What you need to know
The old cult brand has been almost alarmingly quiet recently - but now Punch is back with a bang! Otherwise limited to the big "global brands" of Cuba, the great retro range in the stylish aluminum can is growing - of course in the Mareva format with approx. 35 - 45 minutes of smoking time.
Flavors
From the first puff, the Petit Corona proves to be a typical Punch - and no, it is by no means just a Coronation in a different packaging; however, it is not a new edition of the strikingly strong, long discontinued "RS 12" either. It could best be described as a short version of the "Punch Punch": Medium strength, multi-faceted woody notes and roasted tones like a HU, flowery-fruity elegance alongside leathery overtones Ă la RyJ, but also a latent bitter-sweet "chocolateiness" in the 2nd half, perfectly accompanied by cautious, exotic-spicy spicy components. Once again an excellent Habano!
Wissenswertes
Beim Ausbau des LCDH-/HS-exklusiven Habanos-Portfolios durfte die Kultmarke Punch natĂŒrlich nicht unberĂŒcksichtigt bleiben. So wurde 2016 diese lange Hermoso prĂ€sentiert, deren RingmaĂ ihr den Namen gibt. Rauchzeit ca. 70 â 85 Minuten.
Aromen
Das Bestreben der Verantwortlichen, fĂŒr Exklusivzigarren besonders ausdrucksvolle und vielschichtige Blends zu komponieren, ist auch hier sehr erfolgreich. Fruchtig, sĂŒĂ und zedrig wie alle Punch, hebt sich die stets toll gefertigte Zigarre durch besonders duftige, diffus florale Aromen hervor, die ĂŒber den ganzen Rauchverlauf erhalten bleiben und einen wunderbaren Kontrapunkt zu den im zweiten Drittel verstĂ€rkt einsetzenden herzhafteren Umami-Facetten bieten. Nussige Cremigkeit, Nadelholz-Ătherik, ein Hauch Olive, fast Sherry-mĂ€Ăige BeiklĂ€nge⊠- ein echtes Feuerwerk, wie z. B. auch die HU âRoyal Robustoâ! Trotz ihrer aromatischen Dichte ist die â48â nicht besonders stark.
Wissenswertes
Wie die âHermoso No. 4â, fĂ€llt auch das Format âCorona Gordaâ mit enormer QualitĂ€tsdichte auf. Ein gutes Beispiel ist die wohl bekannteste Punch, die den Markennamen tatsĂ€chlich gleich dreimal fĂŒhrt. Ein Liebling der Kenner, mittelstark, mit 65 â 80 Minuten Rauchdauer.
Aromen
Zusammen mit der âDouble Coronaâ sicher die komplexeste, geschmacklich âbuntesteâ Punch. Hier kommt die einzigartige, etwas an rote Ăpfel erinnernde Fruchtnote der Marke am klarsten zur Geltung. Sie bestimmt vor allem das erste Drittel, ist aber von Anfang an mit Holz-, Nuss- und Röstaromen durchsetzt, die fĂŒr ein herrliches Wechselspiel von Ătherik, SĂŒĂe, WĂŒrze und Umami sorgen. Aromatisch nĂ€her mit RyJ und HU verwandt als z.B. mit MC oder Allones, besitzt der Blend doch einen ganz eigenen Charakter. Nur wenige Zigarren besitzen so ausgeprĂ€gt jenes typisch âkubanischeâ Geschmackserlebnis, das sich mit den ĂŒblichen Lebensmittel-Vergleichen gar nicht beschreiben lĂ€sst.
Worth knowing
Who would have thought that the Gordo deniers at Punch would release a 50 ring gauge VĂtola after all? In 2019, the time had come - this wonderful short Robusto reached the market and was immediately awarded a whopping 93 points in the âCigar Journalâ!
Flavours
A cigar like a summer stroll! Light to medium-bodied, with delightful hay, honey, apple and cedar aromas, it is immediately present after lighting up with a full flavor profile and great smoke development. A sweet, woody, delicately spicy, somehow âfully ripeâ tasting cigar with silky smoke, the first fresh batches of which already seemed mature. In the last third, a rather atypical, captivating cocoa note suddenly creeps in, which combines perfectly with the lighter, sweet nuances. You simply have to like this new release, which lasts around 45 - 55 minutes of smoking!
Casa del Puro tests for you part 5
đ We have tested a multi-layered cigar for you. The Punch Punch by Punch.
Format: Corona Gorda (14.30 cm / 1.83 cm / RM 46)
Single price (20/05/2020): âŹ11.90
Worth knowing
Don't worry, the tester is completely sober and in excellent mental health - this cigar really is called that. However, how the traditional brand, which is around 170 years old, got its name is known. It was not an intoxicating punch or a devastating punch that inspired it, but the mascot of a popular English satirical magazine that enjoyed similar popularity to Habanos in the gentlemen's clubs of the Victorian Empire. And so Punch the Clown still adorns the cigar boxes of the renowned company, which since last year has been part of the league of "value brands" alongside only three other brands. Manufactured in the cult factory âLa Coronaâ and thus under the same roof as Hoyo de Monterrey, quite a few connoisseurs see parallels between Punch and Romeo y Julieta in terms of the average strength, but also the taste. There are reasons for this, but the âPPPâ, probably the most popular Punch VĂtola, is a bit out of line.:;
Aroma
Kept in the same elegant and uncomplicated format as the RA Superiores recently presented here, the Corona Gorda (14.3 cm / RM 46), the classic shines with impeccable rolling, clean burn and moderate draw resistance. While the smaller Corona formats of the brand (which is almost the only one in Cuba that does not produce Regulares with a ring gauge of 50 or larger) have a characteristic, slightly sour fruit sweetness that is a little reminiscent of red apples, it has a somewhat âdarkerâ aroma. Initially honey-sweet, with a distinct nutty, creamy umami taste, a clear coffee (or more precisely, mocha) note soon emerges, along with some cedar wood spice and a hint of earthiness, while the sweetness fades into the background but continues to come through as the smoke progresses. In younger specimens, the fruity brand character is definitely apparent in the second third, and becomes more pronounced after several years of aging. Nevertheless, the "PPP" with its woody, finely spicy aroma, the earth and nut taste that becomes increasingly full-bodied towards the finish and its extremely creamy smoke is not a typical punch, but an all the more typical Habano. Many experienced aficionados rightly value it more than some formats of the better-known âglobal brandsâ, as it combines characteristics of several other brands, such as the umami feeling of H.Upmann (whose Magnum 46 it resembles not only because of the identical format), the âlightâ nuttiness of RyJ, the milky coffee touch of the HdM âEpicureâ series... a multi-layered consensus cigar in the best sense!
Conclusion
Medium-strength from the start, it does not get significantly stronger as you smoke it, which speaks for a sophisticated production and makes it recommendable even for less experienced Habaneros - the effect of a left-left-right combination is thankfully absent. Although it seems to burn down a little quickly at first, when you put it down you are pleased to see that over 70 extremely entertaining minutes have passed. An absolute insider tip among the medium-sized Habanos formats!