Max, this turned up a lot of great conversation for me. I’ve ordered some Caldwell and a few others myself. Thanks for making this post. I hope I didn’t knock it off track.

I knew you had a sensitive palate, but not that sensitive.

Thanks Jeebling, it's really worked out well with everyone providing input. I feel like we're on the fast track to learning more about cigars and making decisions of what to try and what to avoid!

Great thread. At the very least it got me off my azz to put a little care package for Max. Delivery should be Thursday. Hope you enjoy!

Jeebling, Padrons are the gift that keeps on giving. I have a few here, and always hesitate to smoke them, waiting for the "right occasion". Thats a stupid attitude to take and I have to break myself of that. Im trying to smoke the good stuff along with the everyday stuff on a regular basis. If I could give any advice, it would be to enjoy everything when you can. Yah, you gotta let stuff rest, but when they are ready, light em up.

And the guys here are pros no doubt. Sure you're gonna get a wiseazz here and there, but its all in good fun (usually) and 99% of the folks here wont steer you wrong.

It appears to be very popular to dismiss Gurkha en mass without really being aware of the changes to the company within the last couple of years. Granted, in prior years, Gurkha spent more input on box design and marketing than on the quality of the cigars it produced. In fact, Gurkha, as an entity, manufactured no cigars. It purchased job lots from various manufacturers, banded, and boxed them. Since Jim Colucci took over running the company, there is an emphasis on marketing quality cigars. The Gurkha Nicaragua Series is a 100% Aganorsa cigar, manufactured in Nicaragua by the same factory as brands like Aganorsa Leaf, Casa Fernandez, Guardian of the Farm, Warped, Illusione and JFR. If you can still find them both, Gurkha San Miguel and Gurkha Treinta were also manufactured by the highly esteemed Aganorsa factory. The Treinta is a blend of Aganorsa grown Criolla 98 and 99 tobacco for its long filler and an Aganorsa Corojo 98 for its binder. The wrapper is a beautiful Ecuadorian Habano rosado. The San Miguel has a Nicaraguan Aganorsa shade grown corojo wrapper, a double Nicaraguan binder, and all Nicaraguan filler. These are all quality cigars. I'd also suggest that you sample the new Cellar Reserve series. We all have differing taste palates and until you sample a cigar, you can't really know if it's a cigar you'll enjoy.

Keep in mind that in the list of brands provided by KingoftheCove, eight of the list do not manufacture their own cigars. They contract for production and may or may not blend the manufactured product themselves.

Yeah, I didnt take the miscreants and transients into account, but the hooligans are, on the whole, Ok.

(in before Frank)
"Magic happens here..."

^ thanks for the input Tony. I was almost curious

Shout out to Mraia! I received the box of cigars from him yesterday after being TAGGED and what a surprise it was. He sent an amazing collection most of which I've never tried so looking forward to that! I have to say, Mraia set the bar high with the variety and quantity he sent me, so I'll do my best to keep this TAG alive and find someone else to tag as well!

Thanks again, this is awesome!

I just ordered a single to add to my deep storage

Stinks like noob in here maxd wrong thread

https://www.cigarbid.com...17/TAG-Redux#post4754117

Haha gotcha, learning every day!

I'd enjoy working for Gurkha, but I've been retired since July, 2000, 24 years next July. I've participated on and off at this forum since 2001. I had a prior moniker, but was unable to recall my login, so I adopted my late wife's name and re-registered several years ago. You'll find some of my posts here with my original moniker.
https://www.cigarbid.com...posts/2461/Monte-Canario

My father, born at the turn of the century, was a cigar smoker. He primarily smoked clear habanos; Tampa made cigars of Cuban tobacco. By the time I was 16-years-old, I was swiping cigars from his boxes. Every Friday my father would come home from work with two 25 count boxes of cigars. They'd last one week. He was rarely seen without a cigar. I just assumed that men smoked cigars. The only time in my adult life when I wasn't able to enjoy a good cigar was 1968-1969, when after I graduated university, Uncle Sam "invited" into his army and sent me off to Vietnam for 15 months.
I've been collecting cigars for over 50 years, but I confess that the collection has been almost an obsession. Within the last couple of years, as I saw age 80 creeping up, I came to the realization that I was smoking less and less and still acquiring a lot of cigars. Besides the coolers, I had 24 humidors that needed tending. I found two charities to which I could make major donations of cigars, the one most important to me is Cigars for Warriors. https://cigarsforwarriors.org/
In the last three years, I've sent major donations to C-f-W each year and have instructions in my estate plan for the entire collection to be donated after I die.
I still have several coolers and about a dozen humidors. I find that as age creeps up, I spend more time researching knowledge of tobacco, cigars, and their respective manufacturers. I've been to Cuba, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Mexico, Philippines and domestically observing and learning about the growth of tobacco, its processing, and manufacture into cigars. As I'm sure every premium cigar smoker is aware, the places to socially smoke a cigar have become few and far between.
And, as the price of Cuban cigars has escalated almost beyond belief, for most of us a habano is a rare treat. Fortunately, the quality of non-Cuban, New World cigars has increased and in many cases surpassed the lure of habanos. I still do enjoy an occasional habano, and have one humidor restricted to Cuban custom rolls.
I was a big fan of Pedro Martin's Tropical Tobacco, from his earliest days, and only within the last couple of years finally parted with his Solo Aromas, Lempira, Maya, Cacique and Casanova cigars. (I kept one unopened box of Maya.) I'm sure most of the cigar veterans here recall Martin's Don Juan and V Centennial branding. With Martin's passing Tropical Tobacco was ultimately sold and became Aganorsa, which now is the focus of most of my purchases.
I admit to going against the grain of many long time collectors and have rarely bought a significant amount of Fuente makes. I've always felt that there is created rarity to increase retails. That is not to say that the Fuentes don't make wonderful cigars, but rather that shrewd marketing has created rarity and escalated price points.
I've rambled on...my apology. I do make it a point to try to know who actually is manufacturing the cigars I purchase. As I stated above, many well known and respected brands are contracted to large manufacturers and are not blended by the brand owners. Some are; some aren't.
I used my late wife's name when I re-registered, simply because I knew I'd never forget it. Thank you for the very kind condolences.

Added later: Monte Canario, to the best of my knowledge, became history. I'm actually surprised that another maker didn't acquire the branding. The last Monte Canario cigars I acquired were obviously made for the U.S. market and tasted devoid of Cuban leaf. I'd guess that they were primarily comprised of native brena Canary Islands tobacco. My understanding is that Hacienda del Cura, another Canary Islands leaf became prevalent in the cigars of the Canary Islands.

I agree with Jeebling Barbara. Very interesting for sure. Don’t be a stranger around here!

Yes , thank you Steve.

Many people still appreciate sentences and punctuation, along with coherent thoughts. Your observations and experiences are hardly ramblings. They are a welcome addition and this forum would be the better for it with your continued participation.

^ Is that you in that picture Mraia, and are you wearing a rashguard?

And ditto, Barbara. Welcome aboard. Complete sentences and all.

Did a little research today and noticed that Sean Williams has joined up with Cohiba and is still active in cigars and spotted some of his old El Primer Mundo creations on line.

Back to Gurkha and their expensive Black Dragon churchill box (20) going for $ 1,133.on line. Around 10 years or so ago I bought out the last run (plus several unfilled B.O.s) of the Black Dragon Nublizers that CBID had. Great smoke if you don't mind a lack of dimensions. Still have a few that I smoke on special occasions

I only read your first post and last.

I suggest you steer clear of Gurkhas. That may have been stated once or twice here already.

Caldwell's a little hit and miss for me, but the Blind Man's Bluff are purty good

Yeah, I bought a 5'er of The King is Dead so I'll definitely try the rest to see if they're all the same. I also bought 2 Blind Mans Bluff so I'll give them a shot as well. The bottom line is, like you, I'm trying a lot of different things now, thanks to this thread and all the suggestions from all of you. I did try a Crowned Heads and Tatuaje that were recommended in this thread and thought they were great. I've been taking a lot of notes and writing down everything so I can go back and buy the ones I like! haha

I just had a Caldwell The King is Dead The Last Payday (dont know where or how they get these dumb names). It was fantastic. The construction, the burn, everything about this cigar was flawless. Now I am NOT a Caldwell fan. I got a sampler or two, and some I liked a bit better than others, but on the whole Meh.
This one though, was a Cigar of the Month selection and I will definitely order more. Its about $15 and worth every dime. FOR ME. I also felt the Freud Agape was dynamite. $30 a stick though....

The Midnight Express is a gem imho.

Oh...and adding to that small list of "G" smokes we talked about, give the Platinum 12 year a go.

That’s a very fair take on their brand, all about marketing and packaging which puts them on the map. Unfortunately for them, their first cigars have never been considered premium, ultra premium or exclusive by anybody other than Kaizad. They roll out crap in a fancy package and it’s still crap, while brands like Padron wow you with quality product and ho hum packaging. At the end of the day you’re smoking a cigar, not the exquisite box or ring or faux MSRP.

I'll never understand the big stems I get in Padron 64's and 26's. Everyone one I've had was like that.
Anybody else have this experience, and why do they do this. There must be a reason.