Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican (Piloto Cubano)
Vitola: 4.5 x 60 (Champion)
Purchase Link: Punch Rare Corojo
Punch Rare Corojo Review - California
Summary: The first few puffs offer me hickory and honey. Someone land a helicopter on this thing; It's H-city up in here. Crenshaw melon? Unfortunately, it just went out on me and the ash isn't long enough to knock off. Awkward...
I think I'm in the second third now. Can't be certain because this vitola is strange and I'm not keeping track of how much ash I'm dropping. This is one cool smoke. Cool as in temperature. Probably took life advice from John Travolta in Be Cool.
Potpourri shows up at the onset of the final third. This smoke finishes with butter and coffee. Wildin'.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: When your favorite song comes on the radio during your commute home and ends just as you're pulling into your driveway.
Pairing Suggestion: Rye.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Box.
Punch Rare Corojo Review - Wisconsin
Summary: This week's smoke is shaped a lot like a bowling pin - let's see if it gets a strike or ends up in the gutter!
It starts with a light spice, lots of leather and earthiness, and hints of chocolate and gingerbread. The finish is earthy leather and some pepper. As the cigar widens out, it adds cedar and coffee notes. It also gets drier and more bitter as the ring gauge increases. Every now and then there's sweetness, but it's not enough to counteract the bitterness. Right at the widest point of the cigar, it tastes like plain tobacco and a bit of cardboard - the flavors I enjoyed at the beginning become muted and hide behind this generic tobacco flavor.
Tapering back down, earth and leather increase again. It keeps the bitterness it gained at the widest part, which is unfortunate. It does get a nice meatiness right near the end.
The draw and burn are right on point. There's nothing bad to be said about the construction of this interestingly-shaped cigar.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: Playing board games with your friends while you smoke.
Pairing Suggestion: Rum or sweet tea.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Single.
Punch Rare Corojo Review - Oregon
Summary: This weeks cigar reminds me of a WW2 M17 grenade with its shape. Pretty unique. It has a very open cold draw which for me is relatively bland, but does have a little dry hay and very light graham cracker note.
Initial flavors include some light floral notes, natural tobacco, a definite dry earthiness and a really light leather and coffee note at the very end. Retrohaling the smoke produces nice coffee and leather notes followed by white pepper heat. The draw remains very loose and as I remove the generic band from the cigar I see one centimeter of wrapper leaf missing from the cigar, exposing the binder. From my experience, that’s going to have at least some affect on the flavors.
As I approach the middle of the cigar the natural tobacco flavors become more robust but there is also a smooth quality to the entire profile especially when retrohaling the smoke. I’m certainly tasting the addition of baking spices, coffee and oak as I proceed past the halfway mark.
Also, ash is still on this cigar; speaking to the quality of this smoke.
Eventually this cigar peaked for me. With about 1/3 left, a little sweetness appeared and the entire profile was like eating an over cooked oatmeal cookie. Great flavor, but should’ve come out of the oven about five minutes earlier. Also, flawless performance in the burn and construction of this cigar.
If You Like That, You Might Like This: If you like this then you like watching your torch lie on the table while you smoke a cigar from start to finish!
Pairing Suggestion: Pair this with coffee with lots of cream in the morning or an oatmeal stout in the afternoon.
Purchase Recommendation to a Friend: Box purchase.
Participants in this blind review were completely unaware of the cigar they were evaluating until all submissions were received and processed. Each participant was asked to answer a summary paragraph, an if/than statement, a pairing suggestion, and a purchase suggestion. Cigars were provided by Small Batch with only the expectations of candid responses. All pictures, information, and formatting were completed by a Coordinator outside of the reviewing process.
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