Gurkha Cellar Reserve 15 yr Kraken Review

Cellar Reserve 15 yr Kraken
Made by: Gurkha
Country: Dominican Republic
Vitola: 6 by 60

A Gurkha review! This is a first, I have heard mixed opinions about this cigar. In the end cigars should always be tried to see if it does fit an individual. So I am going to approach this blend with an open mind. With that I do have to say, as with several of the cigars that Gurkha produces, the band is very extravagant. My question is, does the tobacco back that presentation up? Lets see with a Gurkha Cellar Reserve 15 yr Kraken Review.

Prelight

In my opinion a cigar over a 52 ring gauge is a tough area to get into. At that point firmness becomes a more important characteristic. The pack on this cigar is quite acceptable for this ring gauge. Slightly spongy and a velvet like wrapper. As for the cap, this cigar has a pigtail but it is quite crude as far as the construction of these go. Never the less it is an indication of extra time being put into a cigar. As for the wrapper it is full of medium to large veins and there are many bumps from the binder. Rough looking aesthetics with a beautiful band. The wrapper has less tooth then I would expect but I do hope it maintains higher cream and a good mouth feel. Sharp bold cedar on the foot, seems almost forced, there is a sweetness underneath that shows promise for some complexity. Good cut, and not that much loose tobacco, but what was left of the cap did fall off. The biggest note on this cigar on the prelight draw is the spongy give the pack has. This cigar is packed perfectly for a 60 ring gauge in my opinion, cedar and that sweet note remain present on the prelight with the addition of a black pepper.

1/3

Took a second to light, and the first observation is that the wrapper is leaking smoke where this cigar gets back to a 60 gauge from the smaller foot on this figurado. Tons of smoke production, thick smoke but not too much in the way of mouth feel. There is cedar on the front, closer to almost a dry sawdust, and the finish is bitter black pepper. Not the best burn line at the moment, as I thought the transition from the figurado foot to the 60 ring gauge body is proving difficult for the cigar. It did need a touchup to come back to normal. I am not going to lie, at this point the best part of this cigar is the band. It is just under a medium body at the moment, and no strength at all. As I get to the end of the first third the cigar is coming together a bit more, it seems as though it needed some time to warm up.

2/3

The front has calmed down a bit, it is a mix of cedar and oak. The finish is showing more of a bitter macadamia nut, and it is more balanced then the first third. The black pepper has calmed down a lot and is allowing the other notes to get through. The best way to put it, the cigar is improving. A bit of aging may balance out the front, the sawdust/cardboard note that was present in the first third is gone which is great. The cigar is at a medium body and the strength is up to a low to medium. The burn line has maintained a lot better in this third.

3/3

The flavors are beginning to wash a bit, but in a good way. The notes are blending to be a mix of the macadamia nut, cedar/oak, and subtle black pepper. The smoothness of this cigar improved dramatically from the first to last third. The body has maintained at a medium and the strength never passed the low to medium. The burn line had no issues past the first third. Satisfying end to this cigar, very interesting transition from not something worth smoking into something that I may actually revisit after some age. I can understand how some people could develop a loyalty to this cigar.

Smoke Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Conclusion: 81

This cigar started off shaky but got better as it burned down. In terms of image this cigar looks rough and glorified from the band and the wrapper. It could use some rest to balance out the first third. This was a chimney from the start, really in my opinion this is a good cigar for an occasional cigar smokers or as a beautiful looking hand out to friends. For heavily developed cigar smokers this won’t really hit the flavors and expectations. Still I do have to say I did enjoy smoking this for some reason, really aesthetics add to the experience and in this case that band was helpful.

Click on the picture to find this cigar at anthonyscigars.com