A “Ruthless” Cigar

The Gurkha brand has been around a long time, often releasing new products under other recently established trade names. In this instance, Gurkha used its East India Trading Company to launch its Rogue brand. Rogues are marketed as medium bodied cigars with Ecuadorian Habano wrappers, an Ecuadorian binder and a filler blend of 3-year aged Ligero’s from Nicaragua, Honduras and Dominican Republic. Rogues come in 5 sizes – Rascal (5.5 X 46), Tyrant (5 X 52), Ruthless (6 X 54), Bamboozle (6 X 60) and the Armageddon (6 X 66). All sizes are box pressed.

I visited Gurkha at the 2013 IPCPR and they gave me a Ruthless to review. The cigars construction was firm with a closed foot and was slightly veiny. The pre-smoke aroma was woodsy and some licorice. The taste after lighting was nutty with wood and a little pepper. The flavors got stronger as the cigar got smaller and it took 1 hour to smoke. The draw was excellent with thick, creamy smoke and a moderate after taste.

I consider this cigar to be just between medium and full bodied. The draw and smoke was equal to the flavor and I found the Ruthless on the internet at about $7 each if you buy a boxful. I like the cigar and overall I give it a 3.5 out of 5.