Gurkha Ghost

It’s Halloween, and I feel it simply wouldn’t be right to start this frightening day off without a sinister cigar to match the mood. Sure there are plenty of options out there, with Tatuaje’s Monsters Series coming to mind right away, but I thought I’d switch things up and go with something more “under the radar”.

Introducing the Gurkha Ghost, a cigar with a presentation as sleek and menacing as its name. These cigars were unveiled at this year’s 2012 IPCPR trade show and feature quite an impressive presentation. Packaged in a lustrous, black box, accented with elegant, silver highlights, the Ghost will make a quick impression. The Ghost comes in four “dark” sizes: Shadow, Asura, Angel, and Exorcist, further confirming I’ve made the right choice for the occasion.

Wrapped in a brilliant, holographic band, the Gurkha Ghost is anything but subtle. In fact, I began to wonder if the cigar itself could hold up to its presentation. Holding the cigar, the construction feels solid, with a dark and oily maduro wrapper that begs to sniffed. The aroma is that of leather, anise, and pepper, implying a bold smoke. Taking the cigar into the light will show off just how impressive this laser-etched band is (good thing it’s not a Gurkha Vampire).

Cutting up, the pre draw feels great, not too loose, with just a hint of resistance. After a few puffs, the Ghost lets off an ungodly plume of smoke! Similar to the Liga Privada cigars, the Gurkha Ghost seems to smoke itself, I felt like I had lit a fuse and it would “blow” at any momemt! Medium to full flavors of cocoa, anise, and pepper, with a backdrop of leather and earth fill the palate. It’s actually very similar to the smell of the cigar, which I welcomed gratefully.

One third of the way into the stick, the flavors begin to evolve. The smoke becomes buttery, one of my favorite qualities in a smoke, it’s that oily coating on the tongue combined with sweet creamy flavors. I detected a hint of sweet bread flavors, sort of like buttered toast. Near the last third, caramel and nutmeg entered the mix, making for a great dynamic smoke that challenged the palate around every corner.

Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?
This may not be an everyday smoke, although, that may depend on the pricing; as the Gurkha Ghost has yet to be released (that I know of). But given the right occasion, such as today, I would gladly smoke another. I might even go as far as to say that the Gurkha Ghost is my favorite offering to date from this machete-wielding manufacturer. I’d say the Ghost was “scary good”, but I’m not a big fan of puns…

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