Cigar specifications
5.5" X 50
"maduro wrapper graces this blend....an oily leaf from the famed San Andres Valley of Mexico, concealing a Cuban-seed mixture of long-leaf tobaccos from the Esteli and Jalapa valleys of Nicaragua."
Construction
The dark Maduro wrapper with the black white and gold Gurkha band creating a nice contrast but who cares about the bands anyway, it's all about what they surround. The wrapper was for a lack of better words an average maduro wrapper, no major veins but not what you would call amazing. I felt no soft spots in this cigar it actually felt a little harder than my other cigars yet this did not hamper the draw. The roll looked good the cap was well applied all around a good stick.
Score: 88
The pre-light draw has earthy flavors with the faint taste of espresso beans and the bitterness of dark chocolate.
The burn of the cigar was consistant and satisfactory throughout both of the cigars I tried, the flavor in the first third was an earthy tobacco flavor with a little bit of pepper, as the cigar progressed the spice muted slightly and the flavors of coffee and dark chocolate became more pronounced. The earthiness lasted throughout the cigar and was actually quite pleasant this carried from the second half of the first third through the end of the second third. This is when the spice kicked back up and the flavors of coffee, and chocolate all but disappeared.
Score: 86 (I think that if it the flavor profile developed instead of turning into pure tobacco and spice I would have rated it higher.)
Value: They can be had for sub $2 a stick so the value is good for a stick that is better than most 2-3 dollar sticks.
Score: 92
Availability: Look online they are available many places, but dont get caught over paying as Gurkha has ridiculous MSRP tags on most of their stuff.
Score : 86
$39.95 on Cigars International for a box of $20
Final Score: 87
Final Babble: I think this isn't a bad stick for $2 bucks I smoke them down to a little into the last third when they loose flavor.
