Problem with Punch Churchill

[srnadel]

A few months ago, I got 3 boxes of Punch Churchills from a very reliable source. 2 boxes have codes SUA ES00 and one has what appears to be PAS ENE01. I have been smoking the cigars from '01 and they have been really off. They have a very musty, flavorless taste. I have not tried cigars from the other 2 boxes. Most of my cigars aren't that old so I don't have a lot of experience with cigars aged this long, but I don't think they should taste like this. Is anyone familiar with the Punch Churchills from '00 or '01 with these box codes?

[smokem]

Perhaps not much help, but one of the first boxes I ever purchaed were Punch DCs for SUA July 2000. I bought them "new" in Sept of that year. They were good cigars, but didn't blow me away. Of course I smoked almost all of them before I really got into ccs, so who knows. I still have a few left, but it has been years since I smoked one.

[Jimmy2]

Their is a reason why those cigars are still for sale at cheap prices sorry to say most likely they will not get better..

A aged cigar does not mean a better cigar its a crap shoot i hope you have better luck with your other boxes...

[luisparis]

Their is a reason why those cigars are still for sale at cheap prices sorry to say most likely they will not get better..

Yes, I even got 25 sticks thrown in for free with a 300usd purchase... they don't look good ! Yet bought a box of 2001 also on the cheap side which looks much better. Tried one stick which was light but a decent morning smoke. But don't hold too high hopes on those cigars, some vendors are doing their best to get rid of a seemingly large stock indeed for a reason...

[riderpride]

A buddy has a box from the same year; the flavour doesn't open up untill the last third unfortunately (though I think the wait is worth 2/3 of mediocrity). Give them a good long dry-box to open up the draw and you'll likely get a little more flavour.

I wish you better luck with your remaining sticks...

[bassman]

Those years are a crapshoot at best. When buying 8-9 yesr old cigars, storage is most important. Discount cigars have either dried out, or in the case of musty ones, over humidified. Take the musty ones out of the box- often the box is musty, leave them in the sun for a day & return them to a different box. That might help, but sadly, might not. I'd rather buy fresh & age them myself. There are a couple vendors I buy vintage from, but believe me, there stock is not cheap- but always in perfect condition.

[srnadel]

No big deal. I didn't pay much, so I'm not disappointed. Figured I got what I paid for. I will just give it to people who don't know the difference. They will probably just be happy they are smoking a Cuban cigar.

[rcsims]

Don't give up on them, yet. I went through this, too, last fall. As previously recommended, remove them from the boxes they came in. I put mine in their own desktop humi. When I checked them about 3 or 4 weeks later, the musky smell was all gone, so I tried one. Not bad at all. I have now had several and all have been very pleasant to smoke. Give them some fresh surroundings and they will shape up for you.

[srnadel]

It's not a musty smell. They have a musty and flavorless taste. It starts off crappy and goes straight to ass! I think they probably weren't good when they were rolled and didn't get better with age. Maybe it was just a bad box. I'm going to try the other two boxes, but I don't have too much hope. For the price, I didn't expect much.

[alan2]

These multibox deals were pretty much the vendor getting rid of their crap. I have some RGCEs from 00 that are just terrible, no flavor and half of them are plugged. I did get lucky with some 01 VR Clasicos that turned out to be great though.

[josie67]

I don't know about '00 and '01 Punch Churchills, but the '98 cab of 50 that I split with a good friend 2 years ago was also very bland. I'm not convinced that the Punch Churchill has the legs to age for that long tbh.

[thechenman]

Funny...I always thought that Punch was one of the cigars that actually took to aging pretty well. Just my opinion though...

[cigaraholic]

Sorry to hear about your Punch's.

Hopefully your other 2 boxes from 00 will be good.

The double crap shoot that is online Swiss ordering.

I've gotten quite a few boom boxes and have been very fortunate to get some very good cigars so I can let my current stock get some age.

[Mel]

Punch cigars suck as a general rule for me. The SS#2 were the only exception IMO. I do not believe the Punch brand is strong enough for long term aging especially under poor conditions as yours has. I disagree with another poster about giving up on them and say toss the bastards right away or at least quarantine them from the good cigars lest they give off their problems to others.

I have the worst luck with the Punch Churchill most being plugged and others boring and will not buy any more. When I saw the titile to your post I thought the title said it all. LOL

[srnadel]

At the end of the day...lesson learned. Some deals are too good to be true, but it was worth a shot. No harm done. I didn't spend much. I have Lisa sending me a few boxes, so that should give me something to do.

[thechenman]

Punch cigars suck as a general rule for me. The SS#2 were the only exception IMO. I do not believe the Punch brand is strong enough for long term aging especially under poor conditions as yours has. I disagree with another poster about giving up on them and say toss the bastards right away or at least quarantine them from the good cigars lest they give off their problems to others.

I have the worst luck with the Punch Churchill most being plugged and others boring and will not buy any more. When I saw the titile to your post I thought the title said it all. LOL

I've had different luck with the Punch marca than you have and was sad to see the RS11 and RS12 be discontinued. Thinking back on it...one of my first Cuban cigars was a Punch Churchill that I thought was pretty good...though I smoked it on the heels of a Des Dieux which is hard to match up to, another fine Cuban cigar.

I also disagree with the idea that only strong cigars age well. I've had Punch cigars a decade old that were phenomenal...same with PLPCs which are definitely not considered strong cigars. These cigars bring on new nuances of flavors and maybe while not bold, bring something new and pleasurable to the smoking experience.

[Mel]

I've had different luck with the Punch marca than you have and was sad to see the RS11 and RS12 be discontinued. Thinking back on it...one of my first Cuban cigars was a Punch Churchill that I thought was pretty good...though I smoked it on the heels of a Des Dieux which is hard to match up to, another fine Cuban cigar.

I also disagree with the idea that only strong cigars age well. I've had Punch cigars a decade old that were phenomenal...same with PLPCs which are definitely not considered strong cigars. These cigars bring on new nuances of flavors and maybe while not bold, bring something new and pleasurable to the smoking experience.

I love a disagreement I had one Punch tubed Church given by a friend that was fabulous but for the most part I do not smoke Punch. I adore the SS#2 and have not had the RS11 or 12 so I will not argue.LOL

I have smoke quite a few PLPC and thought most were pretty stout and and have some great 02 that still going strong. I personally need a cigar with a little power to satisfy me completely and therefore gravite to some of the master rollers like Santos, Mons, ect. I smoke their cigars young and fresh and enjoy the heck out of them.

[mrcoin]

A few months ago, I got 3 boxes of Punch Churchills from a very reliable source. 2 boxes have codes SUA ES00 and one has what appears to be PAS ENE01. I have been smoking the cigars from '01 and they have been really off. They have a very musty, flavorless taste. I have not tried cigars from the other 2 boxes. Most of my cigars aren't that old so I don't have a lot of experience with cigars aged this long, but I don't think they should taste like this. Is anyone familiar with the Punch Churchills from '00 or '01 with these box codes?

I have 2 boxes of the SUA ES00 code and other than a couple of very tight draws they are off the hook.

For under $60 USD per box it was a great deal; for me anyway.

[srnadel]

I have 2 boxes of the SUA ES00 code and other than a couple of very tight draws they are off the hook.

For under $60 USD per box it was a great deal; for me anyway.

That's the same price I got them for. I really need to try the other boxes.

[MontrealRon]

For me, Punch Churchills have been the least interesting cigar in the line.

Nothing at all compared to the DC, for example.

Other than a few tubo singles purchased years ago which were quite decent,

examples from dress boxes - young or aged - have always tasted bland and uninteresting.

Otherwise, I really like the marca.

Most Punch need 5-6 years to start showing well, IMHO.

I have some brilliant '01 DCs and Punch Punch (purchased fresh) that are still improving,

but most cigars from '01 and '00 that are still on the market are risky at best.

[CigarmanTim]

I got suckered into buying those same sticks over a year ago. They are ruined. Mine were so wet and musty you could dry box for a week and still not get a draw. That vendor may be reliable but quality control is not their forte. Buy Czar if you want quality. If you want grey market prices over quality continue with the vendor you are speaking of.

There is another forum out there that talks about this exact stick ad nauseum. Those hundreds if not thousands of ruined boxes should not have been sold as they are not representative of a properly maintained Havanna

[bassman]

I got suckered into buying those same sticks over a year ago. They are ruined. Mine were so wet and musty you could dry box for a week and still not get a draw. That vendor may be reliable but quality control is not their forte. Buy Czar if you want quality. If you want grey market prices over quality continue with the vendor you are speaking of.

There is another forum out there that talks about this exact stick ad nauseum. Those hundreds if not thousands of ruined boxes should not have been sold as they are not representative of a properly maintained Havanna

That may or may not be the forum I resigned from because some people were buying $40-$50 boxes of crap & reselling to unsuspecting newbies for full price. Pigs!

[luisparis]

Fatboyrob, don't give up on all your Punch Church though ! Was looking for a mild early afternoon smoke today and reached for my box of 2001 - which looks quite alright. Very pleasant smell and good construction, just finished it and it was a nice smoke, same as the first one - although there wasn't much of an evolution and I wouldn't mind smoking something else immediatly as it remains quite light. The 25pcs I received as singles look horrendous though, doubt I will ever try them.

[srnadel]

I just had a few cigars from the other boxes I got. They were a little better, but nothing spectacular. Some of them had a tight draw, but not horrible. I think those particular cigars just weren't meant to get any better.