The Gurkha name is associated with the most prestigious and expensive cigars in the industry. Enthusiasts from across the world, including heads of state, world leaders, and even the Sultan of Brunei enjoy Gurkha cigars. Why? Gurkha imparts a special love into their work. With each blend, the utmost levels of quality assurance are utilized to allow each cigar to maintain a perfect burn, draw, and flavor time and time again. Gurkha cigars are, indeed, expensive, but worth every penny knowing your palate will truly be satisfied with each and every puff.

Titan II was reassessed 3 years after the first appearance of the original Titan. Slightly revamped and now containing 100% aged Dominican maduro leaf, this cigar offers a ton of rich, earthy flavors with a sweet character that remains on the palate for a long finish. The core of this blend is filled with espresso flavors while a light spice slightly graces the nostrils for a complex, medium-bodied experience. With an incredibly oily wrapper, Titan II is an excellent choice for the afternoon or evening and comes highly recommended, as do most other Gurkha cigars, from the most elite aficionados around the world.

Verdadero Organic is truly unique, offering flavors different from all other cigars on the market, including a distinct raisin aroma stemming from its unique fillers grown at the base of the Mombacho Volcano in Nicaragua. At the base of the volcano, just outside the city of Granada, there is a beautiful tobacco field where the organic filler for Verdadero is grown in fertile soil. No pesticides or any other type of chemicals are used to help grow this tobacco, which makes Verdadero the first cigar to ever be considered “organic.”

At first, the brand seemed to be a gimmick, but once enthusiasts from all avenues got their hands on this fantastic blend, any rumors were quickly put to rest. Verdadero Organic is incredibly balanced, utilizing an Indonesian Sumatra binder bound by a seamless Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, which allows the flavors of its organic filler to dominate the palate. The blend is incredibly smooth, mellow, and mild to medium-bodied, but offers a complex bouquet of flavor only found in this incredible blend. Since its release six months ago, it has quickly become a favorite for Cigar.com customers and offers an exceptional quality that matches its amazing flavor. There are no other cigars similar to Verdadero Organic. Try one and see for yourself why this is an excellent cigar.

Toro (6" x 50) Excellent flavor from start to finish without any type of harsh or acidic nuances noticeable. The tobacco is well aged and truly offers a unique flavor not experienced in any other cigar. The raisin aroma begins with the first inch and slowly builds throughout, without increasing in strength. Perfect balance. 90/100 [Buy Now]

Torpedo (6" x 52) Offered a perfect burn and draw from start to finish with many changes in flavor throughout. Definitely tasted a bit more complex than the other sizes, with its unique raisin flavor disappearing for half inches at a time. Perfect 60 minute smoke with an excellent, sweet yet potent finish. 90/100 [Buy Now]

Robusto (5" x 50) Burned slightly hot and did feature some soft spots that were not welcomed. The flavor, however, was excellent. It offered a ton of peaty nuances mixed with that same raisin flavor Verdadero Organic is known, but in a more robust presentation. The finish was slightly off, with sweeter nuances being masked by a slightly harsh, peppery flavor not nearly as noticeable in the other sizes. 89/100 [Buy Now]

Perdomo Reserve 10th Criollo - A spicy concoction of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan long leaf tobaccos, impeccably rolled with a Cuban-seed Criollo wrapper. The combination produces peppery nuances but offers a tremendously smooth character featuring notes of coffee.

Rocky Patel Fusion Segundos - This cigar wins the award for best value. Rocky Patel Fusion Segundos are the exact same blend as the popular Fusion Series, but are factory seconds (due to small wrapper blemishes) that are sent to Cigar.com to offer to our customers at a special price.

CuAvana Intenso - A departure from the mild blends that currently make up the CuAvana line; Intenso is an excellently blended, full-bodied powerhouse comparable to Oliva Serie V and Joya de Nicaragua.

Acid 5 by Drew Estate - A limited cigar in the Acid line, Acid 5 maintains a perfect balance between the sweet nuances added during the infusion process and its natural, earthy flavors characteristic of premium Nicaraguan tobacco.

2/03/09: Join Tim as he discusses SCHIP legislation and how to beat the system by getting cheap cigars that actually taste great. [Listen Now]

Q: What exactly are tobacco beetles and where do they come from?

A: Cigars are created using real tobacco, which is a natural product grown in fields on farms. Unfortunately, although we use tobacco to create tasty treats we can enjoy everyday, other organisms turn to tobacco as a place of solace, a home, such as tobacco beetles. These insects make home in all cigars currently in production, but are mostly killed off by the time the sticks make their way to cigar distributors. Normally, these insects do not pose a problem but due to the nature of cigars, it is impossible to entirely rid any batch, box, or group of cigars of tobacco beetle eggs. These eggs lie dormant in a cigar until “hatching” conditions are created within a humidor. Once the humidity rises above 75% with the temperature also rising above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the cigars are at a much higher risk for hatching these beetles and infestation is likely to occur.

In order to prevent any type of infestation, be diligent about maintaining proper conditions in your humidor by following the 70-70 rule (keep your humidity and temperature at 70% and 70 degrees). However, even the most astute enthusiasts may still find an outbreak of these pesky insects, which can eat through a humidor filled with cigars in a matter of days. If an outbreak does occur, simply package up the cigars in question into zip lock bags and freeze them for 2 days. After 2 days in the freezer, the beetles will die and the cigars can then be moved into the refrigerator for another full day. After a day in the refrigerator, place the cigars on your counter for a day or so and then reintroduce them into your humidor. This method will slowly bring the cigars back to room temperature while preventing further damage. Although this problem rarely occurs, when you find yourself with an outbreak, it is never a fun experience. Knowing you can immediately reverse the entire situation within 4 days should provide some solace if you find yourself in this position. As always, if you properly maintain the temperature and humidity in your humidor, your chances of finding an outbreak are incredibly slim.

Have you ever wondered how the green tobacco you see in tobacco fields turns brown? The process involved is what is known as “curing” and occurs roughly 3 to 6 months after the seed is planted in the ground.

Before we discuss the curing process, allow me bring you up to speed on the processes involved before hand. After the raining season ends, seeds are planted in small seed beds where they germinate and sprout. Once the plants reach 4 inches tall, they are transplanted into a field where they remain for 90 to 120 days and reach heights of up to 7 feet. At the end of the plants maturity, pickers are dispatched into the field where they harvest the leaves, one priming at a time, starting at the bottom. This process usually lasts one to two weeks.

Now, with tobacco growing 101 behind us, lets get down to curing. Once picked, the leaves are carted over to the curing barn, which in Spanish is called the “casa de tobacco” or tobacco house. Here, teams of workers sew the leaves into “hands” which comprise about 20 leaves of tobacco. The hands are threaded onto long poles, which are then suspended on wood rails that run from the floor to the ceiling of the barn. Depending on the type of tobacco and what it is being used for, the tobacco will remain suspended for 30 to 60 days while the temperature and humidity are carefully regulated.

Over the next two months, water will naturally draw from the leaf, changing its color as it loses moisture. At first, the color will appear green and then slowly convert to yellow, which occurs first on the outside fringe of the leaves and then slowly works toward the central vein. After 25 days, the yellow colors will start to turn brown while in the end; the tobacco will be different shades of brown and will start to omit an ammonia smell. Curing is considered the first fermentation of tobacco. Once the leaves are taken from the curing barn and delivered to fermentation facilities, they undergo a series of further processes before they are ready to be made into a cigar.

Tobacco growers believe curing is one of the most important steps in treating premium tobacco. Each grower has a special and secretive curing process that imparts signature qualities. Because of this, tobacco not only varies in flavor by region, but by each individual farm as well.