Gurkha

[Jbuford]

What is everyone's thought on Gurkha cigar? I've had a few and they are good but I don't understand why they are so expensive but you can buy them so cheap off some sites? So why are they so pricey?

[Ogre]

All I can say is "Smoke what you like". You will get a number of responses to that question. Not many members here are Gurkha fans. Gurkha makes allot of different cigars and it seems that the online stores get the less popular lines at cheaper prices. Gurkha is vary proud of their "Top Shelf" cigars and ask a hefty price for them.

[kcdeadmoney]

Any insight how the pricing works? A 5-pack of the Gurkha Titan XO costs $160 through CI. I just got the same 5-pack on CBid, which is owned by CI for $11 plus shipping. :sw

[MUNKY]

In the famous words of Conch, smoke everything you can get your hands on and then smoke it again!

[pnoon]

Sorry. Gurkhas make me :pu

[icehog3]

Last Gurkha......EVER. ;)

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/gurkha-1.jpg (http://s196.photobucket.com/user/icehog3/media/gurkha-1.jpg.html)

[Dude Here]

I've only had one Gurkha that I liked, the OR Black Dragons. Maybe it's just me, but I've always had construction issues with Gutkhas. Either they're plugged, have wonky burns or start to crack and unravel while smoking.

As for pricing, who knows? Why do they make the HMR with a price point that's far beyond what most smokers can afford?

[dijit]

I agree with most on here the lower priced ones that are at almost all online stores have issues the wrappers split, uneven burn, and even a hoover cant draw on one. The flavors depending on your likes and dislikes have been acceptable and occasionally even good.

[Porch Dweller]

I've only had one Gurkha that I liked, the OR Black Dragons. Maybe it's just me, but I've always had construction issues with Gutkhas. Either they're plugged, have wonky burns or start to crack and unravel while smoking.
Back when I was buying sampler after sampler in order to try a wide variety of cigars I probably smoked about 10 Gurkhas. All but one had some kind of a burn issue. I enjoyed two of them, six I didn't care for at all, and two were downright nasty. But even the one's I enjoyed had burn issues that would keep me from buying more.

As for pricing, who knows? Why do they make the HMR with a price point that's far beyond what most smokers can afford?They're not catering to most smokers, they're after those with more money than taste, those who want to smoke a $750 cigar so they can be seen smoking a $750 cigar, and/or those with money who figure "what the hell, I can afford it, I'll give it a try".


Any insight how the pricing works? A 5-pack of the Gurkha Titan XO costs $160 through CI. I just got the same 5-pack on CBid, which is owned by CI for $11 plus shipping. :sw
The $160 price for the Titan XO is MSRP, NOT what CI sells it for which is $60 (link: http://www.cigarsinternational.com/cigars/11204/gurkha-special-edition-titan/) . You got it on CBid for $11 because at that moment no one was willing to pay more than that for it. When using CBid you have to keep in mind that for the comparison price they list MSRP, not what they actually sell it for. When bidding I keep two tabs open in my browser, one on CBid and one to check the actual sell price at CI and other sites. You'd be amazed at how many times people bid more than the "normal" price for a lot.

[dijit]

$160 cigars = smokers who typically wouldnt know a turd from a good cigar in my limited experience.

C-bid, and many of the other cigar bid sites all experience this. The worst I saw was on the bid site run by Famous for some kind of Opus MSRP was $18 a stick and the bid finished at over $30. Yes I was bidding but stopped at the $18 MSRP. The online shoppes have figured out that they can supplement their low prices with the bid sites that get people caught up in the excitement of the auction to run the price well above their normal price and MSRP.

[blugill]

I've got a friend I pushed down the slope and he's likes Gurkhas, some of them.
We've talked about their reputation a lot and he asked me the same thing, why are there so many people that love them and hate them.

It's simple, if you like them, enjoy them and smoke them as much as you want! Smoke what you love!

[tsolomon]

It's great marketing and promoting of the product. When you get that email from CI offering these expensive cigars at a really great price, you wonder what you are missing. So you start reading the write ups and reviews and say I have to try these. If you haven't smoked a lot of cigars, then these can become sort of a baseline of what a cigar should taste like. It's only after you start smoking a wider range of cigars that you can really figure out where Gurkhas fit in with your flavor profile. Over time, your tastes change and what you like to smoke will change as well. :2

[Heavy_d]

I've had 3 different Gurkhas, the Gurkha Seduction and the Wicked Indie and Red Witch from their East India Trading Co. line. The Seduction was actually pretty good as a mild morning stick and I lucked out and didn't have any burn issues with it, but I realize this is more the exception than the rule. With the EITC sticks, I really enjoyed the Wicked Indie, but both cigars had wonky burns and if I remember right, the Red Witch was a lite plugged. So while I enjoyed 2 of the 3, I probably wouldn't seek them out again.

But like Bluegill said, smoke what you love.

[bruceolee]

Last Gurkha......EVER. ;)

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/gurkha-1.jpg (http://s196.photobucket.com/user/icehog3/media/gurkha-1.jpg.html)

Don't say that Tom! You've got a perfectly sh*tty one that I sent you! You'd hurt my feelings if you didn't smoke the ENTIRE cigar! ;)

[kcdeadmoney]

http://www.cigarsinternational.com/cigars/65980/gurkha-titan-xo-5-pack/
These are the same item number I bought, is there a difference? These are $160.

[Big Perm]

They are really hit and miss, with more misses :D

Easily 5 plus years ago, they had one called a Doble Maduro, or something like that.....loved that smoke....every now and again, I'll get one random Gurkha in a sampler and some are decent, but most have been a disappointment.

Due to supreme cheapness and a couple good reviews, I have a few in my humi despite better judgement, will try to write a review in the next month or so...

[hotreds]

OP: Marketing! Some I like, others not so much. De gustibus non est disputandum!

[icehog3]

Don't say that Tom! You've got a perfectly sh*tty one that I sent you! You'd hurt my feelings if you didn't smoke the ENTIRE cigar! ;)

For $200 I will.

[hotreds]

Damn, you're cheap, Tom! I figured a grand, min!

[RWhisenand]

I'm not sure I'd waste a couple perfectly good wooden matches lighting a Gurka.

[Wharf Rat]

Like some of the others, I avoid Gurkhas. And, yet, they used to have a cigar called Nepalese Warrior that I liked. It's just that I could try a new Oliva, Pepin, Fuente, etc. and have a much better chance of liking it.

[icehog3]

Damn, you're cheap, Tom! I figured a grand, min!

Get 40 guys to chip in $5 each, I'll take pictures, Hugh. :lr

[bruceolee]

Get 40 guys to chip in $5 each, I'll take pictures, Hugh. :lr

Tom you need to watch your back the next time you visit central or south FLA! You'll have gurkha's coming out your @$$!



which may be the only way we can get you to take them! :tg

[icehog3]

They wouldn't taste any worse that way, Jason. ;)

[bacari]

As a new smoker, the Gurkha beauty wasn't too bad. I liked it.

[Tio Gato]

They wouldn't taste any worse that way, Jason. ;)
Well said Admiral! Thanks for the laugh, I needed one.:lr

[Sadden]

Tried one once. Wasnt good. Wasnt bad. Overpriced for the little.flavot it had. Perfect construction on this one though.

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af94/SaddenDude/Cigars/2012-07-07235403.jpg (http://s997.photobucket.com/user/SaddenDude/media/Cigars/2012-07-07235403.jpg.html)

[Chico57]

I've only smoked two Gurkas. Don't remember which ones but the first was ok and the second one I ran over with the lawn mower after the first inch.
Granted it I may have not given the brand a fair chance but I have to agree with Bob, there are a lot of cigars that I would like to try and might have a better chance of liking them.

[Sadden]

You pay an awfull lot for the fancy bands/packaging

[icehog3]

You pay an awfull lot for the fancy bands/packaging

Yeah, but you get the cool band, and a crappy cigar thrown in for good measure!

[cmitch]

Gurkha does make some good cigars, but they're rare and you'll have to try 45 nasty ones before you'll find that one. The seduction is good and so is the ninja. The rest? I'd just as quick toss them in a fire rather than smoke them. Especially the nastassin as we call it.

[shilala]

THERE'S the Gurkha face. I could have used that when I came up with the idea to sell Bub's artwork to Gurkha.

Last Gurkha......EVER. ;)

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/gurkha-1.jpg (http://s196.photobucket.com/user/icehog3/media/gurkha-1.jpg.html)

[blazed]

IMO i think Gurkha is pretty amazing. For me the always good and always well constructed sticks. Never had a problem with them. They have been my go to stick for years

[brylee]

i have smoked 4 or 5, and although they smoked pretty good, most of them will develop a pretty good run in them. I have had the same problem out of many of the cigars I smoke, and figured that I must not be lighting them properly....who knows...

[dave]

IMO i think Gurkha is pretty amazing. For me the always good and always well constructed sticks. Never had a problem with them. They have been my go to stick for years

Kaizad,
Glad to have you here at the Asylum!

[Porch Dweller]

Kaizad,
Glad to have you here at the Asylum!

I was thinking the same thing! :D

[RobR1205]

Kaizad,
Glad to have you here at the Asylum!

Well played, Dave. That made me laugh! :r

[Sweet_Leaf_PDX]

My only real experience with Ghurka was one time a buddy got some Ghurka Beauity cigars. I went ahead and started to smoke it and at first we were thinking... how could such a big cigar taste like nothing? ...then as we progressed further they started to develope some flavor and there was nothing beautiful about it.

[forgop]

Gurka marketing principle-inflate the MSRP to 10-15x what the price really should be and sucker people into buying them because people think they're getting such an expensive cigar for such a low price.

[jjirons69]

Best first post ever.

There is definitely something wrong with me. Every time I see the word Gurkha, no matter where I see it, Tom's name is the next word that pops into my head. What a horrible word association!

[icehog3]

Best first post ever.

There is definitely something wrong with me. Every time I see the word Gurkha, no matter where I see it, Tom's name is the next word that pops into my head. What a horrible word association!



http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa73/icehog3/gurkha-1.jpg (http://s196.photobucket.com/user/icehog3/media/gurkha-1.jpg.html)

Indeed. ;)