Punch Gran Puro Santa Rita (QQNCRW)

[ayedfy]

Don't have any Q marcas in my humi so it's an NC this weekend. @ParkitoATLrecommended this back in May in the "Your favorite NCs" thread, and I ended up grabbing one among some other NC singles on an order around the same time.

Punch Gran Puro Santa Rita. Honduras wrapper/binder/filler, 4.5x52.

Opening third: Fairly spicy up front - white pepper and chilli powder dominating above dry oak and leather. Begins medium bodied, shifting towards full with the emergence of a strong (and pleasant) savoury note; initially hard to identify, but eventually suggesting corned beef and roast potatoes. Lots of smoke production, draw is great, burn initially uneven but corrects itself as we get going. Aroma is quite different to what I’m tasting; more of a vegetal/dried herb character.

Middle third: the spicy pepper character has all but disappeared, much to my satisfaction. The savoury note is holding firm, perhaps complicated by a slight tart that is still in the same ballpark (I’m getting tomatoes fried in butter). Hint of sourdough. The firm ash still holding would imply good construction although the burn is all over the shop now, needing intervention.

Final third: drop in body heading into the back end, now a touch under medium. Leathery notes returning and dancing with the savoury (which has tamed, but is still very present, at least at first). Savoury then fades towards the back, with the leather driving forward for a slightly bitter, ashy conclusion.

I’ve seen a few people strongly recommend dryboxing these, but I smoked this right out of my humidor that had been running moist at 70% after some temperature changes recently, and it was fine. At least the draw was fine; maybe dryboxing could have fixed the burn issues, or maybe that was the fault of a particularly windy evening.

Despite not being the kind of profile I typically seek out in a cigar, there was a lot that really worked here. Held back by a couple of rough patches, but this was a fun stick with some real oomph, and quite exceptional when you consider the price; I’ve had comparable cigars at 3x the price these usually command. 

85/100

[ParkitoATL]

Thanks for posting. I've been meaning to try this Rothschild size. To date I have only had the 60 and 54 ring sizes. I figured the Rothschild might give it a little more pop, which would be welcome in this blend. These can occasionally taste a bit too dry and woody so a slightly sweet drink is always a good match.