Early on in the company’s history, Gurkha was a specialty brand sold in duty free shops (and perhaps privately to certain wealthy individuals around the world). The Gurkha Cellar Reserve was the first blend to make it into brick and mortar retailers – the local smoke shops that were the backbone of the industry before the Internet Era, and which still play quite a large role in the cigar smoking community. Cellar Reserve cigars, therefore, were key in launching the Gurkha brand into the mainstream.
The blend today is a little different.
Now, the Cellar Reserve is also referred to as the Gurkha Cellar Reserve “15 Year” cigar, due to the teen aged Dominican long-filler tobacco that matured for 15 years before it was finally ready for use in these cigars. This aged leaf is joined by a Dominican Olor binder and a nice oily Criollo ‘98 wrapper.
Light it up and you’ll first notice that this thing is a forest fire. Smoke production is off the charts. Whatever leaf is responsible, it had to be intentional. You’ll see what we mean when you finally put the lighter to it. Take a draw and you’ll get rich leather and black pepper, which then develops into something like mesquite, and then also shows a side that’s not unlike French red wine. Make no mistake about it: the Cellar Reserve 15 Year cigar is a complex smoke.
Funny – we’re getting simpler with age, but tobacco gets more complicated. Go figure.
Please browse our Gurkha Cellar Reserve 15 Year cigars at your leisure.
