Cigar Czars

 

Review of Punch Diablo Cigars

By: Gary Manelski

Punch Diablo is the first Punch-brand cigar from General Cigar that is being made outside of Honduras. Blended by AJ Fernandez in Nicaragua, Diablo became the fullest-bodied line of Punch cigars as of the date of their debut in July 2018. The Punch Diablo is made with a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos, a Connecticut Broadleaf binder, and an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The cigars are available in three sizes, including the Scamp (6 1/8 x 50) priced at $7.19 per stick, which was sampled for this review. For more info about these cigars, please refer to the press release.

The Punch Diablo Scamp cigar began with the obvious taste of pepper along with some sweetness in the background. The pepper tamed down a bit after the first few puffs, as deep rich earthy flavors, wood and leather became predominant, accompanied by some sweetness, pepper and notes of spice in the background. The body and flavor were full during the first half of the cigar, but moved into the medium-to-full range during the second half. The Punch Diablo also has some noticeable strength, but it was not over the top and remained mostly in the medium-to-full range throughout the smoke. Still, this is not a cigar for beginners nor most average cigar smokers. Punch Diablo is designed for more advanced smokers and experienced connoisseurs who enjoy a full and potent smoke.

Punch Diablo is well made and has a very good draw, even burn, and holds a long ash. It took me 75 minutes to smoke the cigar down to two inches remaining. During that time, the cigar did not need any relights nor touch-ups, but I did apply a quick booster light at about the 45-minute mark, just to keep the cigar burning perfectly.

Although the cigar was a bit stronger than I prefer, I still enjoyed the Punch Diablo enough to rate it with a superior 4.25 points on a 5-point scale. Nice tobacco flavors and well made, but also designed to be a potent smoke for those who want a bit more.


Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer.

 

Punch Diablo Cigar
Punch Diablo Scamp Cigar

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