1st light
I’ve enjoyed cedar sticks for atleast 5 decades.
I’ve enjoyed about every size ,model,country,wrapper, I could find and afford.
I started in the 70’s with a notebook before computers.
Like a wine book i’d log country, label ring gauge, wrapper. Then notes.
I’d purchase 5 or ten petites from everywhere and smoke 2 or three for a tasting to have comparisons, always choosing a favorite, then getting more of them to judge two more next time around. With each style, size , blend, country I’d come to a definite winner in each category. Oh man, I sure wish I had that book today!
Funny, but I remember only two cigars from the 70’s.
Santa Clara 1878 ? I think 38ring I think and 3 or 4 inches. Hands down a 100.
Then the best evening stick: a Royal Jamaican golden Oro torpedo 50 or 52ring 6”. That fantastic Jamaica spice in a creamy smooth $5 1970’s smoke.
In honesty, I’ve probably smoked more bad cigars than good. That’s part of the journey. Always lookin for a cheap sleeper.
I’ve never written about a cigar until today.
An old friend passed away this month. He had one of the largest Cigar collections… He and his sister gifted me a few priceless sticks.
I got the call after a snowstorm to drive into Minneapolis to one of the many many properties she owned and pick up a gift .
I have never gotten a box literally nailed shut with serious nails. My friend said, these have been in one of his humidors for decades. I think you will be happy.. I went to my truck and couldn’t open the box . I had to take out my bench made Mel Pardue, reptilian, knife, and pry each corner apart..
When I finally got three of the nails out and turned the top open, I thought mice had gotten into the box and eaten the cigars. My heart sank a bit. There was a little envelope with a paper card with pencil printing on the inside.. it was all the information from the roller of the cigars. Most everything was covered in a very light dusting of white mold I guess. From the world of wine this isn’t necessarily a bad thing in storage. I took out a few cigars and wiped them very gently with a damp cloth. And if you notice the photo, the cigars were rolled with a rough foot. At first glance, I thought they were coming apart. “ Ignorant me “. And the loose tobacco I guess was left over from the rolling table.
Well I quickly went to GROK6 with a photo of the box and asked for any information about these sticks. With 1940 written on the box, I knew they were pre-Cuba embargo because the hand written card stated that, but, the 1940 on the box kinda freaked me. was it possible this was 1940 tobacco? We’re all used to seeing old dates on cigar bands reflecting a start date or anniversary edition yada yada 10, 20,40th anniversary.—- of something. ( perhaps of the owners 1st marriage…
Below is what GROK gave me for information.. Beneath that tonight
So I lit a fire and my favorite cognac and lit one Cigar. My notes are below. As I said, I’ll never buy another Gurkha after smoking this incredible stick.
I don’t inhale. As a singer it’s just not smart, but boy oh boy I sure was tempted on this stick.
I hope you enjoy the notes and a bit of the story.
Smoke history:
Grok: tell me about these cigars…
Gurkha 1940 “Estate Select Cuban Tobacco” cigars (boxed around 2001, claiming to use vintage 1940 pre-embargo Cuban tobacco in the filler) are not currently for sale anywhere that I could find.)
This appears to be a limited-edition release from the early 2000s known as the Gurkha Pre-Embargo line. The brand’s founder, Kaizad Hansotia, claimed he acquired old pre-embargo Cuban cigars at auction (e.g., via Christie’s), disassembled them, blended the vintage filler/binder tobacco with newer leaves, and re-rolled them with a Connecticut wrapper. They were marketed as ultra-rare and sold unbanded with a shaggy foot.
The cigars themselves are long discontinued and extremely rare today. Searches across major cigar retailers (e.g., Best Cigar Prices, Neptune, Cigars International, Fox Cigar), auction sites (e.g., CigarBid, CigarAuctioneer), and general web/eBay results turned up no active listings for the cigars. The only related items are empty wooden boxes occasionally sold on eBay as collectibles.
MY NOTES;
I thought the shaggy foot would not light well. Wrong! Lit beautiful with my zippo single torch butane from Mark at Grumpy Gringo Cigar shoppe in Tubac AZ.
Smell: a bit musty, a hint of old mold.
Look: All I could envision opening the box was Gen. McArthur on the battlefield during WW2. Sitting in his canvas Quansett hut as some schmuck private pulls up in his jeep and delivers this box of sticks to him. Ok, it could as well have been Eisenhower, or Patton, or Churchill for cryin out loud. We’re talkin WW2 here. My father was on a ship back then standing watch all night when you could not light a match to smoke. He’d say, the enemy could see a match light from miles away. We’ll, I’m not on a ship, I’m in my living room and let’s light this relic up!
1st Light;
Rich floral flowers (what?//) this is a Gurkha! I’m stunned. Not perfume, delicate fresh petals.
Yes, Fresh carnation pedals.
10 min’s in a vanilla Carmel on the back n sides of tongue arrived.
Ok, it could have been the mix with my 1st sip of Hennessy Paradise.
Super easy smooth draw of complex light smoke. Did I say Gurkha? You can tell I’ve only smoked dark thick dirty Gurkhas from who knows where! Someday I may grow up and fully appreciate a black turd. Excuse me, I mean Maduro. Relax you turd smokers, I like em with bbq and firepit grilled RibEyes.
Sry, I’m a #2 MonteCristo torpedo Havana guy, I just can’t afford them anymore;)
News flash: This has just surpassed all cigars I’ve ever lit.
In my mouth I feel confused. I keep re- tasting between draws trying to understand the flavors.
20 min. In?
Old dry cedar just arrived. Not the powerful cedar from a new box, but OLD delicate cedar like French oak vs California wet big oak. Fresh soft Flower pedals are still the glorious predominance.
Like the smell of a beautiful fully developed woman’s scent without perfume or soap.
No heat on draw 1/2 way down.
3.5” to go.
How can this flower pedals essence still be gentle and light ?
Absolutely no bitter leaves in draw, after taste or tongue. Exquisite.
Sadly…
My dinner is ready, I must leave the fire and let it rest. I’ll be very interested to see what happens at re-light.. y’all know it’s usually a bummer.
Relight:
Ok, the relight was smooth, I smoked 1”. Never got raw or tannic, super smooth. As usual it did have that tinge of relight ash after getting cold. I let it set again. Why? My old friend Layton Howerton and I sat on his porch in the mountains of Red Lodge MT one morning having coffee, enjoying good tobacco, and discussing Theological questions across various religions and ancient texts:) I was at the end of a good Nicaraguan 52ring gauge. Pinching it like a roach to not waste those last draws before the finger burn, Layton jumps from his rocker and says hang on CraigT! A minute later he comes out of the cabin and hands me an old pipe. I looked at him and said “I gave up pipes decades ago. I left too many on putting greens.” In his slow southern drawww he says, “ Craaaaig, drop that cigars last inch down into that pipe and you’ll get atleast 15 more min, of a good smoke. Not a believer but always a gamer I stuffed it – and lit it -and….. I start laughing and yelling ‘“ This is genius, genius”.where did you learn this? He says “ Craaaaaig, in Kentucky the would sit on porches n smoke. Every man had a pipe in his jacket or overalls to fit his ring gauge in to finish good sticks. We don’t waste quality tobacco.. So, what you need to remember is, take your fav. Ring gauge to a pipe store and start putting it into pipe bowls till you get the right fit. You don’t need to spend a lot. It’s not pipe tobacco. Look me up and tell me how it works for you!
Ok in closing some kudos.
This was a gift from my old friend Peter who passed. Tk you friend, you gave me a new understanding of “ the greatest”.
I’ll never buy a Gurkha again. I’ll only remember this fire, this Hennessy and a cigar kept well with Havana tobacco from WW2.. yeah Freekin World War Two!
Copy the page link and send this to your cigar compadres. http://ctolson.com/?page_id=802
CRAIG T.
