Date Added: Tuesday 07 June, 2016
by Staff
£35.99
Reviewed by Jim Schnaidt (February 2001)
These are my tasting notes for the 3 Punch Punch cigars which were sent to me. They arrived 2 weeks ago and I've been on a business trip. I waited until returning home to sample them at my leisure in an environment in which I'm used to smoking. I smoke while enjoying different beverages, so I tried each cigar while having a different drink.
Cigar #1 was smoked while drinking a couple of shots of Cardhu single malt. The cigar measured 143mm X 46. It had a nice Colorado wrapper and was nicely smooth with no veins. The cap on this cigar was broken when received, although this had no affect on the cigar, since the broken cap was removed prior to smoking. The construction of the cigar was very nice; it had a nice roll and there were no soft spots. It gave ever so slightly when squeezed. There was very little pre-light aroma to the cigar. The pre-light draw was slightly tight, but not overly so. Within the first few puffs after lighting, the draw opened up and the cigar yielded nice, thick smoke, and plenty of it. The cigar burned evenly, with only an occasional minor touch up to keep it even. The ash was dark gray, solid and held on very well. I had to break it off on the edge of the ashtray to remove it. The aroma was nice, with some spice, but quite ordinary. To me, the flavor was what I would call woody. After about a third of the cigar was gone, the flavor changed to somewhat more cedar flavors, but still woody. The cigar was spicy/peppery throughout its length and had an average finish. The strength was medium. Overall, this cigar was a very nice cigar with lots of smoke, quite enjoyable, but not outstanding.
Cigar #2 was smoked while drinking a Coca Cola. This cigar measured 143mm X 45. It also had a broken cap which didn't affect the cigar. It, too, was silky smooth with a slight oily sheen and no noticeable veining. It had the same Colorado wrapper as the first cigar. Again, the construction was quite good with no soft spots. The pre-light aroma was unremarkable and reminded me of tobacco (duh!) and the draw was just slightly tight again. When lit, after the first few minutes, the draw opened up nicely again and the cigar produced enough smoke to satisfy anyone. This cigar had a slight tunneling problem most of the burn, but thanks to the lighter, it was easily corrected. The ash was dark gray and solid, but slightly flaky compared to the first cigar. The aroma was spicy and lively. The cigar again started out tasting woody to me with some cedar notes creeping in after the first inch or so and becoming more pronounced halfway through the cigar. Again, I'd also have to call this a somewhat spicy or peppery cigar, although in a very appealing way. The finish was average and the strength was medium. My impression of this cigar was enjoyable, more so than the first one, although I'm not sure why. I nubbed this one!
Cigar #3 was smoked while drinking coffee. This cigar measure 143mm X 43. I'm not sure why there was a different ring to each of these cigars. They were all dead on for length, but did vary somewhat in their rings. I've never really measured the cigars I've smoked before so this might be quite normal.The cigar's appearance was similar to the other two but the cap was perfect on this one. Again, there were no veins, a slightly oily sheen, a nice roll, not much pre-light aroma and no soft spots. This cigar was also a tad tight on the pre-light draw but opened up shortly after lighting, producing good amounts of slightly peppery smelling smoke. The ash was again dark gray and firm. As I expected, the unremarkable, early woodiness opened up to a nice cedar note part way through the cigar. The finish was again average along with a medium strength. Again, an enjoyable cigar.
I would call this a very enjoyable cigar, although not necessarily an outstanding cigar, appealing to a wide variety of smokers, especially beginners, since it's not an overly strong cigar. On a 1-5 scale, I would rate this a 4. I would call it a well balanced cigar. This would make an excellent, everyday cigar, smokeable at any time during the day, except perhaps after a large meal, at which time a somewhat stronger smoke would appeal to me.
Thanks for the opportunity to try these fine cigars.
