Cigars International refers to Gurkha as the "Rolls Royce of cigars". They tell us that Gurkha is "known for offering some of the most prestigious and highly-rated blends in the world". The Gurkha Vintage Series is one of Gurkha's milder cigars.

Gurkha Vintage Series Toro Wrapper 

The wrapper of the Gurkha Vintage Series (as you can see in the image below) is a slightly oily Connecticut shade. It's a very firm cigar.   The Toro size measures 6 inches long with a solid 50 ring gauge. It's firmly rolled and feels quite solid and sturdy in your hand.

Gurkha Vintage Series Toro Cigar, Unlit and with Bands Intact

Gurkha Vintage Series Toro Lighting and Burning 

Even though I hadn't had this one in the humidor since I purchased it back in late March, it still seemed to retain plenty of moisture. It took a good bit to light and to keep lit on those couple of occasions I had to put it down for a moment to tend to other matters.  Regardless, the burn was quite even throughout, as you can see below.

Gurkha Vintage Series Early in Burn

Gurkha Vintage Series Later in Burn

Gurkha Vintage Series Toro Strength 

The cigar's strength picked up as it burned. There was a very pleasant warm peppery note throughout.   The strength picked up considerably during the last couple of inches. I would categorize the opening strength as mild or weak, with a finish that was in the average-strong range. My head was swimming a bit at the end, but in a good way.

Gurkha Vintage Series Toro Flavor 

The flavor, as I mentioned above, began with a distinct but very pleasant peppery hotness to it, like a mild jalapeno pepper. This hotness remained throughout the cigar, neither getting more intense nor backing off in the slightest.  Although Cigars International describes the flavor as having "a slight floral note", I'm not so sure I agree with them. To me there was a mild cedar overtone through the whole cigar.

Two or three hours later, I have only a slight aftertaste in my mouth from the Gurkha Vintage Series Toro cigar, and I wouldn't categorize it as unpleasant or as floral. It was evident to me from the flavor and the aroma of the smoke that it was that of a mature, aged, and refined blend of tobacco. The two words that leap to mind when I think about the experience of smoking this cigar are "refined" and "quality".

Gurkha Vintage Series Toro Smoke 

The smoke produced by the Gurkha Vintage Series cigar, as you'll see in the lame self-portrait below, is pretty thick and creamy looking. I can't say that my nose is sophisticated enough to pick up anything subtle in the aroma of the smoke. As I said above, it seemed aged and refined and that's all I can say with any confidence.

Me and the Gurkha

I got about an hour out of the cigar, with only a couple of small breaks in the middle to check on the food I was grilling or some other minor task.

Gurkha Vintage Series Toro Cigar Review:
Final Rating and Comments

Before I go on to give my usual 1-10 rating on this cigar, I need to explain that my rating system attempts to keep in mind all the other cigars I've rated and place them on the same continuum. And since I prefer to smoke only hand-made and better-quality brands, getting a rating of 5 from me is probably like getting a rating of 80 out of 100 from someone who smokes cigars across the spectrum from machine-made to boutique brands. That being said, the Gurkha Vintage Series Toro gets a very solid and respectable 6 from me. It's a mild, refined, and extremely pleasant smoke and definitely a worthy addition to your humidor.