Cigar Review - Punch Elites
Punch - Elites
Vitola: Corona
Length: 5.2″
Ring Gauge: 45
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan
Pairing: San Francisco Bay Foglifter coffee
I picked this cigar up while in Key West recently while looking for a quick smoke. This one was not designed to be quick, but I have never had a Punch cigar and when I saw it I decided to grab one to see what they're all about. Last night turned into a perfect night for a cigar after a rare opportunity to have a lunch cigar earlier in the day. Storms were rolling in and there was quite the lightning display just after sunset.
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/...psfpxf0pzu.jpg
Fit and Finish: The wrapper is relatively smooth but has visible seams. On the nose it is a strong odor of hay...almost a barnyard funk. Not at all what I expected, but not unpleasant.
Draw: A v-cut provides a slightly tight draw with a very grassy cold draw. A second cold draw gives more of the grassy flavor with a little hint of pepper and maybe some cocoa aftertaste.
Toast/Light: The cigar toasts easily but does require a single draw to get things going well. Medium smoke production and a hit of pepper right out of the gate on the first draw. No hint whatsoever of the cocoa I thought I picked up on the cold draw.
First third: So I don't know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. The draw was tight from the beginning but it didn't affect smoke production. Strong hay and wood flavors with a moderate spice profile. No cocoa, no nuts, no cedar (the wood isn't sweet at all) but it is moderately creamy. After 3 or 4 draws the cap begins to unravel – a first for me with the v-cut. One lick and it goes back into place. To its credit, it remained in place for the rest of the smoke...quite a long smoke in fact. I mentioned that this cigar was not what I was expecting and that remained true through the first third. The flavors, while not horrible, were not at all in the wheelhouse of what I enjoy. Really just hay, wood, mild pepper and...that's it. I enjoyed the smell of the resting smoke more than the taste of the cigar at this point.
Second Third: Excellent burn lines and good smoke production. And here comes the pepper! The flavor profile begins to change a bit with nuts and now cedar making an appearance. I am pleasantly surprised and am beginning to rethink my position on this cigar. The smoke is ample now and becoming increasingly creamy. Yes, I am definitely enjoying it more as it goes along.
Final Third: As I enter the final third of this cigar I am really impressed at how well and easily it burns and with the smoke production. Nuts move to the forefront and the pepper ramps up again. There are hints of cedar that come and go but the hay and other wood flavors are completely gone. The smoke is still very creamy and I am at this point loving this cigar. It is a far cry from where I started. It is so good that I take it all the way down to the nub where I have to take very shallow draws to prevent the heat from burning my mouth and fingers.
Final Thoughts: My first experience with Punch was a bit different from what I normally encounter with a new cigar. I started out not really impressed but finished really enjoying it. That may be due in large part to my lack of experience with this kind of cigar and to the difference in flavor profile from what I normally smoke. There was no cocoa (and by now you know I'm a cocoa fan) and more hay than I prefer at the beginning (not the fresh hay profile like in the Long Ash Cigar Candella, but more of that barnyard funk).
Total smoking time: 105 minutes
