Gurkha Pre-Release Sample – due for Summer 2013 release

Gurkha Cigar Company has begun circulating a pre-release sample of a new unnamed cigar brand.  The cigar was recently showcased at a March 21, 2013 event at Outland Cigars in Charlotte, North Carolina that featured Gurkha Cigar Company Chairman Kaizod Hansotia.

Gurkha has remained pretty tight-lipped on the cigar.  Oliver Hyams, Marketing Manager for Gurkha said the cigar is a “pre-release of a big launch for a new brand coming out this summer.” While there were no details of the blend or frontmarks that will be launched, Hyams told Cigar Coop that the cigar is being manufactured in Nicaragua.

The cigar being distributed was a box-pressed toro-sized vitola.  It featured a coffee bean-colored wrapper with a slight colorado red tint to it as well as some darker marbling.  The wrapper itself had a smooth texture with a slight amount of oil to it.   From closer examination of the cigar, it some visible wrapper seams, but very little in terms of visible veins.   The foot of the cigar featured what I would describe as a “loose cover on the footer”.   The box-press was well-packed with no soft spots. The cigar itself featured a special “Pre Release Sample” Gurkha band on it.  It is not known whether this vitola will be one of the released sizes.

Footer of the Gurkha Pre-Release Sample

Our initial impressions of the cigar were very positive.  The cigar had a lot of intangible qualities that made the flavor profile work extremely well.  The pre-light of cedar, coffee, and wood.  The flavor profile was complex as it had a mix of coffee, cedar, earth, cinnamon, cream, and pepper.  The flavors start out medium-bodied, but progress to full-bodied by the mid-way point of the smoke.  The strength starts out medium and progresses to medium to full.  This is a cigar that does have a slight edge in terms of body over strength.

The construction delivered a firm burn with a salt and pepper colored ash.  There was some slight flaking to the cigar.  The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal, although the nub was a little bit on the soft and warm side.  The draw had a little bit of resistance – and in my book, this is an ideal draw.

We will have a more detailed assessment as further details on this cigar become available.

Update (5/24/13): This cigar has been announced as the East India Trading Company Rogue.