Well, something I did at work turned out wrong and I found out after I had already made it home. Had my mood all janked.

So what did I do about it?

I said, "Fuck that.", moved on, and decided to have a beer and a good smoke while enjoying some tunes.

As it happens, I'm a pretty avid cigar smoker. I figure if I'm going to smoke, it should be sparingly and always good quality. Once in a while, I get together with some friends and we do reviews! Nothing that we've put out there for the world yet, but it's fun to do.

I did so today on my own, and decided to put it up here. Why not?

Today's victim: The Gurkha Spec Ops maduro.

Clocking in at seven inches long and a ring size of 50, it's a pretty well sized smoke. Nice oily texture with good heft. Feels like you're really smoking something.

On first light, right off the bat it's got a smooth, open draw, and the first flavors you notice are cedar and black pepper. Nice and earthy, like one would expect a maduro to be. An impressive amount of smoke for so early in. Popped open my beer and let it slide through to the midway point.

Around half way, the first ash finally dropped off, which is a nice testament to how well constructed this smoke was. The burn was slow and even all the way through. The black pepper had left by then to show off a serious dark chocolate and mocha taste. The oils really pulled through and kept that earthy flavor. The smoke was nice, warm, and never felt hurried in any way. Relaxation was maxed out.

Near the end, the outer wrap unraveled on me, but that was because of a poor cut on my end. Oops. Didn't ruin the flavor, though. The pepper made a comeback in the last quarter, and the heat picked up. Ended it with about an eighth left.

Took about an hour to get all the way through it, and I gotta say that I'm impressed. These go for about 20 bucks a piece at a regular shop, but totally worth it if you want a quality smoke. I'd give it a solid 8 of 10.