TheGurkha Cellar Reserve Especial 18-Year Koi Perfecto takes the Cellar Reserve concept in a darker direction, pairing anoily Corojo wrapper with a Dominican Olor binder and a core built around extensively aged Dominican tobacco. The headline is the18-year-aged Dominican filler, but what matters in the cigar is how that mature tobacco softens and rounds what could otherwise be a considerably more aggressive blend.
At4" x 58, the Koi is a short, fat Perfecto with tapered ends—a format that makes the opening particularly interesting. The first few draws concentrate the wrapper and binder before the burn reaches the fuller center of the cigar and more filler comes into play. The profile isearthy and woody with cocoa, measured spice and an underlying sweetness, while the aged Dominican tobacco lends the smoke a softer, more settled character. It's rich and medium-to-full without needing to rely on sheer strength.
The Koi is the size for the smoker who enjoys watching a blend change simply because of the shape of the cigar. Its Perfecto construction naturally alters the wrapper-to-filler relationship as it burns, giving a surprising amount of development for a cigar only four inches long.If aged Dominican tobacco and old-school figurado shapes are already in your wheelhouse, put a few Koi in the humidor. This is a small cigar worth taking your time with.
