Gurkha Cellar Reserve Platinum 12-Year Hedonism (6.0" x 58)

The Gurkha Cellar Reserve Platinum 12-Year Hedonism represents a real departure from the Dominican tobacco that defined the earlier Cellar Reserve releases. Introduced in 2015, Platinum was the first Cellar Reserve built around Nicaraguan tobacco, pairing an Ecuadorian wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and filler aged up to 12 years, including leaf from Condega, Jalapa and Estelí. The cigars are made in Nicaragua at American Caribbean Cigars.

At 6" x 58, the Hedonism is a substantial Perfecto, tapering at both ends. That shape gives the cigar a more interesting progression than its large ring gauge might suggest: the wrapper and binder have greater influence through the narrower opening before the aged Nicaraguan filler takes over as the burn reaches the broad center. The profile is woody and earthy with restrained sweetness and nuttiness, backed by enough Nicaraguan spice to keep the mature tobacco lively.

The Hedonism is worth considering for the smoker who likes aged tobacco but wants more Nicaraguan character than the original Cellar Reserve provides. The Perfecto shape also makes the 58 ring considerably more interesting than a straight-sided large-format cigar. Smoke this one slowly and pay attention to how the blend changes as the ring gauge expands and contracts—Platinum is less about the age statement than what Espinosa’s Nicaraguan tobacco does with that time.