Review of Gurkha Seduction Robusto Cigars

Gurkha Seduction cigars were introduced to brick and mortar cigar retailers during 2011. As such, they are very difficult, if not impossible, to find for sale online. These cigars are made with Ecuadorian Habano wrappers, Dominican Olor binders, and Colombian Corojo filler tobaccos. Like many other Gurkha cigars, Seduction cigars have an attractive band and come packaged in elegant 20-count boxes, which would make for nice gifts. However, when buying for yourself, the packaging is not as important of a factor, especially after you have already smoked that particular cigar. Although impressive packaging does not count in our rating of the cigar itself, it does add a certain intangible element that is at least worth mentioning. I smoked five Robusto size cigars for this review, spread out over a 33-day period of time. The Gurkha Seduction Robusto cigar measures five inches in length with a ring gauge of 55.

Gurkha Seduction cigars are medium bodied, but approach the upper end of that range. They are not quite medium-to-full. The cigars have a naturally sweet and somewhat unusual spicy flavor that can be attributed to the Colombian filler tobacco. I have smoked a number of cigars with tobacco from South American countries, but never one with 100% Colombian filler. Since I knew that I was going to smoke several cigars before writing this review, I smoked the first of the five sampled cigars right after I received them, without any time to rest in my humidor. As a result, I experienced a dry taste which became leathery for most of the smoke. The cigar did not burn very well, either. Always let your premium cigars rest for at least a couple of weeks in your humidor before smoking, to maximize enjoyment. Bundled cigars may need two months or more in the humi. If you want more information about aging your cigars, read this very thorough article written by Dr. Mitch Fadem.

Getting back to our review, the second cigar sampled was much better than the first, as were the remaining three cigars. The dryness and leathery taste were gone by the third smoke. However, the sweetness became more subtle in the latter smokes, and the spice a little less sharp. The last four cigars did not smoke exactly the same, but all had the same flavors (just a matter of precise degree and intensity) and all could be rated in the 3½ to 4-Star range. I have eliminated the first cigar from consideration in my rating, and since the cigars did improve with a little more age, my final rating for the Gurkha Seduction Robusto is 4 stars. These cigars are very good smokes, but another retail-only Gurkha cigar that I think is even more enjoyable than the Seduction is the fuller Gurkha Cellar Reserve.

Gurkha Seduction Robusto cigars are very well made, and all five cigars that were sampled had great draws and all held a medium-to-long ash. However, the first cigar sampled did not burn very well, and needed a number of touch-ups to keep the burn even. After a couple of weeks in the humi, the second cigar burned much better, and only needed one touch-up light, but no relights. After three weeks, the third cigar burned perfectly and no touch-ups nor relights were required. No problems were experienced with the fourth and fifth cigars. I smoked all five sampled cigars down to two inches remaining, which took me 35 minutes for the first cigar, and closer to 40 minutes for the last four sticks.

Since these cigars are not widely available online, the price for a Gurkha Seduction Robusto cigar cannot be easily compared amongst several vendors without contacting a number of retail tobacco shops. In general, I have found that the typical price for a single cigar is just under $7 per stick. With the high cost of gasoline, it would make sense to call at least a couple of your local tobacconist to check prices and confirm availability before running out to buy. These cigars are fairly priced, and they are definitely worth a try if you've never experienced Colombian Corojo tobacco. Pick up a few singles before committing to an entire box, and make sure to let them rest in your humidor for at least a couple of weeks before lighting up and forming your own opinion.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.