I recently had a chance to try the Wicked Indie by Gurkha.This stick is part of the East India Trading Company line that was recently expanded by adding the Red Witch.
In the past I have found Gurkha cigars to be hit and miss. there were some smokes that I really enjoyed, like the Grand Reserve. The Grand Reserve was the celebratory cigar shared by Seal Team 6 after taking down Osama Bin Laden. It was also, allegedly, the cigar from the infamous Monica Lewinsky affair, which means in that case that the wrapper President Clinton enjoy was flavored with more than Louis XIII cognac. Enough said about that smoke, that is one helluva cigar!
However, some of the cigars from Gurkha just don't sit on my palate as well. When a buddy recommended this one I just rolled my eyes and gave him a "whatever" look. He insisted, and I decided to pick one up. I grabbed one at the local cigar shop for 6.95. They can be had for around five bucks online, but online cigars usually require some time in the humidor and I wanted to sit down with the guys and watch the NCAA tournament at Carmack's, so I paid extra.
I tried the toro (6x54) and prayed that I wouldn't be let down. The wrapper is an oily Nicaraguan Habano, there were a few veins present but nothing excessive. The binder and fillers also Nicaraguan and according the their website the fillers are aged 3 years. It had a double cap, and the predraw was earthy in flavor. Once I lit up I found that the flavor was medium in strength with spicy overtones.
This stick produced an outragous volume of smoke and burned evenly at first, but a slight correction was required at about an inch and a half. No further corrections were required.The ash was light gray.
Before I continue let me say that the flavors in this smoke are hard to pin down. If my experience isn't described the way you would explain it that may be why. The hard to describe flavor was one of the things I liked about it. I found myself closing my eyes several times and analyzing it, but eventually I decided to knock it off and just enjoy it.
The second portion of this cigar was really smooth with some wood flavors and slight waving. I really enjoyed this portion of the cigar, and found that flavor to be very enjoyable. That being said, the best was yet to come.
The end of the cigar had some nice cooking spice overtones and a stronger finish than the rest of the smoke. It burned cool, allowing me to smoke it down to the nub. The ash hung on very well also. I posted some pics below that you can use to judge the quality and burn of the cigar by. The cigar lasted about 90 minutes, and burned a little fast for my taste, but was still enjoyable.
This smoke would go well with a mixed drink, say a whiskey sour, but probably not as well with a strong whiskey. It would be great with a dark lager or i.p.a. It would also match well with a pino grigio.
Now, lets get down to the nitty gritty. Was this a helluva cigar? Well kinda. At $7.00 a stick it was a good cigar. At the $5.00 online price it would have been one helluva cigar! That being said, I watched some good basketball and got to hang out with the guys, which was well worth the extra premium.
I liked it well enough to grab a second stick to put in my humidor and I will probably order a five pack soon to keep as occasional smokes.
Construction 4.5/5
Draw 4.5/5
Smoke 4.5/5
Burn/Ash 4.0/5
Value 4.0/5
Flavor 4.25/5
Overall 4.25/5
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