Tres Decadas by Gurkha Toro

In April, Gurkha announced a new limited edition that was created to commemorate the three decades that Juan Lopez, the company’s longtime vp of sales, has spent in the premium cigar business.

The aptly named Tres Decadas is a three-vitola line made up of an Ecuadorian habano oscuro wrapper, a binder grown in Jalapa, Nicaragua, and an all-Nicaraguan filler blend that contains viso from Condega, ligero from Estelí and seco from Ometepe. While Gurkha did not disclose the factory making the cigars, it did say they are made in Nicaragua.

“Thirty years in the cigar industry is something I take great pride in, and being able to mark that milestone makes it even more meaningful,” said Lopez, in a press release. “This project is a reflection of everything I’ve learned over the years, staying focused on quality, consistency, and delivering a cigar that truly resonates with today’s consumer. We approached this blend with patience and purpose to create something that truly reflects my approach to the craft. I’m proud to bring this project to market in partnership with Gurkha, and I’m confident it represents both my journey in this business and the standards that come with it.”

Tres Decadas debuted in three sizes, each packaged in 10-count boxes:

• Tres Decadas by Gurkha Robusto (5 x 52) — $11.95 (Box of 10, $119.50)
• Tres Decadas by Gurkha Toro (6 x 50) — $12.50 (Box of 10, $125)
• Tres Decadas by Gurkha Gordo (6 1/2 x 56) — $12.95 (Box of 10, $129.50)

Production is limited to 1,000 boxes per vitola, which started shipping to retailers in August.

• Cigar Reviewed: Tres Decadas by Gurkha Toro
• Country of Origin: Nicaragua
• Factory: Undisclosed
• Wrapper: Ecuador (Habano Oscuro)
• Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa)
• Filler: Nicaragua (Condega Viso, Estelí Ligero & Ometepe Seco)
• Length: 6 Inches
• Ring Gauge: 50
• Shape: Round
• MSRP: $12.50 (Box of 10, $125)
• Release Date: August 2026
• Number of Cigars Released: 1,000 Boxes of 10 Cigars (10,000 Total Cigars)
• Number of Cigars Smoked For Review: 3

Medium brown wrappers cover all three Tres Decadas by Gurkha Toros, and I can see quite a bit of oil on each. The wrappers are fairly smooth to the touch with just a touch of tooth, and while most of the veins are thin and flat, my third cigar has a thick, protruding vein that runs from the cap all the way to a bit past the bottom of the band. Each cigar is nicely firm when squeezed, but a physical inspection reveals that the second cigar has a large soft spot located halfway between the foot and the band. Aromas from the wrappers are similar, with a very pungent barnyard, hay and earth, sweet milk chocolate, leather and generic nuttiness. The feet of the cigars include scents of black pepper, baker’s spices, raisins, dank earth and coffee beans, but the second cigar has some sweeter note and noticeably more milk chocolate. After straight cuts, the cold draws bring flavors of creamy cedar, espresso, cocoa nibs, milk chocolate, light spice and sweet fudge, although the second cigar is once again on the sweeter side.

Starting out, the Tres Decadas by Gurkha Toros each feature a strong cocoa nib flavor along with light earth and some spice on my tongue, although interestingly, virtually no pepper at all. Within 10 puffs, main flavors of creamy cedar and leather take over the profiles, followed by much less aggressive notes of dry hay, dark chocolate, herbs, toasted bread, coffee beans and earth. However, while the flavors in the profile are fairly consistent for all three cigars, the retrohales are not: the first and second cigars feature a combination of black pepper and a light honey sweetness, while the third cigar has a much bolder combination of cracked pepper and barbecue sauce sweetness. Flavor ends the first third at full, while the body and strength both hit a solid medium. Construction-wise, all three cigars need a single burn correction to stay on track, but there is plenty of dense smoke and the draw resistance is excellent.

During the second third, the amount of spice on my tongue increases substantially, although it is still short of being detrimental to the profiles. All three cigars experience a shift in their main flavors: the first and second cigars now feature a combination of powdery cocoa nibs and cedar, while the third cigar features cedar and dry tea leaves. At various points, additional flavors of bitter espresso, cinnamon, leather tack, dry hay and sourdough bread show up, and all three cigars have a light but distinct earthy note on the finish. There are no changes in the notes on the retrohales, meaning the first and second cigars continue to feature black pepper and honey sweetness, while the third cigar has cracked black pepper and barbecue sauce sweetness. Flavor remains at full, but the body and strength increase in lockstep, landing at medium-plus. Once again, all three cigars run into minor burn issues that need correcting, but those are the only problems.

Cedar and cocoa nibs remain at the forefront of the first and second cigars, while the third cigar picks up new main flavors of toasted bread and rich coffee beans. Secondary notes of dank earth, leather tack, chalk, cinnamon and potato chips flit in and out, while the finish on all three cigars switches to a less obvious bitter espresso flavor. Honey and black pepper continue to dominate the retrohale on the first two cigars, while the last cigar now features normal black pepper and a more bready, graham cracker sweetness. Flavor ends at full, and the body ends at medium-plus, but the strength reaches the full mark. The construction feels like a broken record: all three cigars need a single burn correction—albeit at different points—while smoke production remains copious and draw resistance remains excellent.

Final Notes

• There have been numerous cigar releases with Tres in the name, a list that includes the Kristoff Tres Compadres, the Liga Privada Ünico Serie Tres Serpientes, Cavalier Genève’s Tres Delincuentes, Gran Habano’s Los Tres Reyes Magos and the collaboration between Quesada and My Father named Tres Reynas that debuted in 2012.
• Unsurprisingly, there have been a multitude of Cuban cigars with Tres in the name, including the somewhat ironic Juan López Très Petit Coronas.
• The reason why the cigars aren’t called “Juan Lopez” is that Altadis U.S.A. owns that trademark.
• The logo for the Tres Decadas is interesting from a visual perspective, but I have to admit that when I first saw it, the two letters looked like a T and a D, with the number 3 covering up part of the letter D on the right side.
• I have always loved the idea of a cigar company celebrating a long-time employee with a commemorative blend, and I wish more companies would do it.
• In fact, Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust has an annual series that was created to honor a different person or people who have made major contributions to the company.

• A hole developed in the middle of the ash for my first cigar, although it did not seem to impact the construction or profile in any notable way.
• When photographing these in the studio, I noticed that the cellophane seemed thinner and a bit on the lower end in terms of quality compared to other cigars I was photographing that day.
• The cigars for this review were purchased by halfwheel.

• These cigars are listed as being 6 x 50 vitolas. Above are the measurements we took when we measured them.
• The final smoking time averaged out to two hours and 13 minutes for all three cigars.
• If you would like to purchase any of the Tres Decadas by Gurkha cigars, site sponsors Atlantic Cigar Co. and Cigars Daily sell them on their respective websites.

Brooks Whittington

I have worn many hats in my life up to this point: I started out as a photojournalist for the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, then transitioned to photographing weddings—both internationally and in the U.S.—for more than a decade. After realizing that there was a need for a cigar website containing better photographs and more in-depth information about each release, I founded my first cigar blog, SmokingStogie, in 2008. SmokingStogie quickly became one of the more influential cigar blogs on the internet, known for reviewing preproduction, prerelease, rare, extremely hard-to-find and expensive cigars, and it was one of the predecessors to halfwheel, which I co-founded.