I recently got a 5 pack of these and was very excited to give one a try. It is important to note that I got these on C Bid and was not sure of the condition they would arrive in. Out of the 26 cigars I won (5 - types), there was only one that appears to have had a rough childhood and it happened to be one of these. It arrived with no celo and had a small oval piece of wrapper missing above the band. Now I did not want to put this in my humi and have to stare at it all the time so I decided I would try this type first. Overall I am happy with the condition my order arrived in and the price these closed at was hard to resist, ($17 for 5).
I was honestly excited to try this and upon inspection the appearance of this cigar is quite impressive. The wrapper has a pleasing color, like a cup of coffee with perhasp a tad too much milk. It had fine veins that appeared refined and wrapped nicely around it. The band(s) were the typical ornate Gurkha quality and the silver lower band gave it a classy demeanor. The aroma of the cigar hinted at a mild smoke and the pre-light draw yielded very little taste. It lighted nicely and the draw proved effortless and provided a nice amount of smoke. The first third seemed somewhat uneventful, as I struggled to identify some type of flavor. As it neared the second third I noticed some cedar notes but am not sure if it was from its previous cedar box or if it was the tobacco as it was somewhat muted and passed quickly. I took a moment to observe the ash that was holding well over an inch. The ash was a light grey with faint black streaka and somehow appeared soft, almost like cotton candy. The burn was even and I did not have to ever touch it up. At this point I was quite bored and dissapointed and started to eye the remaining portion and wonder what I would do for the rest of the evening. In conclusion this cigar was beautiful to look at and admire, was constructed flawlessly, but the smoke proved uneventful and I really do not have much to report. As I have 4 more of these I will give it another shot after it sits a little and perhaps chalk this experience up to it being in less than opitmal conditon. The only analogy I can muster is a hot date that once home takes off her wig, colored contacts and Lee press-on nails. At this price I can not complain, but had I payed retail for this bad boy I would be seriously upset. In my limited experience, in this category of mild, I would undoubtedly go with the RP Connecticut, not sure of the exact name it has two white bands. I will post an update once I go round two with this snoozer.
Just wanted to add that I am unsure if I missed something as I noticed this recieved a "90" at CI. It's all subjective I guess and taste is in the mouth of the smoker.
******************* "If I had taken my doctor's advice and quit smoking when he advised me to, I wouldn't have lived to go to his funeral." -George burns at age 98
I myself am somewhat new to the Gurkha Brand and having only tried 4 different blends: Master Select, Class Regent, Expedition, and X-Fuerte, I must say that none of them really WOWed me like I had hope. The Expedition is a good with a cup of coffee in the morning. All in the X-Fuerte is so far my favorite but I would never pay full price for them.
"I feel sorry for people who don't smoke cigars. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day."
I love Gurkhas, but I only like them at the C-Bid price. I wouldn't pay full price for them, especially when you can find deals online for a few bucks a stick.
******************* "If I had taken my doctor's advice and quit smoking when he advised me to, I wouldn't have lived to go to his funeral." -George burns at age 98
Originally posted by P.A.D.R.E.: I love Gurkhas, but I only like them at the C-Bid price. I wouldn't pay full price for them, especially when you can find deals online for a few bucks a stick.
Agreed
"I feel sorry for people who don't smoke cigars. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day."
I love Gurkhas at C-Bid prices. The Class Regent Torpedo at about 3 dollars a stick is about as good as it gets. I would rate the cigar an 87 out of 100 but the price point is what delivers.
i got 10 symphonys about 2 weeks ago,and am unimpressed . very mild but with a hint of acrid almost tart.i will let theremainig 7 age for several months before i smok another.i have smoked a bunch of the gurkhas an as a whole an very happy with the brand.top picks so far are the black puros,101 maduros.gold colector edition box pressed legend toros. the big perfectos are all pretty good but i have had burn issues with about half of them i have about 150 assorted ageing now ,and they seem to only get better as time goes on.cigars international sells them at reasonable rates if you watch their daily specials ...ps the expidition and the special ed with the yellow band sucked avoid them
Gurkha Symphony Kaizad Hansotia Robusto #4 Cigar Size: 6.0" x 50 ring Wrapper: Connecticut Shade Filler: Dominican Republic Opening Device: 10mm Punch Lighting Device: NEBO triple flame torch Ashed: 3 times Burn Time: 1Hr 10 Min Imbibement: Hine vsop Cognac
I won these on C bid and waited patiently for their arrival. It was hard not smoking this beautfully wrapped cigar immediately, but patience has its reward.
The first few draws were a bit tight, could be that punch diameter needed to be larger, but after it warmed a bit and was no longer an issue. The burn was even and the flavors were interesting, but not a single flavor ever dominated. I tasted dried cherry, touches of citrus peel & toasted coconut with hints of almond, notes of cedar and eucalyptus towards the end. It was about the half way point when I had a eureka moment, I get it! Symphony, all the flavor notes were in complete harmony. The master conductor Kaizad Hansotia gave this the perfect name. The blend brought many complex flavors together and made them play well together,pure genius! My overall impression is that it is a nice mellow smoke that has overall a very refined smoothness to it. I think those who like mild and mild-medium cigars will love this.
I don't feel qualified to give it an actual score in numbers, but it was very enjoyable
