JohnS Posted July 26, 2015 Posted July 26, 2015 The Punch Coronation, what an uncanny conglomeration of two words to create something unique for the name of a cigar. For according to legend, the brand of the cigar was named after Mr. Punch, a popular puppet show character in the mid-19th century (you know, Punch and Judy?). And what about coronation? Well, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definiton of coronation is given as 'a ceremony in which a crown is placed on the head of a new king or queen'. So, now that we know that this cigar has regal connotations, doesn't it make you wonder why there was no 'Judy' brand registered in Cuba in the 19th century? Imagine it....the 'Judy Royal'. Can you picture smoking that? Alas, I digress. The Punch Coronation was a cigar I gravitated to early on in my hobby of enjoying habanos cigars. Back then, I just knew them as cigars, where they came from didn't make that much of an impression on me, not quite like this cigar. You see, the Punch Coronation was like an 'old faithful' to me. When I'd go to my local tobacconist I knew that this 'baby' was okay to smoke because it was in a tube, wrapped in cedar, and therefore not dried out like perhaps some of the other cigars in the shop's cabinet. I use to love purchasing them, opening up the tube, smelling that cedar-influenced aroma, and then light it up, knowing that I would get a consistent smoke, usually both in construction and flavour. Recently I revisited the Punch Coronation, I had one in my humidor that was sitting by itself alone for six months in regal company such as Montecristo and Cohiba. I fired this up on a warm Saturday afternoon and was taken aback by how it was different to my other recent Cuban cigar smoking experiences. It wasn't that bad...it's just, well, honestly folks, it just wasn't that good. For if you've been exposed to cigars that are PSP/HQ quality, kept faithfully at 65/65 (or thereabouts), and you've been doing that for awhile, it's hard to go back isn't it? The first third of the cigar had a strong toasted tobacco flavour paired with strong cedar or wood notes. The second third saw the cedar/wood notes dominate while the final third just tasted like a cigar with no particular description or nuance. After smoking I thought to myself, "it was okay", because lying to myself sounded like a good idea at the time! So friends, the conclusion of the story is this, don't take your multi-dimensionally flavoured habanos cigars for granted. When you marry this with some good sleep, you know you are in for something special. Alas, this Punch Coronation wasn't it...but who knows? Punch is one of those brands that settles with some good rest! At least the Ardbeg 10 I paired this with added some pleasant notes to smoking it! 2
BOOIE100 Posted July 26, 2015 Posted July 26, 2015 Nice review John. Looking forward to trying my first aged stick soon (2005 siglo IV) 1
airtrade Posted July 26, 2015 Posted July 26, 2015 Great review! Writings like yours make me feel like a caveman when I attempt a review. Lol. 1
JohnS Posted July 27, 2015 Author Posted July 27, 2015 Great review! Writings like yours make me feel like a caveman when I attempt a review. Lol. Thank you kindly. I must credit our dear friend, Alexander Groom, the proprietor of Cuban Cigar Website, for the style of writing I employed in my review here. Check out his blog on unique cigars and you'll know what I mean! http://duskybeauties.com
El Presidente Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 Great review John The Punch Coronation has got quite a bit of love on the forum of late and I have revisited them over the past 6 weeks or so. They have hit me as either excellent or bland. Nothing aged mind you, just fresh stock smoked. 2
Duxnutz Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 I love Punch but the only fresh one I've ever enjoyed was the 2013 Punch Punch. I brought a couple of the Petite Coronations (whatever the minuto sized tube is) up here to Brissie with me I'm keen to sample and compare. 1
JohnS Posted July 28, 2015 Author Posted July 28, 2015 Great review John The Punch Coronation has got quite a bit of love on the forum of late and I have revisited them over the past 6 weeks or so. They have hit me as either excellent or bland. Nothing aged mind you, just fresh stock smoked. Thanks Rob. I must have got a bland one in this case, but I distinctly remember loving these in the past. I will need to revisit it in the future! I love Punch but the only fresh one I've ever enjoyed was the 2013 Punch Punch. I brought a couple of the Petite Coronations (whatever the minuto sized tube is) up here to Brissie with me I'm keen to sample and compare. I picked up some Punch Punch in a split this year and was recommended to rest them for 5 years. It's interesting to know that you've enjoyed them fresh Adam.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now