Punch Rare Corojo Elite Review

6/2/2014

Cigar: Punch Rare Corojo Elite
Size: Corona, 5.2”x45 (box-pressed)
MSRP: $3.69
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper: Sumatra
Origin: Honduras

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Prelight: The wrapper on this cigar is just perfect: the color of milk chocolate, silky, minimal veins, and smells floral with maybe a hint of wood. The foot of this box-pressed cigar is firm and smells floral, woody and a tad chocolaty. The cold draw is perfect after using a punch and tastes very floral.

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1/3: This cigar starts with black pepper and delicious cream. The smoke is oily and thick, leaving a nice finish of cream after each puff. A woody flavor kicks in and elbows the pepper out of the way, and soon the cigar is all spicy cedar and cream. At the end of this third, some spices are added to the mix.

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2/3: The second third is cedar and spices with a hint of chocolate. The cream has completely disappeared at this point. The ash is a medium grey and tight, while the burn is near-perfect. The wood flavor keeps growing in strength and dominates the flavor profile. There is still some spices and chocolate, but mostly cedar.

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3/3: The spices ramp up and are on equal footing with the woody flavor, but the wood has evolved into having a charred flavor as well. This cigar finishes very woody at the nub, which takes about an hour to get to.

Overall: This is a pretty tasty stick. I would have liked to see the cream hang around a little longer, and maybe that is the case with bigger vitolas. The flavors do evolve slightly, but not enough to raise an eyebrow. But, for about $3.50, I was extremely pleased with this cigar. If Hondurans are your thing, keep a box of these on hand, as they won’t break the bank, but are delicious.