Gurkha Titan and Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout: Review

The Cigar

Gurkha Titan

Wrapper: 1996 Vintage Costa Rican

Binder: 5 year old Nicaraguan

Fillers: 5 year old Dominican, Honduran, and Columbian

Size: 6.25x56

My Strength Rating: 6

Off the Light: Forest floor earthiness that has a smooth start.  As the cigar continues a slight cedar spice picks up along with some deep roasted tobacco notes. 

Mid-Point: a toasted rye bread note appears along with dark roasted coffee, a dry grassy note, a touch of burnt wood, and there is a touch of that cedar and spice mingled into the flavor profile.  Even with this bold flavor there is a smoothness to the texture. 

The smooth style is really kicking in at this point and this is making an enjoyable smoking experience with this stout.  The flavors of the cigar are mingling well with one another and the roasted coffee notes are starting to shine. 

Down the Stretch: The flavors never bitter on this big boy cigar.  The roasted and toasted notes are a bit stronger and the earthy notes seem to take center stage during the finish. 

To the Point: this is a great value from this sampler pack.  $4.oo a stick!  I have seen 25 plus for this cigar.  25 bucks not a great value.  I would not pay over $12.oo a stick. 

The Stout

Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout

A Stout Brewed with Chocolate

11% abv

650 ml bottle

$8.00 a bottle

My Strength Rating: 7

With a 650 ml bottle and an 11% abv this made a three cigar bottle of stout.  I am smoking this big Gurkha Titan with the last half of this bottle. 

Made with: 2-row barley, caramel 60 malt, barley flakes, chocolate malt, and bittersweet Belgian chocolate.  Don’t forget the hops: kettle hops; Chinook and Willamette.   This stout is best served at 48 degrees.

Southern Tier Choklat Stout has a black body and a rich dark tan head.  This 11% abv stout has a rich deep dark chocolate nose that makes you want to bite the rim of the glass while you smell this stout.  The aroma even has a creamy style. 

The flavors are wonderful.  This is a quality chocolate stout.  If you want to compare chocolate stouts for quality this is your template.  They use bittersweet Belgian chocolate in the brewing process and it shows up on the palate.  This is a chocolate lovers dream (if you like beer that is).  The caramel, barley, chocolate malts, and the Belgian Chocolate combine for one tasty treat. 

Chocolate just covers the palate.  As the stout warms there is a better bitter-sweet style coming through.  A touch of burnt sugar and creamy caramel add to this tasty chocolate stout.

The mouthfeel is rich, smooth, and creamy.  There is a lingering bitter chocolate coffee note on the tongue. 

This 650 ml bottle will run you around $8.00 a bottle and it is worth every penny. 

Recommendation:  Run to the store today and pick up two bottles!

The Pairing

During the first third of the cigar when the cedar note picked up it brought out a bitter note in the stout. 

The roasted coffee notes started to take command in the flavor profile of the cigar by mid-point and this really made the experience with the stout enjoyable.  Coffee and chocolate a good combination.  This is what I was expecting. 

Both the cigar and the stout have a smooth mouthfeel and this is making a good match.