Punch is rolling out a new look for its “Signature” line of cigars. The revamped packaging began hitting stores this month, housing the same, award-winning blend that made Punch Signature a fan favorite in the Punch portfolio.
Punch will kick off The Year of The Ox with the launch of a limited-edition smoke called Punch Kung Pow!, the third release in the brand’s highly successful Chinese New Year Series. Kung Pow! is a follow up to 2020’s Punch Chop Suey and 2019’s Punch Egg Roll.
I was completely shocked by the Punch Knuckle Buster Habano Toro. The flavor profile delivered was unique and complex. I did not expect any of this from the cigar, and I wasn't expecting a profile of this nature from Punch. The flavor combination was very enjoyable and one that I have not come across that often in my years of smoking. On top of that, the price is right for this cigar.
For the outstanding price point of sub $6, the Punch Chop Suey delivers a punch of flavors. Nice flavors of King's Hawaiian sweet bread, vanilla, minerals, cedar, black pepper in which some cigars that are 2 to 2.5x the price point can't match up to. It's only Q1 but I may have already found the value cigar of the year.
Punch’s blending team at the HATSA cigar factory set out to make a medium-bodied cigar that would appeal to both new and seasoned smokers. They selected only Habano-seed tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras to deliver when it comes to balancing flavor and strength with complexity.
I'm a bit taken back by how much I enjoyed the Punch Egg Roll. This was a well executed short robusto and just the right size to have all the notes pull through nicely. I hope General Cigar makes more renditions of this in the future. Maybe Spring Roll for next years release?
Overall, I felt the Punch Diablo Scamp was fairly average. For people that are a fan of AJ and like darker, fuller strength cigars, they may find an enjoyable experience. When I'm in the mood for something dark and fuller strength, I'd prefer something with a better flavor profile, so this cigar probably isn't something I'd return to with any frequency.
Befitting of its diabolical name, Punch Diablo is made with a blend of four-year-aged Nicaraguan and Honduran Habano leaves and is wrapped in a deep, oscuro Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper, also aged four years. A bold Connecticut Broadleaf binder that’s been aged for six years seals the deal to deliver a sinfully indulgent smoke that’s spicy, intriguing and destined to leave you spellbound.
The new six-pack is hitting retail this month and will sell for an SRP of $24.99. At cigar shops, the packs will be easy to spot, in a convenient counter top display featuring Mr. Punch and the brand’s signature red and blue.
The flavor profile carried earthiness and cocoa through the first third and then moved into a pretty standard profile of earthiness and wood the rest of the way. The price point on this cigar is great, so even though the flavors didn't wow me, it was very consistent and would allow someone who finds this cigar a fit for them to go pretty deep on them as a daily smoke.
