Staff Reviews

When you're inside CI headquarters, even if you're not looking for cigars, boy, cigars sure do find you. This place is a 49,000 square foot playground chock full of handmades, and resistance is just about futile. That's the position I found myself this past Sunday. I ran to the office with a plan to get a few things done and a promise to my wife to speed back home without delay. But on my desk was a box of 5 Vegas Series 'A', the Archetype size. Ooooooh. This toro is gorgeous. A pitch black Costa Rican wrapper, oils beading off, individually wrapped in cedar sleeves. Rolling it between my forefinger and thumb, my thoughts were racing. Risk the scorn of wife and family by not coming home, or stick around and light one up? This ethical dilemma continued for a moment before I succumbed to the inevitable charms of the 5 Vegas 'A'. After all, I asked myself, am I not human....do I not bleed? Having justified it in my mind, I lit it up. Oooooh. 3 cigars later, not only did I spend a productive afternoon at the office but I enjoyed every second of it.

This is a cigar that you could smoke all day: after one is done you just want to light up the next ....and it continues like that, it's like having one long cigar. The most distinctive thing about the 5 Vegas Series 'A' blend is the undeniable smoky, charred character - so appealing. The interplay of the Costa Rican maduro wrapper with the complex long leaf filler blend creates an almost decadent cigar. In body it's somewhat heavy, and it offers a very rich and dense flavor profile, including dark chocolate, almost espresso-like notes. The charred character and toasty aroma imbeds itself in your nostrils and by the end, you're ready to spark another....and another. To me, this blend is cigar heaven.

Oh, and how about this: looks as though we'll be receiving two new special sizes in the next couple months, the Apocalypse (6"x58) and the Atomic (4.5"x54). Dream the impossible dream!

I’ve smoked more Exodus Torpedos and Toros than I could ever begin to count, so I could probably write this in my sleep. But that would just make me want one, so I might as well grab another from the humi. As usual, Torano is right on key in quality. The Habana 2000 wrapper is prime – smooth, dark, oily and nary a blemish in sight. Construction is solid – the torpedo cap is perfect, there’s no soft spots to be found and the square-press is impeccable. What more can you expect from Carlos Torano? The man knows how to make a stogie! Now it’s time to sit back and relax as I enjoy this super-slow burning Honduran cigar. To say it features an assortment of flavors is an understatement. It’s made with a 5-country blend of long-leaf tobaccos: Honduran, Dominican, Mexican, Nicaraguan, Costa Rican. Amazingly, the Torano family managed to pinpoint the best nuance from each of these tobaccos to create a wonderfully complex smoke. I notice a rich, chocolatey character from the Nicaragua leaves. The robust earthiness must be derived from the Honduran leaves. The spiciness that lingers on my palate is a combination of premium Mexican and Costa Rican tobaccos. All while the mellow and smooth Dominican tobaccos tame the smoke a bit, keeping things on the medium-bodied level. A 90 minute, 5-country tour for my palate that I’ve revisited many times before, and will probably never get bored of. Open up any of my humidors, on any given day, and you will find at least one Exodus 1959 waiting for me. Just make sure it’s still there when you close the humidor, ya mooch.

The idea for Java was conceived in Allentown, PA. I know that ain't sexy, and you might rather believe it was divine inspiration one day in Central America when Jonathan Drew and Rocky Patel were inspecting tobacco plants in the vegas of the Jalapa Valley....but it's the truth.

It was May 2, 2004, and all the major cigar manufacturers were here in Pennsylvania for CI's annual mega-herf called CigarFest the day before. Any cigar maker worth his salt came to the event, attended by a ton of raving cigar nuts. Anyway, the day after the event a small group of cigar makers - the cigar glitterati - were sitting in the lobby of some crappy hotel waiting to catch flights. Among the group were Rocky Patel and Jonathan Drew. These two guys became so absorbed discussing a new project they were trying to collaborate on that they changed their travel plans to extend their Allentown odyssey for an extra day. They spent the next 24 hours in that crappy hotel talking and brainstorming. See, Drew Estate is the king of infused cigars, known for ACID, Kahlua, Natural, etc. And at that time, Rocky's RP Vintage was just starting to skyrocket in popularity, and Rocky was searching for a new product to add to his line. He wanted an unconventional, subtly flavored cigar unlike anything else on the market, and Drew Estate was the only maker that could pull that off. After the idea was conceived there was months of blending, and Java was born. How do you describe this kind of cigar? This may sound like a distinction without a difference but Java is not a flavored cigar per se. It's imbued with the flavor of gourmet mocha. Not injected, sprayed, or one of the other countless ways they make most of the cheap flavoreds. Instead over time the flavor is allowed to absorb into the tobaccos prior to rolling. The result is a cigar with more nuances, one that's more refined, slightly sweet with mocha-like flavors. It's not a syrupy, gooky mess like many flavored cigars end up. Instead Java retains a crisp tobacco flavor that is not overwhelmed by the infusion of mocha. To me, this cigar is like a sorbet. I like to cleanse the palate between my voluminous consumption of more conventional cigars.

To me, The Centurian is a must-have cigar, so I have a canister full of Centurians on hand - each is waiting its turn for a special day. Unless you overslept, last weekend was New Years, a perfect time to break open the canister and enjoy one of my all-time favorites. You can’t say enough about the look of this perfecto - a solid, 60 ring gauge double torpedo that’s packed with aged Cuban-seed Dominican long-fillers and sports a flawless Connecticut wrapper leaf that’s silky to the touch. Upon sparking up a full-flavored burst of spice and rich earthiness shifts my palate into overdrive. After my first few puffs my only thought is Cuban Bolivar. The rich Cuban-like earthiness put forth by this cigar is so smooth that I hardly notice the underlying strength that creeps on me. Word to the wise, do not smoke this while operating heavy machinery, on an empty stomach, pregnant or a few drinks over the limit. As the cigar enters its thickest point, it tends to mellow a bit, but continues to deliver a potpourri of flavor. Spicy, woody, earthy, toasty, rich, but always smooth. But give it time. Just as I start to recover from the mellow buzz, the cigar begins to taper into a full-bodied finish that’s loaded with creamy spice, giving new meaning to the phrase “go out with a bang”. Eventful from start to finish.

Gurkha’s Centurian is the reason why we become an enthusiast of fine cigars. Enjoying a cigar is a moment we look forward to and make plans for. Because of this, we are often disappointed, making the satisfaction of enjoying a perfect cigar, at the perfect time, much more meaningful. This cigar is an experience that I will continue to make plans for.

So, why would I write another review on this cigar after 3 years? I'm glad you asked and better still, I'm going to tell you...

Over the years I've tried many "new releases" that were excellent cigars and I'm sure you feel the same way. The trouble is that often after the lot of tobacco used to create that first batch has been depleted, the factories and blenders are left with the daunting task of producing the cigar again the following year with different tobaccos while maintaining the strength and flavor of the prior year's blend. This often leads to disappointment because subsequent batches lose that something special that was in the blend the first time out. Not so with the Centurian! No way, no how, no doubt about it! Each and every Centurian that I have enjoyed from that very first to today is perfectly consistent in every way, from the burn to the construction to the intense Cuban-esque flavor that each imparts. Mellow off the start with a hint of spiciness, the Centurian slowly builds into a full-bodied and full-flavored cigar with a complexity and richness that rivals even the most sought after Cuban cigars. Year over year you won't find that kind of consistency in any Cuban cigar these days. Sure the price isn't anything to sneeze at but if quality, consistency and a superior blend of tobacco is what you’re after, look no further because your search is over!