Cigar of the Month | October

The Cellar Reserve Edición Especial goes above and beyond in perfecting the Cellar Reserve blend with a Corojo wrapper and 18-year aged tobacco. It provides a medium-body, full-flavour cigar. Kaizad Hansotia, founder of Gurkha cigars, states: “I partnered with our blenders to search for the rarest tobaccos we could find and stumbled upon this 18-year old corojo wrapper and blend, and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”

Today we explore the Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Old Solara to discover its smoking experience. If you want to try this cigar yourself, it is our cigar of the month for October, so be sure to enjoy it at our October price!

About Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Old Solara

Owner: Kaizad Hansotia
Factory: Tabacalera Las Lavas S.R.L
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Corojo
Filler: Dominican
Strength: Medium
Size: Solara (Perfecto) (5″ x 58)

Reviewed by: Ross from the Windsor shop

The Beginning

This Dominican puro delivers a nuanced and sophisticated flavour profile that may surprise even seasoned cigar enthusiasts. At first light, the white pepper hits the palate with a noticeable but smooth sharpness, creating a lively opening. White pepper often brings a spicy yet less intense heat than black pepper, giving the cigar an intriguing edge without overwhelming the senses.

The Middle

The deep earthiness that emerges in this cigar adds a rich and grounded element to the overall flavour profile, creating a wonderful balance with the sharpness of the white pepper. This earthiness offers depth and longevity to the smoke, lingering on the palate well after each draw, contributing to its satisfying complexity.

The End

As the cigar approaches its final stages, the flavour profile evolves, showcasing a more mellow and refined earth note. The earlier deep, robust earthiness softens, becoming smoother and less intense, creating a relaxed finish to the smoking experience. This mellow earth tone feels almost like the calming end to a rich journey, offering a grounded yet subtle flavour that gently fades rather than overwhelms.

Burn & Draw

Lighting just the very tip can be quite scary but this particular cigar burned down nicely. A firm cigar but the draw had a lovely bite to it and opened up as I went further down.

Overall

Not everyone is a fan of Gurkha but that seems to be the same with lots of cigars brands. If you have never tried one before I would suggest the Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Old Solara. It showcases just how good their cigars can be.

Ross Rating: 8/10

What alcoholic drink would I pair the Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Old Solara with?

The Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Old Solara will pair fantastically with the Brugal 1888 Double Aged Dominican Rum (70cl / 40%).

This special edition from Dominican producer Brugal has been double-distilled and matured in American oak before a second maturation period in sherry casks to add a dose of dried fruit and leathery sweetness to the flavours.

What soft drink would I pair the Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Old Solara with?

Coca Cola in a glass bottle. My favourite!

Would I smoke the Gurkha Cellar Reserve 18 Year Old Solara again?

This cigar has opened my eyes to the joys of Gurkha and I’m looking forward to smoking this one in particular again and some of their other offerings.