\'01 Punch Corona

[Roy R. Frush]

This Punch Corona came from a cabinet (EAR JUN01). I was gifted this cigar by a generous botl, Tone_NY.

The construction looked good and the wrapper was very finely veined and had a light, somewhat olive hue to it. The bunching at the foot was even, but appeared a tad loose. The pre-light draw felt fine, and revealed wonderful tangy tobacco flavors.

Upon lighting, I was surprised at the volume of smoke it delivered, and did not expect the forthcoming flavor. One word can characterize the taste--pepper. I can't recall smoking a more intensely peppery cigar than this one, especially right off the bat. This was a white and red pepper assault. My tongue tingled when I held the smoke in my mouth. Interestingly, for the first third, I didn't experience a typical cigar aftertaste. It was more like the taste sensation after eating something very spicy. I could only wonder what was going to come next with such a raucous start.

The ash of the wrapper and binder was a very dark grey/black. I noticed that the filler ash was an ivory white which made for a neat look when tapped off. The pepper mellowed out after the first third and I began to pick up on other interesting flavors. There was a nice flavor of roasted barley tea, and occasionally sweeter notes of caramel would sneak in.

Strangely, the final third seemed the most subdued. The caramel flavors became more prominent, and I even picked up on sweeter stuff like toasted marshmallow. Expelled nasally, the smoke still retained that spicy, peppery kick.

Although the flavor progression seemed to be backwards, this was an enjoyable cigar. It always kept me guessing what would appear with the next draw.

Thank you for the fun smoke, Anthony, and I'd be eager to hear how your impressions compare.

[El Presidente]

Great review Roy. Classic Punch Corona profile :-)

[dogbreath]

Nice review! I like pepper!

[jgros001]

Nice review, I really like the Punch flavor and like this cigar a lot. I have heard some complain of tight draws on the Punch corona, I have yet to find one. Always has been a good smoke for me.