Gurkha Private Select – A Well-Priced Gift For Any Occasion

As the first offering in the Private Select series, Gurkha presents a rum infused cigar in a very sturdy, well made 5 stick gift box. As usual, Gurkha’s packaging is well done and the cigars are in glass tubes with a heavy dose of burgundy colored, wax looking plastic as a sealer – to keep the cigar fresh and the rum inside. The rum is from Ron Abuelo, a blend of Panamanian rums aged 7 years in small oak barrels. Gurkha’s cigar is a 7 ¼ X 52 Churchill with a dark maduro tobacco wrapped around Nicaraguan binder and filler. An interesting pairing.

The imitation wax sealer is easily removed as was the plastic cap on the glass tube. The cigar/rum aroma from the tube is a very pleasant chocolate, rum and spice. The cigar had a couple of small bumps near the foot, perhaps from the infusion process, but otherwise looked fine. The initial smoke volume was light but within a minute or so reached a normal level. The draw had the right amount of resistance and the burn was even. The ash was picture perfect – tight, well formed and grey/silver in color.

The maduro wrapper delivered on sweetness and the dominant flavor was chocolate. The rum was in the background, adding molasses, caramel and hints of wood. About halfway through cherry, nuts and coffee also appeared and remained for the rest of the 1 hour and 45 minutes it took to finish this medium bodied cigar.

Gurkha selected Ron Abuelo for its initial Private Select pairing and the match was well done. I tried the Abuelo rum by itself, neat, and appreciated its almost sweet flavor. It’s better than most rums in its $23 price range.

The MSRP for the gift pack is $64 ($12.80 per cigar) but I found it on line for 10% less. The attractive, sturdy gift box and protective glass tube is ideal for shipping or carrying on trip prior to delivery. Or you can save on the packaging and buy a bundle of 30 for even less. I rate the Private Select Abuelo a 4 out of 5 in the gift pack and a higher 4.5 out of 5 in the bundle since I found that to be a very good value.