Gurkha Black Dragon

Disclaimer: I am not a fan of Gurkha Cigars. But with that out of the way I have had this cigar sitting in my humidor for a few months having been gifted it. I was thinking of re-gifting it but since I have yet to review a Gurkha smoke I figured why the heck not. Everywhere you look online retailers are running specials on this cigar and it is a regular on the Joe Cigar website.

Cigar:Gurkha Black Dragon
Size: 6.5 x 53 (Torpedo)
Origin: Honduras & Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Maduro Wrapper
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Dominican

Appearance and Construction (18/20): Gurkha definitely has presentation down to a science. From the elaborate boxes to the well designed logo these cigars stand out. The Black Dragon is cedar wrapped and upon removing the sleeve  you are treated to a well rolled cigar with some oils on the wrapper. The cigar has some soft spots near the band, although it appears to be well packed.

Flavor & Notes (23/30): The foot of the cigar reminds me of a pool in the summertime, while I wouldn’t call it chlorine notes, it has that feel about it. Upon doing a dry draw the cigar has some leather notes. The initial third of the cigar is something I never experienced before. The notes remind me of a barbecue, slightly charred with some mesquite. After an inch the cigar changes and becomes sweet, similar to a sugar tipped cigar although this cigar is not. At the second third of the cigar it became the brand that I loathe. The notes were earth and leather that did not work for me. It was at the point that I wanted to put the cigar down and move on. The final third of the cigar was earthy.

Burn/Ash/Draw (21/25): The burn of the cigar is very uneven at the beginning but with a touch up the cigar burned even from there on out. The ash was light in color, slightly flaky and a little loose. I had to ash earlier than normal to avoid a shirt full of ash. The draw was a little loose for a torpedo but acceptable none the less.

Overall (19/25): The cigar started out interesting enough to pique my interest but it went down hill fast. The cigar was flat and one dimensional without any major notes to write home about. In the beginning I thought my thoughts on Gurkha would change, but they haven’t. I know Gurkha swears it is not the case, but the flashy boxes add to the overall cost of these cigars and they are ridiculously overpriced.

Rating: 81
Price: $13.00