Options
Punch, Royal Coronation ISOM Review
JonathanE
Posts: 401 ✭
A Punch Brand Label In order to know the Punch cigar, you must first know Mr. Punch. Mr. Punch is a puppet with a hooked nose, protruding chin, a large stick and a flare for anarchy. Expect a beating anytime youre around this surly character!
Mr. Punch! I suppose you could say that the history of the Punch cigar began with Mr. Punch because he is the namesake of the brand. Mr. Punchs origins are not entirely known but he made his first appearance in England in a performance by the Italian puppeteer Pietro Gimonde in London on May 9th, 1662. Signor Bologna, as he was called, must have delivered a great showing because the Punch and Judy show became a British favorite reaching the height of its popularity by the mid-1800s under the skillful profession of puppeteer, Martin Powell.
The cigar brand was introduced in 1840 by a German named Stockmann and became an instant success. Although the brand originated in Europe, the ups and downs of the market, ownership changes, etc. all worked together to eventually see the brand move to Cuba. Punch was first sold to Manuel Lopez Fernandez in 1884 who then gave ownership of the brand to Esperanza Valle Comas when he retired in 1924. Then, in 1930, the firm of Fernandez, Palicio y Cia bought the brand from Comas.
I hope that Fernandez, Palicio y Cia has a familiar ring to it because if it does then you must have read my review on the Hoyo De Monterrey! HdM, Punch, Belinda and La Escepcion were all owned, at the time, by the same firm: Fernandez, Palicio y Cia. After the nationalization of the Cuban tobacco industry in 1960, however, all four brands were carried stateside by Fernando Palicio who had become the sole proprietor of the business by that time. Upon his arrival to the U.S. Palicio sold his lineup to the Villazon family who reestablished the brands out of Tampa, Florida using Honduran tobacco for marketing in the U.S.
Nowadays, General Cigar Company maintains possession of Punchs rightful ownership despite the Cuban cigar industry, in care of Habanos SA, marketing a lineup under the same name. There is tension but there is also static equilibrium.
I chose to smoke the Royal Coronation as my Punch, introductory cigar. The Royal Coronation is a 5.5 inch, 42 ring gauge stick that burned for right at 55 minutes and I enjoyed every second of it. The flavor had a complexity to it but was simple at the same time with sweetness and cedar being present from start to finish. The boquet was nothing but pleasant and rich. My only complaints were with the draw and the cap. The cap cracked through when I clipped the cigar and the draw was too tight but did improve with time. I scored it an 83.
I have now reviewed four ISOMs and, if you forgive them for being foolishly overpriced, then Cubas record improves to 50%, 2/4.
JDE
0
Comments
2. Punch has never worked for me. Just never had a good experience.
3. As for "foolishly overpriced", it all depends where you buy them. If you buy them from a location that doesn't have ridiculous taxes (ie. don't buy CCs from Canada!), then they aren't priced any higher than any non-Cuban smokes. For instance at the box price, a Partagas Serie D. No. 4 works out to like $6.50 a stick, which is no more than most Nicaraguan or Dominican cigars on the market. Obviously a Cohiba Esplendido is going to be more expensive, but the market there is more on par with high end Padron, or Fuente products.
Sounds like Canada has nothing on Qatar when it comes to overpricing. I paid $10.73 (3.54 Riyal/U.S. $) for this particular cigar. I also paid $14.69 for the Hoyo De Monterrey, Epicure Especial, $21.19 for the Cohiba, Siglo IV and $23.16 for the H. Upmann, Monarch that I will be reviewing tomorrow.
Are these prices all a good deal higher than Canada or is it just the Punch that's high? I'm curious...
Thanks for the catch on the title!
JDE