Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is medium brown and very consistent in color. There are a couple of slightly raised veins present and the head is finished off with a well applied triple cap. There are two bands with the first being in a gold on black design that has the line name. The second is a strip band that is black on gold and designates the Cuban counterpart that this is supposed to be in relation to. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of barnyard and wood while the foot brings wood along with some natural tobacco sweetness. The pre-light draw is a mellow wood with a slight raisin sweetness. There is also a mild spice on my lips and tongue.

First Third

The cigar starts out with wood and a fairly potent baking spice. At a half inch in, a slight cream joins in to increase the body a bit more for the wood and baking spice. At an inch in, the retrohale has a nice, warm mixture of the same profile. At an inch and a quarter, a slight coffee note joins the profile. The third finishes with the mixture of wood, baking spice, cream and coffee. The strength in this third was slightly above medium.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the creamy coffee really picks up to become even with the wood as the baking spice has settled down quite a bit. At a half inch in, the baking spice is gone from the mouth draws but still has a decent hold of the retrohale. At an inch in, some char joins the wood which cuts down the creamy coffee quite a bit. As the third comes to a close, the char increases a bit more and is also present on the retrohale. The strength in this third remained at slightly above medium.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the charred wood is up front with a slight bit of cream remaining in the background. At a half inch in, the char has continued to increase and some bitterness has joined in as the cream is no longer present. At an inch in, the char settles down a bit and the bitterness lessens as the wood note remains up front. The retrohale consists of the charred wood with a slight creaminess. The strength in this third bumped up to medium-full.

Burn

The burn was pretty straight through the first half and then got slightly wavy after that. The cigar did go out on me once in the second third and required a re-light.

Draw

The draw was perfect with just the right amount of resistance that I prefer.

Overall

I wouldn’t describe this cigar as Cubanesque or anything resembling the Punch Punch, but that doesn’t matter to me. What matters to me is judging this cigar for what it is, and what it is, is a good cigar for a sub $6 price point. The profile is centered around wood and baking spice and kept a nice profile through the first two thirds. The final third was fairly average and the cigar held pretty good construction throughout. Strength was above medium the whole way. If you’re looking for a lower priced cigar that can deliver a good flavor profile, then the Berger & Argenti Cuban Copy Punch Punch fits the bill. I wouldn’t hesitate revisiting this cigar for something to smoke when I’m looking for an enjoyable flavor profile in a smaller vitola. I’d be interested to see if other offerings in this line produce similar results.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

6.62

Cost/Point

$0.86

Scoring System

Personal Cigar Review: Berger & Argenti Cuban Copy Punch Punch