Punch Signature - Written Review

So, the Punch Signature received a 93-rating from Cigar Aficionado stating quote: “Bold impressions of smoked meat, leather and mesquite are elegantly interwoven with sweet touches of dried stone fruits, caramel and a raw cocoa bean finish.” This Sounds pretty darn tasty, so a Review MUST be done!

The folks at General Cigar say that this blend is a throwback to the days when their cigars were first produced and that Punch considers this their finest cigar blend to date. They reached back into days past, taking us on a ride on the "Way Back Machine"; as the artwork developed in the 1800s for the first Punch cigars, with the back of the band featuring the Original Mr. Punch and his dog 'Toby', which honestly to me sort of resembles that of a garden gnome.

I decided to not pair this cigar with any libation or drink in order to preserve the cigar as purely as possible.

Finer Details: Size: Robusto 5 x 54

Wrapper: Ecuador Corojo Binder: Connecticut Habano Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua Strength: Medium-Full Source: Punch / General Cigars

Prelight Ritual:

Taking the tour around this bad boy, I felt how wonderfully constructed the cigar was. It had a smooth dark-caramel colored wrapper with a few fine veins, and notable patches of oily-sheen to it. The well-packed stick from cap to foot had no apparent soft areas. However the seams were not very well hidden toward the foot, but the rest of the cigar looked great! It was still evident that they took pride in filling and rolling this stick.

Cold Draw:

The first taste that became evident was a dank-woody tone with a bit of sweet-earth and spice. The draw was perfect which was afforded to me from my shiny, new Xikar V-Cutter. How could I continue to resist the light up? Well...I couldn't...so lets get a move on!

First Draw:

After I warmed the foot and lit her up I could tell this was going to be a lot of flavor as it kind of hit me in the back of the throat with a pungent-pepper and spice sensation and a leathery backend. It was almost too much of a "Pow". On Retro hale, the pepper was even more apparent, with an almost "Sour" finish". The burn was almost immediately uneven burning high up one side as compared to the rest of the stick. I would have to see how this goes to make any other comments.

First Third:

The tinge of stark pepper and harsh spice with a pronounced sour-leathery finish remained present and unchanged through this part of the cigar. It left me wondering if it would change much into the next phase of the experience. The burn also continued to be fairly uneven. So much so in fact that I had to touch it up to keep it even. The only real change here was the addition of a "Smoked hickory" nuance, and the volume of smoke increased a good bit. The Ash also showed signs of an uneven burn, some of it was a Fine grey, while other parts were black, and still others were a cloudy/milky hue. Not something I am used to for certain. The ash-cake also fell off without notice only about an inch...MAYBE 1 1/2 into it, and continued to fall off without assistance.

Half Way There:

Fearing that I was missing something I began to retro hale more often here, and as I had feared, I wasn't missing anything that I had already experienced. The Peppery tone saddled alongside the Leather and Burnt wood remained at the forefront. Thank goodness the sour notes diminished at this point as it really did not compliment the flavor profile well.

It's kind of like going to the Grammy's and hearing "And the Oscar goes to..." It's a sense that you're at the wrong party. At this point I'm not convinced that this cigar was all that it was cracked up to be. I mean, for being so highly rated, I wouldn't have expected what's been going on here.

*Add-Note* Something miraculous happened just after hitting the last half inch into the middle third! The flavors began to complement each other, the burn began to even out, and I began to feel the symphony come together. Such a welcome change!

It was right at that point that the smoke generation picked up as well, and the Ash turned a silky white. I'm really not certain what the causes of this change are, but I got a bit excited to see how it would continue from here. FINALLY the cigar began to shine.

Onward toward the Nub:

Although the flavors hadn't changed tremendously since the last third, the smoke continued to build, as did the potency. Everything that I love about cigars began to take shape in a wonderful way. The true majesty of this cigar was well worth the wait. The "Bite" smoothed out, and the aroma matched the pleasant flavor notes of pepper, leather, earth, and burnt hickory that coated my palate. The performance of the Ash unfortunately did not improve, and the burn did not even out as much as I would like. Sometimes, you have to not be so critical of the little things and enjoy that which matters most. In this case, it is the flavors.

Conclusion and Recommendation:

At the end of the day, the Punch Signature left me bewildered with the stark contrasts in behaviors. I couldn't help but notice that it toyed with my soul a little more than any Cigar should. I wanted to like this cigar, and felt I gave it ample freedom to do so. The bar continued to raise and lower throughout the journey, and I couldn't imagine that it would finish as strongly as it did as it approached the finish line. Smooth? No, Bold? Yes... but, perhaps that's the draw to this particular blend. Harass the senses, and then lay them lovingly down on a bed of fresh goose down. The expectation played a role in my disappointment and ultimate curiosity but I am also perplexed enough to desire another round to see if this was a one-off "bad apple". I wonder this mostly because of the way it left me, and the last memory is the lasting memory. Strong Finish, Bizarre beginnings.

CigarSticks Score: 3 out of 5 Beards - Again, this is not a terrible cigar by any stretch. I feel like I was perhaps a little overly critical but in the end I am satisfied with the review. If I had a chance I would smoke this again if only to compare it to the experience I had with this one stick. The Medium-Full fell a bit more on the full side for my palate, which isn't altogether bad. It just helps characterize it more acurately.