Ok, first I have to answer the question that you might be thinking: Did he pay $30 for a cigar? The answer is "No," I received this cigar as part of a sampler pack from Cigar Bid several months ago. Also in the sampler was a "special edition" Beast and 3 or 4 other "lesser" Gurkhas. I paid a total of $28 (plus shipping) for the pack and have liked pretty much everything that was in it. I remember the Beast as one of the best cigars I've had, although I would be hard-pressed to pay $20 for it in the store unless it's a special occasion. Of the others, the Nepalese Warrior became, for a time, my go-to cigar; I was able to pick those up for about $3.50 each and they are a very nice cigar for that price-point. So, it's time to make the last trip to this sampler pack and see if the Titan is something that would be worth buying on it's on (as noted before, at a price of about $30 per stick in local B&Ms).
A little prelight exam first: the cigar is almost black with a very light sheen of oil. It is moderately veiny with a large, ugly patch just below the band (hidden by the cedar wrap until opened). The aroma is of strong coffee and dark chocolate with just a little earthiness for balance. The prelight draw has just a little resistance and the flavor is of chocolate and berries. So far, it reminds me a lot of the La Flor Dominicana L-500 Cabinet, one of my all-time favorites--the size is almost identical and the flavor profil is quite similar.
It's a remarkably still evening and I decide to use the "3 matches" method of lighting my cigar (ok, I cut the head first, but everything else was the same). It worked perfectly--my stogie is glowing brightly and is evenly lit. Initially, the flavors are of black coffee--the smoke is cool and dry on the palate. I am accompanying the cigar with one of my favorite beverages for smoking: unsweetened iced tea, brewed strong. I've been drinking PG tips tea lately, a British tea and the decaf variety. I picked it up at the local World Market to see how a decaf iced tea would be; the verdict is: very good!
Well into the first third, the smoke is fairly full-bodied and rich, with a strong coffee flavor and some earthiness. So far, it's not overly powerful, but there's a long way to go. The burn is perfectly even and the draw is very nice.
As the first third draws to a close, I tap ash and the flavor almost immediately opens up to include more chocolate and less earthiness.
Into the second third, the smoke remains on the full-bodied side, but it's still not all that strong. The smoke is creamy with some sweetness to it. This is definitely a pleasure to smoke--relaxing and smooth, not at all overpowering or harsh as its appearance and name implied that it might be.
Finishing up the second third and starting into the last, I'm starting to get just a tiny bit of spice along with the prevalent black coffee and sweet woodiness. Overall, I find this cigar to be very well-balanced in flavors with a body just above the middle and strength just below the middle. Not what I expected, but definitely very good.
Now there's just one more question to answer: would I spend $30 on one of these in the future? No. I can't deny that this is an excellent cigar, bordering on greatness at times, but I've had others I like as much or more for 1/3 of the price.
Body: 7/10
Strength: 4/10
Complexity: 9/10
Prelight: 1.5/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 4/5
Value: 0/1
Total: 7.5/10
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