accurate value of the cigar.
Another reason is the inconsistent quality that is usually associated with their products.  I frequently read about someone’s Gurkha being plugged, unraveling, cracking, or tasting like ammonia.  This is common among many of their lines.
I will admit that I have enjoyed several different Gurkhas, especially in the early-mid 2000′s. Though I have had some issues with a few of their cigars, I have usually enjoyed smoking them.  This one, however, I hope I never come across again.

 

Did Anyone Guess What It Was?

No!  The construction issues on Trey’s cigar should’ve given it away, but we did not guess Gurkha.

 

Other Useful Info

Nothing this time!  I will say that I am acquiring quite a bit of footage for a blooper reel at some point though!

Here are some pics from the review.

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  • Michael Muldowney

    As a cigar newbie, it’s great to see honest reviews of this brand. My list of cigars to stay-the-hell-away-from includes two things now: 1) Gurkha and 2) Ron Mexico. I’m pretty sure I have one or two Gurkas from online packs, but I think regardless of how it is, the inconstancy within the brand and sleazy marketing (MSRP vs. online/actual value) will keep me away.

    • BlindEyeCigars

      Michael,

      Thanks for the reply! One thing we won’t do here is lie about the cigar. Kind of hard to “play favorites” when you don’t know what it is you’re smoking until the end!

      One thing to remember: taste is subjective. While we did not and would not recommend this cigar to anyone else, it doesn’t mean they don’t have some good offerings or that your experience won’t be different. I have had several “good” cigars made by Gurkha, but have also had some “bad” ones. I know many people have had the same types of experiences with them as well. My suggestion is that if you’ve got some already or come across them down the road, give em a try! I just wouldn’t purchase one at MSRP! Hope this helps!

      Jeremy