In 2006, Kaizad Hansotia's Gurkha shocked the cigar world with the Black Dragon. Only five-hundred were made divided amongst five humidors with each cigar costing over $1,000; and they sold out. A year later the Black Dragon was reblended using more readily available tobaccos to create a similar profile to the much heralded limited edition similar to the His Majesty Reserve, Gurkha Special Edition Titan and Grand Age. Made in the Dominican Republic, Black Dragon is offered in four formats: Robusto (4 1/4 x 52), Grand Especial (8 1/2 x 52), Imperial Presidente (7 x 56) and a Special Edition Tubo (7 x 52), which is limited to three-hundred boxes per year. Each are presented beautifully in trays packaged into soft presentation boxes, nothing less than what you would expect from Gurkha. In place of the plethora of tobaccos that made up the original Black Dragon, the new blend uses a dark Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over a Cameroon binder and Dominican fillers.

There's a mixture of earthiness and creaminess that begin each puff of the Gurkha Black Dragon, the cigar eventually settles down with a nice leather, bitter coffee, sweet cocoa and a touch of pepper. It's medium-full in flavor and body and medium in strength, making the Black Dragon suitable for a wide range of smokers. For those that missed out on Gurkha's first Black Dragon, you will take calm knowing the current Black Dragon doesn't leave a whole lot more to be desired, and boxes don't set you back six figures.