Pre-light Experience

Seth: The Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary is lovely in appearance. It is rolled well and firm in hand. The cap is applied well, and the cigar sports a wrapper that is Natural to light Colorado in coloring. The veins are small to medium in size, and it is smooth in texture. Aromas are that of damp earth, warm spices, tobacco and leather.
John: The Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary features a Colorado-colored wrapper. Examining the cigar revealed an uneven cap and firmly pressed veins throughout the wrapper. I weighed the cigar at 13.8 grams and measured the humidity at 59.6% using the HumidiMeter Pro. Aromas from the wrapper included sweet tobacco, bread and wood, while the foot offered tobacco, mild hay and wood.
Jiunn: The Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary has a uniform Colorado wrapper shade. Veins are well pressed, seams tight, bunch and roll even and the head is well wrapped and capped. Pre-light aromas give faint anise and barnyard.

Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary

First Third

Seth: The first third begins with tobacco, earth and wood notes. There are some spices as well. It is a basic profile that is not lacking, but not exciting. Medium in strength and body.
John: The first third opens with a very balanced combination of bread, sweet tobacco and subdued wood. Through the post draw, delayed spices gradually emerge and provide additional complexity. As the cigar settles in, the wood profile reveals multiple layers that move well beyond the typical cedar notes commonly found in many cigars. Approaching the halfway point, the balance remains impressive, with sandalwood becoming detectable among the various wood expressions. The post draw is particularly engaging, defined by nuanced and evolving wood characteristics rather than a single dominant note.
Jiunn: The first third gives a two tone flavor experience with spice and cedar wood. The spice delivery is unique, providing an oily, fresh black pepper spice as well as licorice, and a hint of anise. Retrohaling mainly provides cedar wood. The finish accentuates the slick oily spices. Strength and body is medium.

Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary

Second Third

Seth: The second third continues to deliver the flavors of the first. Warm spices, leather, tobacco, earth and wood. Medium in strength and body.
John: The second third begins with creamy tobacco leading the profile, accompanied by wood. Mild dryness begins to accent the wood through the post draw. As the cigar progresses toward the halfway point, sweet, creamy tobacco remains the primary flavor driver while the post draw remains stable with mildly dry wood. The profile is enjoyable but less dynamic than the opening third.
Jiunn: No changes to the second third. It’s still driven by the same spice and cedar wood formula. The spice is still quite complex with the oily fresh black pepper spice, licorice and hint of anise. Strength and body remains medium.

Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary

Final Third

Seth: The final third is in line with the first and second.
John: The final third opens with creamy wood leading the profile, while the dryness associated with the post-draw wood increases in strength. A few puffs in, delayed spices quietly move into the post draw and linger between draws. Approaching the halfway point, the profile becomes largely defined by various expressions of wood. Through the bottom half, bitterness enters the finish and gradually detracts from the balance established earlier in the review.
Jiunn: Yep… still no changes. Instead of me typing the same thing, please read my commentary for the first third or second third.

Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary

Burn

Seth: The burn on 1567 is perfect from beginning to end.
John: The burn was straight through the first third and developed some minor unevenness during the second third. It self-corrected and remained straight throughout the final third. The ash consistently fell at approximately one-inch increments.
Jiunn: Burn performance had some issues. Uneven burn causing a cherry burn as well as cracked wrapper within the first third.

Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary

Draw

Seth: The draw on 1567 is great throughout the cigar.
John: The draw measured 49 inches of water on the Cigar Medics draw tester. Subjectively, it was at most one notch into the resistant spectrum, placing it comfortably within the ideal range.
Jiunn: The draw was slightly tight. Not a big deal but a notable one.

Overall

Seth: The Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary is one of those cigars that is not offensive, but there is nothing that makes it memorable. It’s an easy cigar to smoke, but you can forget about the blend if you are not paying attention. It is one of those cigars with great construction and decent core profile, but nothing there when looking at the big picture.
John: Blind Cigar #1567 distinguishes itself early through the quality and complexity of its wood profile. While many cigars rely on straightforward cedar notes, this cigar delivers a broader spectrum of wood characteristics, including subtle sandalwood nuances and other layered expressions that create a surprisingly refined first-third experience. Combined with sweet tobacco and bread, the opening is balanced, nuanced and easily the strongest portion of the review. The second third maintains much of the cigar’s core character but begins to simplify. The creamy tobacco remains enjoyable, yet the profile settles into a more predictable pattern with mildly dry wood serving as the primary supporting note. While it was still balanced, it was a step down from the layers of flavors delivered in the first third. By the final third, the cigar’s focus narrows almost entirely to wood-driven flavors. The delayed spices add some interest, but they are ultimately unable to offset the growing dryness. The introduction of bitterness late in the smoking experience further diminishes the balance that made the first third so engaging. Construction was excellent throughout. The burn required no intervention and remained largely straight despite some minor waviness in the middle portion of the cigar. The draw also performed well, delivering an effortless smoking experience from start to finish. In the end, the Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary is a cigar that showcases an unusually sophisticated wood profile and excellent balance early on. Unfortunately, the profile gradually loses complexity and finishes with increasing dryness and bitterness. While the strong opening and excellent construction make for an enjoyable experience overall, the cigar ultimately settles into average territory due to its lack of progression through the latter stages. Total smoking time was 1 hour and 44 minutes.
Jiunn: This Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary isn’t for me. While I can appreciate it, some of the flavors are ones that I highly personally dislike. I dislike anything that is licorice and in some cases anise too. Just that flavor alone makes me want to refrain from further draws. But I can appreciate the profile for giving such unique spice delivery paired with the cedar wood. It’s just simply not for me.

Seth Geise

SCORE

5.75

Cost/Point

$1.91

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

6.10

Cost/Point

$1.80

Scoring System

Jiunn Liu

SCORE

5.40

Cost/Point

$2.04

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Punch Rare Corojo 25th Anniversary