Herfin' with Mike and Shawn - Gurkha edition

[shilala]

Originally Posted by mleska

You're really not a fan of these? I dig 'em. That's the beauty of cigars (and food, wine, beer, etc etc etc) though....everyone's tastes are a little different. I was just explaining the other day to someone that was trying out a stick I gave him that he didn't like that it's _OK_ not to like something....you're not going to offend anyone 'cause your taste doesn't happen to jive with what you're trying at the moment....

We hold a motto real close here, "Smoke what you like, like what you smoke." It imparts a large respect to each other on just the basis you mentioned.
That said, I'd rather have a sharp stick in my eye than smoke a Gurkha. At one time, and I don't know if they make them anymore, they made a cigar called a Nepalese Warrior. It was a nice thick maduro that tasted a lot like raisins. They were nice but they didn't age well (turned to zero flavor in just a couple months in the humi). Gurkha really relies heavily on marketing and pretty bands, they don't put any pride in the tobacco they use or their finished product. They don't have a single cigar that's endured any test of time, and that's a big statement about them. Still it doesn't diminish the fact that they can crank out something someone is going to like, ya know? That's where the rubber meets the road. If you enjoy it, you win.

You're gonna find that your tastes are going to change wildly over the next couple years. The more sticks you try, the more flavors and nuances you'll experience. Then you'll find that in some cigars you can get five or six of the flavors you like in one smoke, plus the body is just right, the after taste is awesome, and you'll just fall in love.
You're doing exactly what you should be doing and you're right where you're supposed to be. Learning and experiencing all this new stuff really is the funnest part of the hobby. You guys have lots of good times ahead, my brother.

[Cigar Mike]

Originally Posted by shilala

At one time, and I don't know if they make them anymore, they made a cigar called a Nepalese Warrior. It was a nice thick maduro that tasted a lot like raisins. They were nice but they didn't age well (turned to zero flavor in just a couple months in the humi).

That actually might explain some of my experiences, then. The orders I've put in the past didn't survive long enough to be considered "aged" since I usually didn't like to keep more than a handful of sticks laying around at once. That'd be a good experiment....maybe I'll let some cook in the bottom of my humidor when I get home and see if they hold up or not.

Good info!

[shilala]

Originally Posted by mleska

That actually might explain some of my experiences, then. The orders I've put in the past didn't survive long enough to be considered "aged" since I usually didn't like to keep more than a handful of sticks laying around at once. That'd be a good experiment....maybe I'll let some cook in the bottom of my humidor when I get home and see if they hold up or not.

Good info!

Once you start "collecting" and long-storing cigars you'll find out real quick which cigars are made from the good stuff and which aren't.
You can think of cigars much like wine, really. Good wine ages well, lousy wine ages lousy. There's a scientific reason for all that, you'll pick that info up along the way.
Different parts of tobacco plants have different flavors, then they're aged differently, etc. The care taken in aging tobacco makes a huge difference. You'll figure all that out, too.
This cigar hobby is much like guns or knives or wine or coffee or fishing or hunting or whatever you enjoy. There's TONS of stuff to learn and it's all fun and interesting. This place is a giant library of wisdom, the guys have thousands of years of smoking and collecting experience to learn from.
I think you're gonna have an absolute blast.