I know Halloween is still over a month away, but it’s never too early to get into the spirit. If you love cigars then the Gurkha Ghost is the perfect thing to get you in a spooky mood. This cigar has been around for well over a year, but we just recently added it to our portfolio. If you are a fan of Kaisad Hansotia’s cigars, and you haven’t given the Ghost a try, then you are in for a treat. Ok, enough of the Halloween references. I will now try to just focus on the cigar.

First off, this cigar is very appealing to the eye. Its rich-black wrapper at first glance may have you thinking it’s an aged Connecticut Broadleaf, but you would be wrong. The wrapper on the Ghost is a Brazilian Arapiraca leaf, which is a little lighter than the standard Connecticut or Mexican San Andres Negra Maduro leaves. The flavor of the leaf is also a little less sweet and provides a nice amount of spice to the cigar. The binder is made up of aged Criolla 98, while its fillers are a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco.

Started the cigar on my morning dog walk. Lots of smoke immediately after lighting it.

I for one am a huge fan of Brazilian tobacco and Brazilian Mata Fina; with its sweet undertones it really adds a lot to a well-blended Maduro. The Arapiraca leaf does something entirely different than its Mata Fina cousin. From the second I lit the cigar the first taste to hit my palate was anise, with a hint of cocoa and cinnamon. There is a mild sweetness, but the spices really shine through on this cigar. Another thing I like about this cigar is that it practically smokes itself. Ghost is a perfect name for this stick—for if you smoke it in one spot for longer than a few seconds onlookers may mistake the smoke for an apparition.

Although the smoke is very voluminous, it is very creamy and never gets harsh. Even as I smoked the cigar to the nub, although the flavor profile changed and intensified as the ash approached the band, there was never any bitterness. It is a medium-bodied smoke and one that can be enjoyed anytime during the day. I have smoked many of these sticks and for the purpose of this review I chose to puff on one with my morning coffee. It was a perfect match with my café negra, but I am also certain that a little café con leche would also be a worthy companion.

There are not a lot of heavy coffee notes in this cigar that most people expect in a maduro. This cigar’s flavors tend to hang on the anise, cocoa, cinnamon, and nutmeg side of things. If these spices are something that you like then the Gurkha Ghost is a cigar for you. Of course, the timing of its arrival couldn’t be better—as you have plenty of time to stock up for your Halloween festivities.

Long Ashes,

Chris Gwaltney, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits North Florida Regional Manager. Certified Tobacconist and Cicerone Beer Server. Follow me on Twitter @abccigarchris.