Punch Champion
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010The Punch Champion comes in a double maduro or Sumatra wrapper. I chose the Sumatra wrapped version for today’s review. I try not to get too involved with the background of a cigar brand. I honestly don’t care most of the time. So I offer you a link to General Cigars website, where more info can be found.
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican
Size: 4.5 X 60
Price: Around $5.00
Pre-smoke & Construction:
Overall the wrapper had a nice look and was a little bumpy. Sniffing the wrapper and foot had a slight odor of cedar combined with barnyard hay. Squeezing the entire length of the cigar, I found it was tightly packed with no soft spots. The pre-light draw was a little stiff, with earthy and woody notes.
The ash held for a little over an inch. The burn required one correction in the first third, but that was it.
Flavor:
The first third had prominent earthy and woody flavors. As I progressed to the widest part of the cigar, I picked up a spicy pepper that was nice on the retro-hale. An unidentified sweetness became present as this third came to a close.
The second third began at the widest part of the cigar. The sweetness picked up in strength, but began to diminish as I smoked further into the smaller ring gauge. The peppery spice remained, but also diminished in strength as the ring gauge became smaller. The earthy flavors became earthy notes, and the woody component was in the forefront.
The last third continued its journey down the smaller ring gauge. The earthy notes picked up a little, and hid behind the cedar flavor. The peppery spice remained, but fell way to the background. The smoke feel took on a smooth, cooling effect, with a spicy feeling on the lips and tongue.
Conclusion:
I thought this was a pretty good medium to full bodied cigar. I wasn’t as impressed with the Champion as say the 2009 Rare Corojo, but it was still a good smoke. It offered good complexities and I never found myself getting bored. I definitely recommend giving this cigar a try.
