Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Gurkha Treinta Toro is medium brown with veins that are well pressed. The seams are smooth and barely detectable and the head is finished off with a well applied set of caps. The band is white and gold and has the company name and logo and denotes 30th Anniversary. The aroma from the wrapper is oak and tobacco sweetness while the foot brings a fuller oak along with stone fruit sweetness and cayenne pepper. The pre-light draw brings unsweetened iced tea along with some oak and a mild spiciness on my lips.

First Third

The cigar begins with oak, black pepper and light earth. At a half inch in, a light mustiness joins the profile while the black pepper has a very long finish. The retrohale is musty oak and black pepper. As the third comes to a close, the oak, black pepper and earth are all even with the mustiness just behind. The strength in this third was slightly above medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the black pepper takes a slight step back in fullness. At a half inch in, the earth has a slight lead and is a bit dry with the oak right behind and the black pepper and mustiness in the background. The retrohale remains musty oak and black pepper. At an inch and a half, the black pepper has departed. The strength in this third bumped up to medium-full.

Final Third

The final third continues with the dry earth up front with the oak and mustiness right behind. At a quarter inch in, the oak gains some char. The retrohale is now dry earth and oak. The cigar wraps up with the dry earth up front and the charred oak and mustiness right behind. The strength remained at medium-full.

Burn

The burn was a bit wavy, but never needed any attention. The ash held on in inch and a half increments.

Draw

The draw was slightly tighter than I prefer, but didn’t cause any issues with the smoking experience.

Overall

The cigar was pretty average as the flavor components were a bit muddled together. It was a core of oak and dry earth with black pepper present in the first half. The final third dropped down a level as it became quite dry along with some char joining in. The Gurkha Treinta Toro had some sneaky strength as I began feeling the nicotine a bit at the halfway point. As a cigar that is celebrating a big anniversary, it didn’t show as something special. That, along with the high price point, doesn’t really intrigue me to revisit this one.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

5.15

Cost/Point

$2.62

Scoring System

Personal Cigar Review: Gurkha Treinta Toro