Rocky & Gurkha Does Anyone Like Them?

[Zen Cigar Man]

for me it's a success percentage issue.

for the odd blend of the two that i like (or used to like) there are a good 80 or so I do not. Again if you throw a million darts at a dart board, eventually you'll hit the bullseye - but it doesn't make you a good darts player.

 

[stephen_hannibal]

I've liked all the Gurkha's except for the Sherpa nasty nasty stick...
As for Rp haven't had one I didn't like.

 

[strife]

I'd gladly take some Genghis Khans if you're offering!

 

[themoneycollector]

There are a few sticks from RP and Gurkha that I like. Very few and far in between, but there's some.

The thing with Gurkha, if you can find them for a deal, there are some good ones: legend, black puro, triple ligero.

RP, I love the decades and used to love the vintages. I wish I could get more of the decade lanceros. If he could make the edge sumatras more readily available, I'm sure I'd stock those as much as I could.

 

[tmoney2007]

I used to be quite the RP fan back in 05 when the OB edge missile maduro and sun grown were out. The labels are the same, but the current blends bear no resemblance to the originals. I'm sure my palate has changed, but I think Rocky lacks the ability to blend consistently like the masters.

I think Gurkhas are rolled by little kids.

One reason for inconsistency is that Rocky doesn't have his own farm.

I personally don't smoke Rocky or Gurkha's for my own personal reasons, some related to their cigars, some not.

They can't be faulted because they built an empire and sell a whole mess of sticks, but I don't really like the way either of them treat B&M's versus online retailers so I choose to not support them.

 

[sofc]

Gurkha:
I have had pretty much the entire line and many of each.

This first bunch I have and would smoke once in a while.

Legend Anniversary perfecto is decent
Centurian perfecto is decent to good
Crest is fine same with Beast, Titan and Beauty
Nepalese Warrior is decent.

All of the above are overpriced and not consistent in flavor or construction or draw.

This second bunch I like a great deal.

Triple Ligero is excellent
Signature is pretty good.

I keep some of both and smoke these once a month or more cause I really like the flavors and consistency.

Hope this helps someone.

 

[sofc]

I didn't mention all the other Gurkhas cause I don't like them as much now and they sometimes don't age well.

 

[bigbwalls]

The Gurkha Regents and Legends are decent -- nothing great, but okay. I'm not a fan of anything else in their line. I thought the Black Dragon tasted like wet grass and the Titan and Beauty (both expensive as hell) were horrible.

As for Rocky Patel, I do enjoy the Vintage 1990, the Old World Reserve (Maduro), and the Decade.

 

[tkieck]

i am willing to try anything that either of these manufacturers put out, needless to say im usually not super impressed. Not to say i havent had good ones, but i would not go out of my way to get either brand.

 

[keinreis]

RP's main headquarters are local to me, so every local retailer has their heads up his ass, and it seems almost every one has a "special RP house blend" and most of them are not worth smoking. I do however have a winter bleand I plan on giving a try someday.

 

[bresdogsr]

I like the RP Vintage line, Decade, SG and OWR.

 

[Mitch]

Nope, not cause I've never had a good one, but no consistancy and too many bad ones.

 

[ciggy]

The RP Decades, Old World Reserves, and Edge are decent patel smokes. As far as Gurks I really haven't found one yet that suits my Palet.
Cigars are a matter of taste.....YOUR TASTE!!! Dont let what others say influence your chance to try different cigars. You may find out your missing out on a wonderfull cigar that fits your taste very well.
Cigars are a matter of opinion...and evrybdy has one! Keep smokin!!!

 

[IndyPaintballSmoker]

Nope, not cause I've never had a good one, but no consistancy and too many bad ones.

plenty of consistancy

 

[IndyPaintballSmoker]

Tatuaje hasn't even been around as long as Rocky ages some of his cigars.
Most people just bash Rocky and Gurkha because they are not ELITIST cigars.

I know there are better stogies out there, but that doesn't mean you should trash talk cigar companies just because you don't like them or think they suck. Smoke What you like...

 

[russell p]

Not at all !

 

[superman76]

I smoked Rocky's stuff when I first got into smoking. But once the thrill of hunting HTF cigars sets in, it's hard to go back. The Decade and 90-92 series are good smokes. The dying issue bugged me at first... until I started noticing that MANY cigar companies are using dying methods.

I think Rocky earned those high ratings on his best smokes. I just wish the company would calm down and focus on quality over quantity. Look at what Drew Estates has accomplished just in the past year.

For me, if I want an everyday smoke, I look to LFD.

But when you really hit a great HTF, like the Viaje Holiday Blend, the Flying Pig, or the Opus Love Affair - the payoff is so much better.

 

[njstone]

for me it's a success percentage issue.

for the odd blend of the two that i like (or used to like) there are a good 80 or so I do not. Again if you throw a million darts at a dart board, eventually you'll hit the bullseye - but it doesn't make you a good darts player.

True, but I'd say it was the opposite in both cases. Rocky had hits right out of the gate: the Indian Tabac lines were very successful (still are, I think) which included the RP Vintage 90/92. Then came the Edge not long after. With all that success, Rocky was heavily sought after by everybody to make house sticks for them ... of which there are now like 30 lines or so, only 2 of which I like (the Fusion among them), though I've not had them all. Rocky's "mainstream" cigars (i.e. the ones that shops sell) are all quality cigars, imvho, even if I don't care for some of them. The new Renaissance is fantastic.

I think Gurkha's story was similar. They have 100 lines out but most of those are house sticks for various internet dealers ... again, some of those I really like (Nepalese Warrior, Triple Ligero, Blue Steel), but most I've not tried.

The thing with Gurkha is to NEVER buy one in a shop. Even their $30 MSRP sticks can be easily found online for under $10, usually as low as $6-$7 even for the priciest ones--The Titan and Beast are worth every penny of $6-7 imvho. A few blends are hard to find on sale, though (Ghengis Khan, G3). Many of thier $10+ cigars can be easily had on cbid for $3/stick ... and THAT is why I like a number of Gurkhas. $15/stick? No way. $3/stick? Hells yeah.

 

[EstateDude]

I like them both.

 

[Hardcore]

Tatuaje hasn't even been around as long as Rocky ages some of his cigars.
Most people just bash Rocky and Gurkha because they are not ELITIST cigars.

I know there are better stogies out there, but that doesn't mean you should trash talk cigar companies just because you don't like them or think they suck. Smoke What you like...

I'm not trash talking either company. I used to smoke both of them. Well Rocky a bit more than Gurkha. But they allways left me saying "is that it"? There seemed to be something lacking in their smokes, for me at least. Never once have I smoked one of their sticks & said "wow"!