Gurkha Ghost Connecticut Asura

At the 2023 Total Product Expo (TPE) in January, Gurkha unveiled the third member of its Ghost line, the Gurkha Ghost Connecticut.

As the name implies, the line uses a Connecticut-seed wrapper, though one grown in Ecuador. Underneath that is a binder from Mexico and fillers from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and the U.S.A. The line is produced for Gurkha by PDR Cigars in the Dominican Republic and is offered in three sizes.

The Gurkha Ghost Connecticut joins the original Ghost line as well as the Ghost Gold, which was released in 2018 and got a packaging update in 2021.

After being shown off to the industry in January, the line made its retail debut at The Great Smoke, an annual consumer event put on in mid-March by Smoke Inn, a retailer in South Florida. It then shipped to brick-and-mortar retailers later that month.

• Cigar Reviewed: Gurkha Ghost Connecticut Asura
• Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
• Factory: PDR Cigars
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Connecticut)
• Binder: Mexico
• Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua & U.S.A.
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 54
• Vitola: Toro Extra
• MSRP: $9 (Box of 21, $189)
• Release Date: March 2023
• Number of Cigars Released: Regular Production
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

The wrapper on the Gurkha Ghost Connecticut Asura looks fairly familiar, though maybe a shade or two darker than the average Connecticut-seed leaf. It has a matte finish and feels fairly smooth to my fingers, though it does not appear to have a lot of oils, judged by my eyes or my fingers. There are thin, puckered veins that catch my eye, while the seam lines are occasionally noticeable, even on the same cigar. The cigars are rolled to a density that is either firm or outright hard, and all three look to be rolled quite well. Aroma from the foot is mellow and hovers between graham crackers, kettle corn and regular popcorn. Not as consistent across the three cigars is creaminess and pepper, and when they are there, they seem to appear together. The cold draw is on the firm side and very mellow in flavor, with a bit of buttered bread or toast the first thing to hit my palate. Subsequent puffs reveal pepper and then a bit of red chili pepper sting.

The Gurkha Ghost Connecticut Asura starts with a pleasant mix of creaminess, white pepper, a bit of mineral and a very dry peppermint flavor. The smoke has a tendency to get dense and thick in the first inch, which gives it a distinct gravitas as it hits the taste buds, as well as an interesting contrast to the flavor. A bit of graham cracker emerges as well, a distinct and enjoyable flavor, though it is also mild. Retrohales in the first third are some of the mildest I can recall in some time, offering a very light amount of pepper wrapped in some creaminess. I don’t know if it’s a change in flavor or me thinking about what I’d drink with this, but after I knock the first clump of ash off, the thought of a latte crosses my mind as there’s just a bit of earthy coffee emerging at the base of the flavor. Much like how the milk mellows the coffee in the drink, the creaminess mellows the coffee flavor in the cigar. On the whole, the flavor is shy of medium, but in one cigar, the flavor gets quite mild, to a point where I’m struggling to pick up much beyond a bit of a chalky texture. Body is medium-plus, while the strength is quite mild. Construction is fantastic thus far, highlighted by incredibly durable ash.

There’s a bit of warmed graham cracker heading into the second third of the Gurkha Ghost Connecticut Asura, not quite smoked as if making a s’more, but simply warmed up just a bit. Behind that is some mild nuttiness, which pairs with the creaminess to come across as flavored creamer. Retrohales are still on the mild side, and now offer more in the way of a thick-bodied smoke than any particular flavor or pepper. The creaminess continues to thicken up, which seems to mellow the flavor intensity, and there are some points where I would be hard-pressed to name any specific flavors I’m picking up beyond that creaminess. The final puffs of this section surprise me with a bit of saltiness, emerging as saltine crackers or plain Ruffles potato chips. It’s just enough of a flavor to catch my attention, but it hardly takes control of the profile. One cigar picks up some dry earth, and each cigar makes a bit of a pivot to shed some of the creaminess and allow a more robust profile to start emerging. The draw, smoke production and burn line all remain fantastic, while one cigar needs a bit of encouragement from the lighter to burn, and one cigar develops a crack in the wrapper.

The final third starts off with an uptick in flavor intensity, as white pepper steps forward and gets the taste buds tingling in a way they haven’t done thus far. It’s slightly grittier than what the cigar has offered thus far, but given that the cigar has been very restrained with flavor to this point, I’m interested to experience this change and see what else the Gurkha Ghost Connecticut Asura has in store before it’s time to put it down. Retrohales are a bit more vibrant as well, though they trail the flavor in intensity, something they have done since the start. The change isn’t always great in terms of the flavors and physical sensations, but if the cigar can find a spot where it tastes like a well-baked donut, finished by a bit of smokiness and just a bit of pepper, the result is pretty enjoyable. It never reaches points of richness or true complexity, but for a cigar that has been pretty restrained, it does put a bit of a medium-flavored bow on what has been a good experience. The draw, burn line and smoke production continue to be very good, and the ash continues to be some of the most solid I have seen in a while, but wrapper damage continues either through cracks or the removal of the band. Flavor finishes around medium but with a bit of an edge on the finish, body is medium and strength is mild.

Final Notes

• The bands on all three cigars were quite tough to remove, as the adhesive seemed to sink into the paper and maybe even through it to stick to the wrapper leaf. When I managed to get it off, it took a sizable chunk of wrapper with it, and I usually had to find a corner of the band to get my fingernail under to finally get it off, as the two ends were simply stuck together far too well to remove the band as I normally would.
• The ash on the Gurkha Ghost Connecticut Asura is impressively dense and durable, rarely flaking and holding on quite well.
• That said, the wrappers proved to be a bit fragile; first, as noted above with the bands, and then other cigars developed cracks on their own.
• I would encourage Gurkha to revisit both the paper used for the bands and the adhesive used to hold them together. Each of the three wrappers sustained significant damage due to removing the bands, which simply shouldn’t happen.
• If cigars on the milder side of the scale are preferable, this will almost undoubtedly score higher than if fuller flavor and strength are a must.
• I didn’t pick up any strength from any of the three cigars smoked for this review.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.
• Final smoking time was two hours and 30 minutes on average.