Punch Medalla de Oro (2011 UK RE - released 2012)

[cigarmonologues]

As a few of you may be able to tell, this has been previously published on my blog (but thought I'd share it here too). As everyone can probably tell (even without reading on), it's a review from around Christmas time...

(Size: 6 1/8″ x 50 — Time: 1hr 30mins)

So then, it has been some time since I last added a new entry to the blog. For that I must apologise, though I suspect you were all quite thankful not to have to read my ramblings on the hot subjects of the day. I’ve been jotting down some tasting notes this week as I’ve travelled around the country for a couple of herfs. I’ve also managed to unearth a pad with notes I thought I had lost. I shall be releasing these ‘lost’ reviews in the run-up to Christmas. The BBC released the ‘lost’ series two of Dad’s Army to much fanfare. Meanwhile I’m sure that there is the same level of tingling anticipation for my reviews as is usually only reserved for Middlesborough Council’s Annual Traffic Report…

Irrelevant small-talk aside, let’s talk about the Punch Medalla de Oro, a regional release for the UK. Hunters & Frankau chose this dobles sized cigar alongside the Bolivar Britanicas as their 2011 offerings (though both were released in 2012 alongside the Ramon Allones Petit Belicosos). I thoroughly enjoyed the RA when I tried it, so I hoped that the Punch would be just as good. The day was set up for an enjoyable afternoon, as I travelled up to Chester for a mini-herf with my good friend (and sometime guest reviewer on Cigar Monologues) Dan Ward. We visited the Turmeaus on Watergate Street in the city’s fine Tudor centre. Calum and the rest of the team were friendly, attentive and enthusiastic about the cigars they were selling – and offered between them some excellent advice as to a good local COSA to visit after they closed. Myself and Dan chose the inviting Punch Medalla de Oro and sat down in the small sampling area to enjoy…

Appearance /15

As the name would suggest, the Punch Medalla de Oro is very similar in appearance to the Bolivar Gold Medal – both being neatly wrapped in gold foil. The cigar looked incredibly inviting, a grown-up Easter egg… The foot was neatly packed, and the cigar was firm (but not hard) along its entire length: a sign of good construction and equally as good storage. Removing the foil revealed a pleasant wrapper, with a few small veins, all running in the same diagonal direction. The wrapper had just a slight sheen to it, and was a colorado claro shade – lighter than one would normally expect from a special release, but attractive. 14

Smoking Characteristics /25

The cigar lit quickly, easily, and evenly. The early burn remained even also. Both Dan and I were impressed with the draw of our cigars, with Dan describing it as “just right”. Our agreement on this issue would suggest that these a fairly consistent cigars, and the slight resistance was spot on. The smoke produced was thick and aromatic – with many visitors to the store commenting on the lovely aroma which we were creating. The smoke production was good throughout for both cigars. From start to finish the burn was fairly even and straight, with only a couple of minor touch ups required on each stick. The ash was solid, light, and only slightly mottled, with next to no flaking. The only issue we really found was that both cigars demonstrated some minor tunnelling, nothing major, but it required a little bit of attention. Despite the tunnelling, the cigar remained firm throughout. 23

Flavour /25

Straight off the bat the Medalla de Oro was a bit peppery, with some nice roasted nut notes. This intense first few puffs soon settled down, and a creaminess developed alongside the pepper and nuts. The intensity continued to drop through the first third, and by the middle of the stick it was very subtle, possibly even subdued. The flavour profile had shifted slightly by this stage too, with it being more woody (Dan suggest slightly oaky, which I would go along with), there were also just hints of berry coming through. At this stage, we decided a mineral forward Sancerre would have been a better match to the cigar than our (gorgeous) Puglian Primitivo, but we weren’t complaining – the cigar was good, and the wine delicious. As the cigar approached its final third, some warming spices started to develop alongside the wood, which soon gave way to a return of the pepper from the first third. The final third wasn’t terribly exciting, though we were impressed that it didn’t become at all tarry (despite its youth). At the very death, some “considered” spiciness came to the fore, with a touch more wood in the background. 21

Overall Impression /35

The Punch Medalla de Oro is a cigar which promises a little more than it delivers. It is a nice cigar, and through the middle is what one would expect of a Punch cigar – fruity with a bit of wood. The opening promised so much more than the stick delivered – it is relatively young, and I’d suggest that it has the potential to add a few more points to its score from today. It does look stunning, and the construction was excellent. It smoked well, and was never anything less than good. However, as an RE, I would suggest that it is currently a little overpriced for what it actually is. 31

Grand total… 89/100

[Ryan]

Good review, thanks for that.

I had one at the Hunters summer cigar party last year and wasn't impressed. I found it very harsh, even for a young cigar.

A £28 per cigar, it was priced at least £10 more than it should have been, compared to the price of other UK regionals. Of course it was released one month before the London Olympics.

I've been to every Hunters summer party for the last 4 years and to be honest that, and some other stuff, turned me off going to another.

[mk05]

Received this when it was being launched. I thought it was one of the most unimpressive cigars of the year - incredibly thin. Then I saw the proposed sticker price, and double whammy. For the most part, I agreed with your assessment on flavor, but disagreed on such high marks. I would not even bother looking for another one of these, just like the Platinos.

The RA you mentioned is passable, but the winner was the Bolivar in my book. Thanks for the review.

[Lotusguy]

Thank you for the review. I saw them at the same price as Monte 520 - passed on both

[cigarmonologues]

Agreed with you all - an incredibly overpriced cigar! So I will likely not smoke any more - plenty more excellent combinations you can put together for £28... Or even a BHK52 - which I maintain are still excellent cigars, if not quite worth what they charge.

mk05 - I'm kind of with you on the marks I gave it. I called the score how I saw it (as blindly as possible) - and I thought it was a good, but definitely not great, cigar. Add value into the mix and the score would plummet like a very heavy and aerodynamic thing...

[mk05]

Maybe these will sit on the shelves for half a decade like the PL Robustos or the Punch Northern Lights and *maybe* my favorite Indian will sell them at a severe discount!

Hey, I can dream right?

[orangedog]

Two thoughts -

First, when the Boli Brit came out, it was to a lackluster popular reception. Now perception is spreading that they will be very good, if not incredible, smokes. I'm leery of Punch but snagged a couple of boxes to be cautious. In hindsight, should've bought more of the Boli than I did. There are plenty of REs that didn't come around but for some reason I'm not convinced that will be the case here.

Second, where are the discounted Punch Northern Lights? PM please? Would be very keen to get more of those...

[CaptainQuintero]

Not sure on the boli coming around, age won't make a plugged cigar or a wind tunnel draw properly!

[mk05]

Second, where are the discounted Punch Northern Lights? PM please? Would be very keen to get more of those...

Where they were released...they don't sell.