Gurkha's inconsistancy

jship079

It might just be me but I am (maybe was) a gurkha fan It seems like over the past year and a half they have been becoming more and more inconsistant and there quality keeps getting poorer and poorer. I think it may be a case of trying to do way to many different things insteed of perfecting a few.

stephen_hannibal

What happened?

jsnake

I don't know but there 3 new blends look amazing and they are coming out at a great price. Kaizad also gave me a blend that won't be released until maybe close to the end of this year and it looks like perfection. They weren't handing these out at IPCPR and he personally gave it to me. Can't wait to smoke it. You know I have had wrapper burn issues with Gurkha but I still love them. I smoked a $25 Opus X and it was the worst burning cigar I ever had. It happens to the best. I would think with the prices we are paying that quality control would be in place. Many factors can have an effect on a cigar that are beyond the manufacturers control such as the shipper and your local B&M.

jship079

stephen_hannibal:

What happened?

It's that smoke to smoke there is problems burn issues, draw issues, undercured tabbacco, flavor, it seems like if you smoke 20 sticks in the same line there is very rarely a constant. Also some of there lines they are coming out with are to me sub par.

Hayblet

jship079:

stephen_hannibal:

What happened?

It's that smoke to smoke there is problems burn issues, draw issues, undercured tabbacco, flavor, it seems like if you smoke 20 sticks in the same line there is very rarely a constant. Also some of there lines they are coming out with are to me sub par.

Well I kind of disagree, I've smoked close to a dozen Centurians, never had a problem with any of them, had small uneven burn issues with a Legend Perfecto but not any of the other sizes. Imo, Gurkha is a solid product even if Mr. Hansotia comes out with 8 million blends, sure some of them might not be for everybody but I have yet to have a Gurkha I didn't like.

Also I can't wait for the new one's was hoping his site would be updated, but I'm sure Alex and the gang will keep us updated for all new products and not just Gurkha's.

stephen_hannibal

Hayblet:

jship079:

stephen_hannibal:

What happened?

It's that smoke to smoke there is problems burn issues, draw issues, undercured tabbacco, flavor, it seems like if you smoke 20 sticks in the same line there is very rarely a constant. Also some of there lines they are coming out with are to me sub par.

Well I kind of disagree, I've smoked close to a dozen Centurians, never had a problem with any of them, had small uneven burn issues with a Legend Perfecto but not any of the other sizes. Imo, Gurkha is a solid product even if Mr. Hansotia comes out with 8 million blends, sure some of them might not be for everybody but I have yet to have a Gurkha I didn't like.

Also I can't wait for the new one's was hoping his site would be updated, but I'm sure Alex and the gang will keep us updated for all new products and not just Gurkha's.

+1 Hayblet... I haven't had any more construction issues with Gurkha than with any other brand. And personally I think his (Hansotia) idea is to make something for everyone.
Not many brands try to do that.

Russ55

I think anytime someone else does your manufacturing for you there's going to be more inconsistencies, and qc issues than if you made the product yourself. There's ways to mitigate it, but I still think it's better to make it yourself and have total control. That's expensive though. Gurkha has to spend that cash on telling you how great their product is.

TatuajeVI

I have less experience with Gurkha than some who have already posted in this thread but my experience with Gurkha is much the same as the OP. Inconsistent sub par cigars is what I've found and that's about all. Oh and u can't forget outrageous MSRP on many of their blends. I will probably never purchase any more gurkhas since there are many fantastic manufacturers out there that I know I love.

ljl

TatuajeVI:

I have less experience with Gurkha than some who have already posted in this thread but my experience with Gurkha is much the same as the OP. Inconsistent sub par cigars is what I've found and that's about all. Oh and u can't forget outrageous MSRP on many of their blends. I will probably never purchase any more gurkhas since there are many fantastic manufacturers out there that I know I love.

It's the combination of high MSRP and burn issues that get to me. I will agree that I have tried fewer Gurkas than others here as well. I also agree that even the best will have these issues some times. There are so many blends and all the one's I've tried so far seem to burn bad, just don't have flavors to match the price or both.

I don't hold it against the company, I simply can't justify it - working with a limited budget. If I find one I really enjoy, I will pay to get it. Agree that in my mind they're competing with cigars I know and like.

TheDrifter

My brothers and I split a box of Evils and I don't think any one of us had any issues. I've had 6 of their blends and never an issue. Granted my B&M only seems to carry their higher end blends so maybe that's why I've been so lucky?

SgtRick

Gurkha Legands are a mainstay in my humidor. I have not had any issues at all with them. I have enjoyed everyone of them that I have smoked. I purchase 95% of my cigars through the mail since I'm currently overseas. I let them sit for a while before enjoying them. Storage is the key with any cigar.

jsnake

I have had boxes of Legend, Black Dragon, Master's Select, and Cuban Legacy which is not a Gurkha as pointed out to me by Kaizad. Anyways, they were all consistent and smoked the same. Like I said maybe your supplier mishandled what you got. Maybe your B&M has humidity issues. Things like that are beyond Gurkha's control. While the brand isn't for everyone and people seem to love to hate them I love all the new things they are doing. Keep things exciting to me. From what I learned the new Viper, Ninja, and Commando are all priced well. The Commando comes in a hard case with an insane knife in the top and your box of cigar protected below. While this runs $200 the packaging and the knife are what make it that price. What until you see them. I already have one reserved!

MrMoke

jship079:

It might just be me but I am (maybe was) a gurkha fan It seems like over the past year and a half they have been becoming more and more inconsistant and there quality keeps getting poorer and poorer. I think it may be a case of trying to do way to many different things insteed of perfecting a few.

I know exactly what you mean. I've had a box of Empire II's in my humi for 3 months and finally tried one last week, draw was way too tight, couldn't even really establish any flavors or nuances of the tobacco. I've never had a bad draw on a Gurkha before, very disapointing.

fla-gypsy

My problem with Gurkha always surround draw issues. Happens way to frequently.

kaspera79

SgtRick:

Gurkha Legands are a mainstay in my humidor. I have not had any issues at all with them. I have enjoyed everyone of them that I have smoked. I purchase 95% of my cigars through the mail since I'm currently overseas. I let them sit for a while before enjoying them. Storage is the key with any cigar.

I'm with you here Sarge.. Every single one I've had delivered for me. Titans, Centurians, Legends , Regents, Dragons, Warriors, Symphony, Select, Reserve, Beauties and Beasts, Even shaggy and Sherpa.. ( to name a few). Never had a complaint.

vegassparky

i havent tried many of the gurkha lines. i do normally smoke the assassins , evils. got 2 setsof empire series , couple titans and few micro batch in the humi that i have never tried. but with that being said they look great. assassin is my favorite, never had one that i didnt enjoy

kuzi16

my issue with gurkha isnt the the construction its the flavor. so far there are only 3-4 blends that i still enjoy. they are the centurian, the legend, and the regent. ( you get 4 if you count the nepalese warrior as a different blend. its only the regent with a cameroon wrapper)

i just feel that i am constantly being let down by them for some reason as of late.

docbp87

Aside from the Legend, Centurian, and maybe the Empire V (and probably 5 or 6 others), I have found that a lot of Gurkhas have the same dull earthy taste to them, regardless of which blend it is. This is the biggest reason that I have pretty much given up on trying new Gurkhas...