Punch Double Coronas

[Lotusguy]

The closest in flavor profile would be the Punch 48, although it's more on the dry and lean side. Punch Punch is from a totally different, leathery family and is of no reference here. Flavor profile is autumn leaves, dried fruit (apricot and figue), cedar wood. Sexy stuff. To many aficionados, Punch DC is one the greatest cigars ever made that's notorious for its aging potential. But you'd have to look for medium to dark wrappers, avoiding lighter ones, especially in a full box buy. The box pictured above is perfect, and I'd personally shoot the sheriff for it. They are produced only a couple of times a year and have been hard to find lately. Usually rolled in only one, maybe two factories and have the same box code as Hoyo DCs. BOU in 2011, LOM in 2012, UGE, UGO, etc. This means you don't really have a box code choice, just get any good box that you find. 50 cabs were discontinued a couple of years ago, much to our sorrows.

50 cabs were announced to be discontinued, but luckily are still being made - at least for now.

[Hookmaker]

18 hours ago, gojira said:

You might be able to find some. I scored a UGO SEP 18 50 cab recently.

Funnily So did I ??

[joeypots]

On 8/16/2019 at 9:42 PM, mwaller said:

Are recent versions of the Punch DC any good?  I'm honestly not a fan of Punch Punch, but I'm wondering if the DC is something different...

Thoughts?

I like the  Hoyo DC and the Party Lusitania better than the PDC. But that's just me.

[gojira]

2 hours ago, Hookmaker said:

Funnily So did I ??

Lol! I take care of my friends (as they do for me)! ?

[Maestroso]

5 hours ago, joeypots said:

I like the  Hoyo DC and the Party Lusitania better than the PDC. But that's just me.

On my end, after 10-15 years of trying 'em all, I wouldn't trade a single Punch DC for a box of Lusitanias, let alone Hoyo DCs. The flavor profile rules, and it is of course just a matter of taste.

[GavLew79]

On 8/17/2019 at 1:54 PM, BrightonCorgi said:

They're consider the most full bodied of the DC's.  I like them better than Lusi's.

I find this surprising. I always find them mild/medium building to medium, but very full flavoured.

[GavLew79]

On 8/17/2019 at 11:31 PM, mwaller said:

Which more common stick is closest in flavor profile to the Punch DC?  What are the dominant flavors?

Dominant flavour, as @99call pointed out to me perfectly, is Wrigley's Juicy Fruit. 

[99call]

16 minutes ago, GavLew79 said:

Dominant flavour, as @99call pointed out to me perfectly, is Wrigley's Juicy Fruit. 

@Bartolomeo I believe was the first time to make this call.......and what a call.....some people call is clove, but Wrigley's Juicy Fruit is nailed as nailed can be for my mind.

[wineguy]

I’ve got a UGO AGO 18 from FOH sleeping...

[wineguy]

I’ve got a UGO AGO 18 50 Cab from FOH sleeping...

[wineguy]

I’ve got a UGO AGO 18 50 Cab from FOH sleeping...

[smpf67]

Absolutely superb, my main DC. Partagas Lusitania is a #2 in my book!

 

[HoyoDC]

I had my first last night but it was a UAR Feb 2024. The cold draw was beautiful but the draw overall was tight. From what I read, you have to age for years. So I will do that. Should I age for 5 years before trying again? 

 

[BrightonCorgi]

16 hours ago, HoyoDC said:

I had my first last night but it was a UAR Feb 2024. The cold draw was beautiful but the draw overall was tight. From what I read, you have to age for years. So I will do that. Should I age for 5 years before trying again?  

They need a hint of mold to be proper Punch DC's. They look great though.

[Ciscojohansson]

I had one fresh back in 2019. Maybe the best cigar of all time for me, easy top three. I would smoke one every 6-12 months and when they are good, smoke them all. Maybe save a handful long-term for fun.

[Fugu]

3 hours ago, HoyoDC said:

Should I age for 5 years before trying again?

Certainly not! Bring cigar moisture down and try again once you feel the hankering. 😉

They tend to age superbly, but no need to wait and hold off.

[Ford2112]

Let them acclimate.  

[HoyoDC]

12 hours ago, Fugu said:

Certainly not! Bring cigar moisture down and try again once you feel the hankering. 😉

They tend to age superbly, but no need to wait and hold off.

Great, should I bring it down to 66? I am always afraid to dry the cigars out? 

[Ford2112]

10 hours ago, HoyoDC said:

Great, should I bring it down to 66? I am always afraid to dry the cigars out?  

https://www.jamessuckling.com/videos/sahakian-suckling-davidoff-shop

There are many schools of thought. Really if its ok for The Sahakians to age their cigars at lower temp and rh for extended periods, rest assured your cigars will be just fine. Experiment. I like a less humidified smoke where I live. I feel like they smoke better at 65 or even 63 or 62. But I basically just try to keep them consistent. Some folks prefer higher humidity for cigars from other regions. I store mine all the same pretty much.

[HoyoDC]

8 hours ago, Ford2112 said:

https://www.jamessuckling.com/videos/sahakian-suckling-davidoff-shop

There are many schools of thought. Really if its ok for The Sahakians to age their cigars at lower temp and rh for extended periods, rest assured your cigars will be just fine. Experiment. I like a less humidified smoke where I live. I feel like they smoke better at 65 or even 63 or 62. But I basically just try to keep them consistent. Some folks prefer higher humidity for cigars from other regions. I store mine all the same pretty much. 

I like that. Where do you live?  I live in VA and it get dry in the winter. I have a cabinet humidor and several box ones. I will try that. Thx!!

[Fugu]

21 hours ago, HoyoDC said:

Great, should I bring it down to 66? I am always afraid to dry the cigars out? 

To clarify, this isn’t a comment on long-term ageing from my part. It’s more about ‘technically’ making a cigar an enjoyable smoke early on. In particular, when it’s a moist or/and tightly rolled stick.

This is a pretty young cigar you got there. The tobacco in young cigars tends to be much more hygroscopic (read: showing a higher affinity towards water) than when aged for a couple of years. Therefore, when you want to enjoy one that young, you can be quite “brutal” with drying them out (e.g. see Rob’s ‘fridge technique’) and not do any harm to the cigar. At room temperature (i.e. around 21 °C / 70 F) I have no fear in letting a young cigar rest (‘drybox’) at, or even well under, 60 rH for a few days up to a couple weeks (depending on how the cigar feels). Even accidentally going lower isn’t dangerous, as in such a young cigar it still is totally reversible (mind you - careful with older cigars and never do this to a mature / old cigar!). This is what I do when sampling fresh cigars.

You may just try it in steps to see what works out for you. If you went too far (for your taste and smoking technique) you can always dial it back. Don’t do this with the complete box. Just set one or a few sticks aside which you plan to enjoy sooner (tip: start with the more loosely rolled sticks). It will also rid any ammonia buildup or other volatile fermentation residues, which initially tend to get trapped in the tightly packed cigars in their packaging.

Not a few make the mistake to smoke straight from a new box and wonder about subpar performance. Performance mainly is a matter of proper cigar preparation - not primarily of ageing.

[HoyoDC]

5 hours ago, Fugu said:

To clarify, this isn’t a comment on long-term ageing from my part. It’s more about ‘technically’ making a cigar an enjoyable smoke early on. In particular, when it’s a moist or/and tightly rolled stick.

This is a pretty young cigar you got there. The tobacco in young cigars tends to be much more hygroscopic (read: showing a higher affinity towards water) than when aged for a couple of years. Therefore, when you want to enjoy one that young, you can be quite “brutal” with drying them out (e.g. see Rob’s ‘fridge technique’) and not do any harm to the cigar. At room temperature (i.e. around 21 °C / 70 F) I have no fear in letting a young cigar rest (‘drybox’) at, or even well under, 60 rH for a few days up to a couple weeks (depending on how the cigar feels). Even accidentally going lower isn’t dangerous, as in such a young cigar it still is totally reversible (mind you - careful with older cigars and never do this to a mature / old cigar!). This is what I do when sampling fresh cigars.

You may just try it in steps to see what works out for you. If you went too far (for your taste and smoking technique) you can always dial it back. Don’t do this with the complete box. Just set one or a few sticks aside which you plan to enjoy sooner (tip: start with the more loosely rolled sticks). It will also rid any ammonia buildup or other volatile fermentation residues, which initially tend to get trapped in the tightly packed cigars in their packaging.

Not a few make the mistake to smoke straight from a new box and wonder about subpar performance. Performance mainly is a matter of proper cigar preparation - not primarily of ageing.

This was truly informative. Will give it a shot. It makes sense to test your boxes anyway too and not wait for years to find out they are not good.