Punch SS#1 '02 (Blind Review)

[El Presidente]

Great review

The SS1's from that period were a motley looking bunch. Great looking cabs were not the norm but as a tradeoff they at least had started to sort out the construction issues which had plagued 98-01 production.

You mentioned flowers and honey. Spot on. They reminded me of a fuller version of SLR Lonsdales.

Fom 04 on I found the SS1's to be richer again, fuller. The 06/07 spectacular and I look forwad to seeing how they age.

[Rock Star]

I love this cigar..Just smoked one from 02 the other day aswell..These cigars need more time to flourish imo but they are good..

[Asher]

This review was done as part a blind cigar review contest, with a scoring rubric that was decided upon by the contest organizer. The cigar (revealed afterwards) was a Punch Super Seleccion #1 from 2002. I've made a couple of minor edits.

Appearance (12/15): This cigar was a rather homely, light brown lonsdale. The wrapper was sturdy but rough, covered with small dark lines. The lighter portions of the wrapper had a very faint greenish hue. The cigar was firmly constructed, with no soft spots or obvious plugs.

The cold tobacco had the sweet aroma of fresh flowers and honey.

Ash (9/10): The ash was medium to dark gray in color, and sturdy in its composition.

Draw (9/10): The draw was slightly tight initially, but not a problem.

Burn (7/10): The burn during the first inch or so was terrible. The cigar lit evenly, and then began to canoe badly. I evened out the burn with some aggressive touch-ups, and the burn was decent after that.

Smoke (10/10): Lots of pleasant smelling smoke.

Flavor/Blend (18/20): The cigar started out with a floral taste, but became harsh as I fought the uneven burn. When the cigar was burning evenly again, the harshness disappeared and was replaced by a smooth, faintly-sweet vanilla flavor. About two inches in, there were notes of aromatic wood. (I always identify this taste as cedar, but that may be because cedar is the first wood I think of in relation to cigars.) At this point, the taste was becoming medium-bodied and very enjoyable. There were bright and lively notes of lemon.[*] The flavor remained consistent through the final third.

Uniqueness (8/10): This is difficult category to score. There was nothing revolutionary about the individual flavors, but the overall blend was unique.

Finish (15/15): This cigar stayed pleasant until the end, and left only a faint, agreeable aftertaste.

Total: 88/100

[*] I originally wrote: "I can't describe the specific tastes very well, but it was bright and lively, sort of like citrus." Another reviewer mentioned a lemon flavor, and I realized that was what I had been trying to describe.