1998 Punch Double Corona

7 5/8 x 49

Wrapper: Cuba
Binder: Cuba
Filler: Cuba

Storage: 63 – 65 RH at 63 – 68 F.

Construction: Satin colorado wrapper with light "tooth" and two small veins. Very solid roll with one seeming hard spot that did not affect draw.

Prelight: Cedar, wood, and sweet tobacco aroma. Firm draw, but not plugged. Cedar and sweet woody taste with a faint musty cheesy note (this is a good thing).

Burn: Lit evenly, slight meandering burn, never required touch-up (I'd hope so, the darn thing is 8 years old!). Off-white ash tinged with charcoal gray.

Drink: Dow's 1970 Vintage Port

Smoking Notes: My wife and I have been busting our humps lately remodeling the bathroom and landscaping the flower beds so I decided we should have a treat. We started off with a fine Sunday dinner of grilled spring lamb chops. A nice 1990 barolo accompanied. We then retired to the back porch for the nice warm sunny day (finally!!!!) where I thoroughly enjoyed this fine parejo and a nice port.

My initial impression was a finely aged cigar with notes of fruit, nuts, and a rich creaminess. About a quarter of the way in, the cigar settled into the classic cedar and lightly leather Punch profile. About a third of the way, the cigar was just pumping out super notes of roasted coffee, cocoa, and cedar around a rich toasty tobacco core. The smoke was thick and almost chewy. The classic cuban "pumpkin pie spices" and red clay earthiness had melded quite nicely into finely aged highlight notes, and the archetypal tea-like Punch tannins had mellowed into a rich woodiness. By halfway, I'm just totally absorbed in the smoke and the sunny day with the cigar kicking up cedar, aged wood, and caramel notes with just a hint of citrus. About 3/4, the cigar powered up to a really rich tobacco core and blasted notes of dark-roast coffee with strong hints of fresh peppercorns. I smoked this baby till my fingers burnt!

Overall Impression: Beyond A+, this was OMG! And a great finish to a great dinner. The sweet oaky notes of the port complimented this fantastic smoke perfectly. This cigar was rich and full-flavored as only an aged smoke (regardless of origin) can be.