Gurkha Nautilus

Wrapper: Habano 2000
Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran
Size: Robusto 4.7 x 52
Price: $7.09
Beverage: Diet Pepsi 
Smoking time: 1 Hr. 5 Min.
Humidor time: 0 days - Cigar store purchase

Once I removed this cigar from the cellophane I was impressed with the overall appearance of this stick. This was one nice looking cigar that I held in my hand. The dual band was striking in appearance as was the smooth medium brown Habano wrapper. I was however a bit surprised of how light this cigar felt and half expected it to be soft as I rolled it between my fingers, but surprisingly, it wasn't soft at all.

Using my other senses to examine this cigar I found the wrapper's aroma to be a mix of oak and leather, but it was faint and I found it difficult to determine exactly. The foot was a bit easier to judge since the aroma was a bolder mix of spice and fruit. As I tasted the end cap it was again a bit of a challenge to come up with a flavor, but there was faint sweetness there and the cold draw had a heartier flavor more like spiced apple. 
Once the foot was properly toasted and the cigar was lit, loads of thick white smoke billowed skyward from the foot. The massive amounts of smoke coming from this cigar looked like a smoldering pile of pine needles just before they burst into flames and after about two minutes I could barely see across the room as each new puff again created a towering plume of smoke. I was a bit disappointed that the foot was making two to three times more smoke than was coming out the cap. Even though the draw appeared to be easy, getting a nice mouthful of smoke was a bit of a challenge but the cigar did have a nice earthy tobacco aroma to the smoke.
The first third started with a mild to medium flavor combination of oak, earth and leather that held true until the beginning of the final third where the flavor finally shifted into a bit more complex mixture of coffee, earth and leather that remained until the cigar was finished. I found no bite or bitterness at any time and it did smoke cool the entire length. The burn rate on was dead on, but although I was being careful, the ash fell at just past the one inch mark.
Overall this was a nice cigar and it was a positive smoking experience but for the $7.00 price tag on this baby I feel a bit slighted, I expected a lot more bang for the buck. I do have to add that #LoganatDell did warn me that Gurkha's don't hold up to the hype, but I still had to find out for myself. I'm positive that I will never pay full retail on this lackluster stick again.

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