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Last post 5 years ago by MACS. 42 replies replies.
Serviceable Gurkhas?
Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
This will get some hate....Buuuut.. Anything serviceable here? I bought tons of them when I first started smoking cigars, I still have tons in my stack. Not ashamed to say I like some of them, even if their construction, burn, etc, isn't on par with cigars of higher calibers, it's not like I always have two hours by the river to smoke anyway.

Been awhile but I remember Master Select and Centurion being enjoyable.

Anyone else have the sack to post a Gurkha they liked?
Salmoneye Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 01-18-2011
Posts: 163
You got stacks of sticks, do ye?

tonygraz Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 08-11-2008
Posts: 20,175
Someone has their eye on your stash of Gurks. Gurks are a bad word around here, but there are some that smoke them in the closet and don't admit to it. If you liked the Centurion and Master Selects, you haven't found the better Gurks yet. The problem is that you have to wade through the plethora of them to find the good ones and then when you do the blend changes and they fall in quality. And then there is the internet cigar thing of licensing. Never buy a Gurk that only one cigar company offers.
Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
Yah. I discovered cigar auctions a few years ago and went a bit nuts. NO REGRETS. Of course, now I have like three boxes each of smokes I was into then, like 5 Vegas Relic, Man O War Ruination, etc. Oh well.
Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
tonygraz wrote:
Someone has their eye on your stash of Gurks. Gurks are a bad word around here, but there are some that smoke them in the closet and don't admit to it. If you liked the Centurion and Master Selects, you haven't found the better Gurks yet. The problem is that you have to wade through the plethora of them to find the good ones and then when you do the blend changes and they fall in quality. And then there is the internet cigar thing of licensing. Never buy a Gurk that only one cigar company offers.



Yah, I kinda saw that lol.

So, in your opinion, which are the better blend? You have to keep in mind, that when I started buying handmades, I had been smoking machine mades. My first purchase from CI was a grab bag of total garbage cigars. Compared to that, Gurkhas were pretty good. I remember buying several Gurkhas, Blue Steel maybe?l because I thought the flavor was interesting, but even then I knew they were made like ****. The wrappers crumbled if you even tried to roll them in your fingers.
Mrs. dpnewell Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 08-23-2014
Posts: 1,373
According to what I have read around the industry, Gurkha will release a run of cigars made with quality tobacco. Once it garners good ratings, the follow up runs are made with lower quality tobacco. I don't know if that is true or not, but it does fit mine and others experiences. The OR Black Dragons where fantastic. The later ones, not so much.

Back when I started this hobby, I believed the hype, and bid on a lot of Gurkhas. Currently I have around 2,000 cigars, and there is not a single Gurkha in the bunch.

David (dpnewell)
Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
Mrs. dpnewell wrote:
According to what I have read around the industry, Gurkha will release a run of cigars made with quality tobacco. Once it garners good ratings, the follow up runs are made with lower quality tobacco. I don't know if that is true or not, but it does fit mine and others experiences. The OR Black Dragons where fantastic. The later ones, not so much.

Back when I started this hobby, I believed the hype, and bid on a lot of Gurkhas. Currently I have around 2,000 cigars, and there is not a single Gurkha in the bunch.

David (dpnewell)


That's disappointing to hear, as I have quite a few Gurkhas. Oh well. As I said, I can always smoke them while mowing. It's actually really rare for me to get long enough to dedicate an hour or two JUST to smoking, as I don't smoke indoors. I actually do have 2 black dragons I traded a friend for lol. Or...had.. I think I still have one anyway. Hard to tell with Gurkhas. The bands don't give much away beyond color. I think the Black Dragon had a unique band though, didn't it? I have around the same number of cigars at last attempt to count, yours are probably of better quality, it sounds like. But our experiences sound exactly the same regarding buying the Gurkhas lol. OH well, as I said, I still enjoy some of them.
Ewok126 Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 06-25-2017
Posts: 4,356
I have a few Gurkhas but they are my "Moped" cigars.

You know a Moped..... Fun to ride but you don't want your friends to see you on one
Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
None of my friends know ****** about cigars. Well possibly one, but he gets most of his from me because he refuses to buy anything over a few dollars a stick, so he's not likely to comment lol.
Ewok126 Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 06-25-2017
Posts: 4,356
Man I wouldn't trade the world for my cigars. Well except to the brothers on here. I get more from my cigars than I do the majority of drugs the dr's have me on lol.
Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#11 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
I believe you. I tried pretty much everything, I lived in the Sig Tau house for a semester (which almost killed my scholarship), lol. Never cared for any of it, aside from alcohol. Always loved cigars though, from the very first time.
Ewok126 Offline
#12 Posted:
Joined: 06-25-2017
Posts: 4,356
Yeah I know what you mean. I wish I had found them long before now but such as life I guess lol.

Aight brother, I got to hit the hay, Been up all night so its time to lay it down while my brain and body feel up to it. Have a good one and was a pleasure shootin the chit with you.
Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#13 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
Same here, bro. Go recharge the ole thinker.
KingoftheCove Offline
#14 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
Centurion? Meh...
Tony and DP hit the nail on the head.
No consistency in quality for the FEW decent cigars Gurkha makes.

I started cigars in the mid 70s and quit in the mid 90s (kids) before the Internet boom. When I started up again 15 years later, I too went through a phase of manic buying.......all these " new" cigars........so cheap!!

I was smoking gurks, crappy PDRs, 5 Vegas, etc., the typical internet cigar noob crap.
Then I graduated to AJs stuff, cheaper DPG lines, discovered some cheaper but decent boutique blends, found more places to buy online, got some tips from online botl here and other places.
Fortunately I ended up with only 100 or so cigars I knew I'd never smoke............and I was also fortunate to have a steady supply of stoned or drunk "gimmee a cigar bro!" moochers who took them off my hands eagerly.

I'm not an elitist at all, and there are still decent sub $2 cigars out there........not many...............but they're out there...........and it's still nice to stumble into one, or have a botl give you a heads up.
That said, my days of buying Gurkha, RP, and the like are over, and have been for years.

Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#15 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
KingoftheCove wrote:
Centurion? Meh...
Tony and DP hit the nail on the head.
No consistency in quality for the FEW decent cigars Gurkha makes.

I started cigars in the mid 70s and quit in the mid 90s (kids) before the Internet boom. When I started up again 15 years later, I too went through a phase of manic buying.......all these " new" cigars........so cheap!!

I was smoking gurks, crappy PDRs, 5 Vegas, etc., the typical internet cigar noob crap.
Then I graduated to AJs stuff, cheaper DPG lines, discovered some cheaper but decent boutique blends, found more places to buy online, got some tips from online botl here and other places.
Fortunately I ended up with only 100 or so cigars I knew I'd never smoke............and I was also fortunate to have a steady supply of stoned or drunk "gimmee a cigar bro!" moochers who took them off my hands eagerly.

I'm not an elitist at all, and there are still decent sub $2 cigars out there........not many...............but they're out there...........and it's still nice to stumble into one, or have a botl give you a heads up.
That said, my days of buying Gurkha, RP, and the like are over, and have been for years.



*Sigh*

Well. This is why I'm here.

I have a lot of Rocky Patel, 5 Vegas and Gurkha lol. I remember thinking a Rocky Pate Edge was one of the best cigars I had smoked recently. I had no idea they were considered to be subpar. Well, I had heard a lot of **** about Gurkha, but I just assumed that was only elitists being elitists. Perhaps my palate is just not sufficiently subtle. I have plenty of more expensive cigars but I honestly haven't found them to be any more impressive across the board. Maybe I'll smoke one of my Opus X today and see if anything has changed for me.
Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#16 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
Don't worry, I will post a pic. No one here seems to believe anything about the opus x without pics.
RMAN4443 Offline
#17 Posted:
Joined: 09-29-2016
Posts: 7,683
Bad Mr Frosty wrote:
*Sigh*

Well. This is why I'm here.

I have a lot of Rocky Patel, 5 Vegas and Gurkha lol. I remember thinking a Rocky Pate Edge was one of the best cigars I had smoked recently. I had no idea they were considered to be subpar. Well, I had heard a lot of **** about Gurkha, but I just assumed that was only elitists being elitists. Perhaps my palate is just not sufficiently subtle. I have plenty of more expensive cigars but I honestly haven't found them to be any more impressive across the board. Maybe I'll smoke one of my Opus X today and see if anything has changed for me.

Smoke what you like and like what you smoke......Anxious
Mandoman Offline
#18 Posted:
Joined: 12-27-2005
Posts: 4,761
Regardless of anyone else's opinion, if you like the cigar, smoke it. Yours is the only opinion that matters. Just because a cigar has a hefty price tag or big name does not mean you will like it. Conversely, you might find you really like some inexpensive bundle smokes. My humble advice is try it before you decide.
Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#19 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
Well this will be the second $80 Fuente I've smoked. We'll see. lol. But yah. Not like I'm going to quit smoking Gurkha Centurions or 5 Vegas Relics just because they are considered to be low brow. On the other hand, there is a reason popular opinion exists. I need to see what's real and what's hype.
RMAN4443 Offline
#20 Posted:
Joined: 09-29-2016
Posts: 7,683
Some of my favorite smokes are the CAO Black.........crap to most, but I like them.........and they are from the maker of the "King of all Cigars", so there is that Anxious

edit: favorite may be to strong a word....but I do have a bunch of them(maybe 2 bunches)

That Cohiba from Yaro in the Blind Taste Test is by far my new "favorite",
but I don't believe I can afford bunches of themHerfing
ZRX1200 Offline
#21 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,476
Gurkha B&M only are ok. They don't actually make anything except the B&M cigars. They farm the rest out and or sell licensing for their labels. I know some that like the ghost and Ninja....I haven't had one. What wrappers and or flavor profile do you like?
KingoftheCove Offline
#22 Posted:
Joined: 10-08-2011
Posts: 7,600
Bad Mr Frosty wrote:
Well this will be the second $80 Fuente I've smoked. We'll see. lol. But yah. Not like I'm going to quit smoking Gurkha Centurions or 5 Vegas Relics just because they are considered to be low brow. On the other hand, there is a reason popular opinion exists. I need to see what's real and what's hype.

Yep.............Smoke want you like.
Its not that I think any cigar is "low brow" or anything like that.
It's that for the money, I can do better..........for what I like........than what Gurkha, RP, 5 Vegas, and a long list of other brands offer.
ZRX1200 Offline
#23 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,476
Those Ruinations age very well btw. 2 years and they mellow nicely.
24132413 Offline
#24 Posted:
Joined: 01-25-2017
Posts: 555


Barracuda, Beauty, Chairman, Governor, Classic Havana Blend, Yakuza all work good and have decent flavor.
Mrs. dpnewell Offline
#25 Posted:
Joined: 08-23-2014
Posts: 1,373
Ewok126 wrote:
Man I wouldn't trade the world for my cigars. Well except to the brothers on here. I get more from my cigars than I do the majority of drugs the dr's have me on lol.


Weird thing, Chris. The pain in my leg/knee is getting worse each day. It is unrelenting and constant. I finally had to break down and start taking the prescription pain killers, which barely touch the pain. The only relief I find, is when I'm enjoying a cigar. When the pain gets to be too much, I head outside, light up a smoke, and within a few minutes, the pain disappears. It stays away for about 30 minutes to an hour after I finish. Must be something to do with the Nicotine. Anyhow, cigars bring more relief then the prescription pain killers. No surprise that I'm currently smoking a lot more then usual.

David (dpnewell)
ZRX1200 Offline
#26 Posted:
Joined: 07-08-2007
Posts: 60,476
we have medicinal cigars in Oregon.
Abrignac Offline
#27 Posted:
Joined: 02-24-2012
Posts: 17,217
Bad Mr Frosty wrote:
Well this will be the second $80 Fuente I've smoked. We'll see. lol. But yah. Not like I'm going to quit smoking Gurkha Centurions or 5 Vegas Relics just because they are considered to be low brow. On the other hand, there is a reason popular opinion exists. I need to see what's real and what's hype.


One of the best cigars I smoked was a 4 year old La Aurora Series 1495 robusto. On a whim I bought 6 boxes for less than $40 per. I smoked 1/2 of one and tossed it in the trash. I buried them in the bottom of a 3000 cigar humidor and forgot about them.

About 4 years later I decided to see if time had done anything for them. It had a wonderful oily wrapper and a complex flavor profile. In fact, I did a blind box pass a few years back where I sent out 10 to different people and asked them to guess what it was. They were surprised when I told them what it was. Wish I could find that thread.

Many people here had the same pleasant surprise with some $1.50 a piece La Perla Habano Morados.
Ewok126 Offline
#28 Posted:
Joined: 06-25-2017
Posts: 4,356
Mrs. dpnewell wrote:
Weird thing, Chris. The pain in my leg/knee is getting worse each day. It is unrelenting and constant. I finally had to break down and start taking the prescription pain killers, which barely touch the pain. The only relief I find, is when I'm enjoying a cigar. When the pain gets to be too much, I head outside, light up a smoke, and within a few minutes, the pain disappears. It stays away for about 30 minutes to an hour after I finish. Must be something to do with the Nicotine. Anyhow, cigars bring more relief then the prescription pain killers. No surprise that I'm currently smoking a lot more then usual.

David (dpnewell)


I know what you mean brother. For me I think that it is just the simple fact of me being focused on the cigar. Taste and smells that bring back memories of when things was "good" and I was younger so to speak. I make it a point of when I typically smoke a cigar I am alone and as comfortable as I can get when it comes to my surroundings. Warm day, Blue sky typically outside or in the garage. Next thing I know for a short time troubles are gone for a bit, pain is better etc. It is amazing to me at times what getting out of my own head can do.
RMAN4443 Offline
#29 Posted:
Joined: 09-29-2016
Posts: 7,683
ZRX1200 wrote:
we have medicinal cigars in Oregon.

I like the medicinal cigars.......for the rheumatism don't ya know Anxious
tonygraz Offline
#30 Posted:
Joined: 08-11-2008
Posts: 20,175
Haven't been buying many Gurkhas of late. The Special Ops used to be good. Ancient Warrior was pretty good until a few years ago and a nub they made in the Black Dragon line (nublizer) was a great smoke for a one dimensional and they can no longer be found. The Monograms were great and the Copper label was too- but they are long gone now.
frankj1 Offline
#31 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,211
can you take a Serviceable Gurkaha into a restaurant, like one of those special dogs?
Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#32 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
ZRX1200 wrote:
Gurkha B&M only are ok. They don't actually make anything except the B&M cigars. They farm the rest out and or sell licensing for their labels. I know some that like the ghost and Ninja....I haven't had one. What wrappers and or flavor profile do you like?



That's a tricky question, you dog, you. My tastes tend toward extremes, as I get bored insanely quickly. I really can't smoke a one dimensional cigar very long unless it's just outstanding or unless I'm doing something else and barely paying attention. I like Ligero for kick, maybe not ligero wrapper AND filler. I would have to say Habano is the wrapper I most consistently enjoy, but it's really more about mood. If I have time and am unwinding I tend to prefer darker wrappers, not always maduro, but something thick and oily and totally not as gay as that just sounded. In regards to flavor profile, again, that's tough. Too much cocoa on the palate is boring to me, same with just straight woody tobacco or really thin cream and light pepper. Gets old quick. I like spice and oak and earth and leather, if I had to choose.
Just Relax Offline
#33 Posted:
Joined: 09-26-2016
Posts: 587
I'm a fan of 5 vegas classic and will likely always have some on hand. If was the first cigar in the beginning for me that I really liked. Though I have changed from like the judge to preferring the robs and torps.

I had one gurka in a sampler and it sucked. Saw what others thought on here and moved the rest to the buddy pile.
Mrs. dpnewell Offline
#34 Posted:
Joined: 08-23-2014
Posts: 1,373
Just Relax wrote:
I'm a fan of 5 vegas classic and will likely always have some on hand. If was the first cigar in the beginning for me that I really liked. Though I have changed from like the judge to preferring the robs and torps.

I had one gurka in a sampler and it sucked. Saw what others thought on here and moved the rest to the buddy pile.


I just won a couple 5vers for cheap ($7). I used to enjoy these, but haven't had one in probably 5 years. I hope I still find them enjoyable.

David (dpnewell)
bgz Offline
#35 Posted:
Joined: 07-29-2014
Posts: 13,023
I've been on a cheap cbid exclusive AJ kick lately.

Found some blends here that I like that can be had for less than $3 per (some $2 or less).

Some of them are good for golfing, some of them not.
gummy jones Offline
#36 Posted:
Joined: 07-06-2015
Posts: 7,969
I love a good oxymoron
RMAN4443 Offline
#37 Posted:
Joined: 09-29-2016
Posts: 7,683
gummy jones wrote:
I love a good oxymoron

Jumbo Shrimp Anxious
tonygraz Offline
#38 Posted:
Joined: 08-11-2008
Posts: 20,175
Please leave your sexual preferences out of this.
gummy jones Offline
#39 Posted:
Joined: 07-06-2015
Posts: 7,969
Lol and lol
Bad Mr Frosty Offline
#40 Posted:
Joined: 03-11-2011
Posts: 111
Careful, that acronym is banned here. Lmao
frankj1 Offline
#41 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,211
Bad Mr Frosty wrote:
Careful, that acronym is banned here. Lmao

way cool!
MACS Offline
#42 Posted:
Joined: 02-26-2004
Posts: 79,593
gummy jones wrote:
I love a good oxymoron


I was going to say the title is an oxymoron... well, I guess I still did.
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