Vitola: Robusto- 5” x 54 ring gauge
- MSRP $6.79
- Samples provided by General Cigar
Background
General has been working hard to reinvigorate (and sometimes just revive) many of their brands over the past few years. Deservedly or not, many of the newer generation of cigar smokers end up just passing by the older brands like Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur, Cohiba (Red Dot), Partagas, and Punch. The rehab process for the brands has had varying success from my perspective: I loved the Hoyo de Tradición when it came originally, but it seems to have disappeared from retailer shelves and public consciousness; the Cru Royale was a great addition to the Macanudo lineup and it seems to have faded, too; Partagas’ 1845 series is an ongoing story that looks like it might be a success; it’s too early to judge Cohiba’s success with its upscale movement.
Then we have Punch. Several years ago the Upper Cut was to signal a new attitude for the brand. It saw some initial success, but faded. The Rare Corojo keeps making an annual appearance, but there wasn’t much else going on in the brand until recently when word came out of the new “Punch Signature.”
The Signature is made in Honduras and is meant to be a bit of a throwback to the original Punch blend, but with a modern kick. Master Blend Agustin Garcia said, “Think of [Signature] as a brother who has a lot of fire in him, but also respects tradition and the family name.”
In 2012 Garcia and his team found a small amount of Ecuadorian leaf they wanted to use, but they also wanted to make sure they could get enough to make this new blend a full-time addition to the Punch family. For 3 years, they worked with the grower “to cultivate a special Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper exclusively for this cigar.” Along with that, they used a Connecticut Habano leaf for the binder and a very special blend of fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The fillers are of the same variety as the original Punch blend, but some leaves are aged longer to bring out better flavor and balance.
General sent me several samples of the Punch Signature and I’ve smoked 3 before this review sample.
Prelight
On first glance, the banding for the Punch Signature is simplistic and almost “prototype” looking. Then I looked closer and saw the attention to detail in the font selections and artwork. It’s reminiscent of a old-fashioned poster in those respects with scrolling banners and ornate font choices. The band of the band features a full-color image of Mr. Punch, the brand mascot, and that’s the only place where there is a lot of color on the band. I like the fact that the look is clean and unique and totally unlike anything else in the Punch catalog (yes, I know, red, white, black and gold is “traditional” and “Cuban-esque” but it’s also a look that is hard to make stand out in a crowded humidor).
The Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper was one of the darkest leaves I’ve seen come out of Ecuador, to be honest. Cubanacan’s Ecuador Habano Maduro Oscuro leaf and (sometimes) LFD’s Ecuadorian Sumatra leaf that’s used on the Ligero Cabinet line might be darker at times, but this was a dark chocolate color without being a Maduro or Oscuro, and the mottling I could see indicated that it probably wasn’t artificially made darker. It was oily to the touch and the eye, and gave off an aroma of leather and aged tobacco. The foot had rich earthiness, along with cedar and a bit of a grassy note. Once cut I got a strong earthy flavor, along with bittersweet chocolate, espresso and red pepper notes.
Flavor
The Punch Signature took a bit to get fully lit but once going, it smoked like Atlanta after Sherman got through with it: a thick, heavy, oily smoke that is more often seen on some of Drew Estate’s Liga Privada lines! The cigar tasted of wet earth, wood fires, and espresso, with an afterthought of red pepper on the palate and nose. Did I mention that this was definitely a full-bodied smoke right from the start? Well, now i did!
Heading into the second third, there was still plenty of punch in this Signature and it served up flavors of leather and earth mostly with fading notes of pepper and coffee.
The leathery notes strengthened in the final third and I got more wood notes as well.
Construction
This sample had a slight canoe during the first and second third, but the other samples I smoked didn’t have any similar issues, so I would call it an aberration. Everything else was very good.
Value
The size of General cigar makes it possible for them to buy large quantities of leaf and end up providing lower prices. This cigar was very reasonably priced for the experience it delivered.
Conclusions
The Signature is an excellent addition to the Punch lineup, definitely living up to the Punch name with full body as well as a not-insignificant amount of strength. It started off with guns blazing before dying down a bit in complexity toward the end, but it still was a cigar I would put my own money into. General deserves full credit for working continuously to update and redefine their classic lines of cigars and the Punch Signature is a welcome release in that effort.
By-The-Numbers
Prelight: 2/2
Construction: 2/2
Flavor: 3.5/5
Value: 1/1
Total: 8.5/10
I swear I already commented on this review. Is it Ground Hog’s Day?
I’ve read a couple people say that it’s disappointing, but it still sounds worth a try.
I got a lot of that wet earth from the first one and some portions had some bold, delicious flavors that were short-lived.
Will watch for this one at my B&M, will try it!
What can I say. Ummmmm..no
Like you mentioned the older names (not that I have been smoking that long) seem to get looked over. I do like the band on this and the “Punch” writing is pretty nice. Judging by flavors and such I would give this a try, sounds like it should be after a good meal though.
Punch is one of my “go to” sticks and can’t wait to try this one!