Pre-light Experience

The wrapper on the Gurkha San Miguel Toro has some distinct color variations between medium brown and a shade lighter. The veins are well pressed and carry a slightly darker brown to them. The seams are smooth but easily visible due to the color variation of the wrapper while the head is finished off with a flag that is folded over from being in the cello. The band carries the company and line name with some nice artwork and gold bordering. The aroma from the wrapper is a wood forward barnyard while the foot brings wood and light ammonia. The pre-light draw brings a very light and airy cedar along with a mild spiciness on my lips.

Pre-light Experience

Firm in hand, the Gurkha San Miguel Toro is finished with an oily wrapper. There is a nice triple cap on the cigar with a minor tail. The coloring is that of Colorado Maduro and I am getting some dark earth and clay qualities. There are medium sized veins present throughout and I am picking up an aroma of rich earth, strong pepper spices, dark raisins and tobacco.

Pre-light Experience

The Gurkha San Miguel Toro has a pigtail cap and a chocolate brown colored wrapper. Nosing the wrapper, I was able to pick out aromas of sweet raisin, herbal notes and aged wood. From the foot, there was a rum, raisin and prune combination along with dusty hay.

Pre-light Experience

The Gurkha San Miguel Toro has a blotchy Colorado Maduro wrapper shade. Although blotchy, the wrapper has a high level of oil content. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll on the firmer side and mini man bun head well wrapped. Aromas from the wrapper tell naturally sweet Hawaiian bread, nuts and cedar. Aromas from the foot give the same as the wrapper plus white pepper spice. Cold draw gives namely cedar and hay.

First Third

The cigar begins with cedar, baking spice and light mustiness. At a half inch in, the cedar gains a toasted note. The retrohale begins with some baking spice zing, but then provides a really deep cedar note. As the third comes to a close, the toasted cedar and baking spice are even with the mustiness right behind. The strength in this third is right at medium.

First Third

The first third opens up by delivering flavors of rich earth, damp barnyard, peppery spices and strong tobacco. It has a metallic quality present as well and the finish shows some ash qualities. In terms of strength and body, the cigar smokes around a medium-full level.

First Third

Sweet, dry wood opens up the first third. Faint herbal notes are present on the retrohale. A minty, herbal note moves into the center of the profile. Some medium minus pepper settles on my tongue and the roof of my mouth between draws. At roughly the thirty minute mark, a raisin-like sweetness takes up the center of the draw. A post draw sweetness comes through after the re-light. Nearing the end of the first third, a sour component at light plus with toasted earth at medium minus shortly after.

First Third

The first third has a medium body and strength profile. There’s an overall sharpness to the profile, being red pepper driven. The red pepper is incredibly long and lingering, sitting on the rear palate for minutes. Aside from that, there’s quite a bit of cedar and minerals. Retrohaling highlights the red pepper spice that much more, doing a good job of cleaning out my nasal passages.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the toasted note transitions to char and the baking spice morphs into black pepper. At a half inch in, the charred cedar has the lead with the black pepper and mustiness in the background. The retrohale starts with the black pepper and then some musty cedar comes through. As the third comes to a close, the charred cedar remains ahead of the black pepper and mustiness. The strength has bumped up to slightly above medium.

Second Third

The second third delivers a lot of the same qualities that are present in the first third. I am picking up damp wood notes and with that is strong earth and peppery spice. The ash and metallic qualities are present as well, and like before the cigar is smoking at a medium-full level.

Second Third

The second third begins with herbal earth and sour cedar, with a finish of sour cedar and hay into the post draw. Sweetness moves into the middle of the profile bringing with it hay and mild cedar. By the halfway point, earth has moved down to light plus in strength.

Second Third

The second third does an OK job of bringing in some softer flavors such as creamy bread. But it also brings a bitter oak note, which throws off the balance, especially with the same sharpness in red pepper and minerals. Strength and body continues to be medium.

Final Third

The final third continues with the charred cedar up front with the mustiness behind while the black pepper is faint in the background. At a half inch in, the black pepper has departed. The retrohale is charred cedar and mustiness. The cigar wraps up with the charred cedar up front with mustiness behind. The strength remained at slightly above medium.

Final Third

The final third finished similar to that of the first and second. I am picking up earth notes that are paired with some damp wood. I am picking up some red pepper notes and they are paired with this leather, metallic and ash quality. Like before, the cigar is smoking at a medium-full level.

Final Third

Earth takes the flavor profile into the last third, finishing with hay and sweet wood. A sweet, nutty center to the draw with an earth chaser as it settles in.

Final Third

The only difference between the second third and last third is the strength increasing from medium to medium-full (body finishing the same medium). The flavor profile is still heavy on the palate with sharpness in red pepper spice and minerals with bread as an afterthought.

Burn

The burn was slightly wavy throughout. The cigar went out once and required a re-light. The ash held on in inch and a quarter increments.

Burn

Slow burning cigar. Solid burn line throughout. Well constructed cigar.

Burn

The cigar went out at the twenty minute mark, requiring a re-light. It was out again at the fifty minute mark while I was drawing on it, requiring another re-light. Overall, the burn itself was straight with an ash holding up to one inch in length.

Burn

Perfect burn performance. Even burn, solid ashes and cool burning temperature.

Draw

The draw was fairly snug throughout and a draw tool only provided short moments of relief.

Overall

The cigar had a nice start with a profile revolving around cedar, baking spice and mustiness. After the cigar went out at the beginning of the second third and required a re-light, the cedar gained some char and the baking spice transitioned to black pepper which severely diminished the enjoyment level and the cigar could never recover. The construction seemed to let this cigar down. I’m slightly intrigued to try the Gurkha San Miguel Toro again to see if better construction would allow the profile from the first third to continue longer through the cigar, but from what I experienced, I’m not sure that I’ll actually follow through with that.

Draw

Great level of resistance throughout. Lovely draw.

Overall

The Gurkha San Miguel Toro was an average cigar from start to finish. It produced an AGANORSA flavor that you find with some of the lower end offerings. This wasn’t a cigar composed with the best AGANORSA tobacco. It was earthy with some damp wood and pepper spice. Medium-full throughout. Nothing really to write home about and expand on.

Draw

The draw was at most a 1/2 notch into the resistant spectrum putting it well in the ideal range for an amazing draw.

Overall

I have smoked quite a few Gurkha cigars and I have enjoyed some of them, but the Gurkha San Miguel Toro was a below average flavor experience. The first third and last third were pleasant, with the middle third offering up a combination of sourness and herbal earth that just was not pleasant. The draw was excellent, with the cigar struggling to stay lit, requiring multiple re-lights. I am not likely to smoke the San Miguel Toro again, I think there are a number of better offerings from Gurkha I would reach for first. Total smoking time was 2 hours and 4 minutes.

Draw

The draw was also perfect, giving the best air flow possible.

Overall

The Gurkha San Miguel Toro is yet another new TABSA cigar in which I’m disappointed in (first one being Aganorsa Leaf Lunatic Torch Visionaries). In a way, both the Lunatic Torch and San Miguel share a lot of similarities. Both are geared towards minerals and spice with very little sweetness and pure lack of fruit notes. I’m unsure what’s going on over at TABSA but sure hope this is not a continuous trend.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

4.53

Cost/Point

$2.19

Scoring System

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.50

Cost/Point

$1.81

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.10

Cost/Point

$1.95

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$1.73

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Gurkha San Miguel Toro