Gurkha Park Ave Maduro

Ken Light

First off, thanks very much to Glen (Sniper) for allowing me to try this one. I thoroughly enjoy original Park Ave, and recommend it any chance I get, and I was very much looking forward to trying the maduro version because I also enjoy a good maduro-wrapped cigar.

Ever have two great friends and get them together and they bicker all day long? That's how I felt this went for me. I completely lost all of the complexity (I use the term "complexity" when my feeble palette picks up a few different things and can't get a hold of any of them) I usually get from the Park Ave because the maduro wrapper overwhelmed it. Maybe a better palette can still pick those flavors up, but not mine.

I also feel that the maduro wrapper needs something to go with it. Otherwise its like chocolate cake (not in flavor, in concept) - I hate chocolate cake but i like chocolate with most things. But alone its meh. Well, I don't think the Park Ave filler was enough to make the maduro wrapper more than meh.

Maybe it was because I smoked it in the morning which I almost never do. Maybe it was because I smoked it with iced coffee. Maybe I just expected too much and had anticipated it for too long.

One thing this did for me though, was give me a new appreciation for the 5 Vegas Gold Maduro. That was re-blended well to let the wrapper really shine and have proper support all at once. This...this was not, IMO.

Heavy

I've only had one Park Ave Maduro, and I kinda felt like you did although I plan on revisiting it before long. A lot of the nutty/bread/toasty flavors that the connie imparts were replaced with sweet maduro nuances, but the whole thing didn't really come together. And those nutty/toasty flavors are what I really have always liked about the original Park Ave. But I didn't think the maddie was a bad stick by any means, just not as good as the original IMO. Maybe a little time will help it out...

Heavy

Oh yeah, and to the assumption that the filler wasn't re-blended for the Maduro version - I believe that is 100% correct. Alex said that the maduro wrappers were originally used by mistake.

Ken Light

I didn't really mean to say it wasn't reblended at all, I have no idea, but maybe it wasn't. I just meant it wasn't done nearly as well, if it was.

Heavy

Based on Alex's response, it looks like it wasn't re-blended at all since it was a mistake (unfortunately). I always loved the Park Ave too and was excited about the maduro when I first saw it.

Alex's response near bottom of thread

bigharpoon

I feel this way with most maduro wrapped versions of otherwise good mild conny smokes. The 5 Vegas Gold maduro, and the CAO gold maduro are inferior versions of their conny cousins. The maduro wrapper just doesn't seem to go very well with pre-existing good, mild cigars.

Once you bump it up to medium, though, they seem to do well. The VR maduro version of CAO black is excellent.

The Sniper

Sorry you didnt dig this one Ken. :-( I gave this one a whirl for the first time myself not too long ago and I actually did enjoy it. I agree its a bit of a one trick pony compared to the original, but I enjoyed that one trick - which actually was chocolatey.

Sometimes in my mind, I categorize cigars into two types - ones which you need to sit down with little else to do and simply enjoy the experience of the cigar (Camacho PE & Sol Cubano Artisan fall into this one for me), because if you dont pay attention to it you're gonna miss something in the flavor profiles and complexity. In the other category are smokes you can read a book, do yard work or paperwork to and still enjoy... you just dont have to pay a ton of attention to them to do so. AB Select Cabinet Reserves and yes, the Park Ave maddy are here, along with Sherpa Cafe and countless others.

Meh, what the he11, they cant all be Anejo's right? LOL

Ken Light

With more time away from the experience now, I think I was let down more than I disliked it. I should probably get a couple more and then try again later with far lowered expectations. That probably didn't come across effectively in my review, but it was my first stab at one. I kinda liked doing it though so I think I'll keep at it.

brotheradam

Ken Light:

First off, thanks very much to Glen (Sniper) for allowing me to try this one. I thoroughly enjoy original Park Ave, and recommend it any chance I get, and I was very much looking forward to trying the maduro version because I also enjoy a good maduro-wrapped cigar.

Ever have two great friends and get them together and they bicker all day long? That's how I felt this went for me. I completely lost all of the complexity (I use the term "complexity" when my feeble palette picks up a few different things and can't get a hold of any of them) I usually get from the Park Ave because the maduro wrapper overwhelmed it. Maybe a better palette can still pick those flavors up, but not mine.

I also feel that the maduro wrapper needs something to go with it. Otherwise its like chocolate cake (not in flavor, in concept) - I hate chocolate cake but i like chocolate with most things. But alone its meh. Well, I don't think the Park Ave filler was enough to make the maduro wrapper more than meh.

Maybe it was because I smoked it in the morning which I almost never do. Maybe it was because I smoked it with iced coffee. Maybe I just expected too much and had anticipated it for too long.

One thing this did for me though, was give me a new appreciation for the 5 Vegas Gold Maduro. That was re-blended well to let the wrapper really shine and have proper support all at once. This...this was not, IMO.

I had pretty much the same reaction you did. Love the Park Ave, but the Maduro just didn't do it for me.