Punch Short de Punch TPO SEP ‘19 (FRW)

[Capn_Jackson]

Punch Short de Punch

TPO SEP ‘19

Start time:  9:15pm

Warm Sunday evening, about 90 degrees on the porch and very little wind. Just recovering from our youngest daughter’s 3rd birthday party yesterday, and getting ready for our oldest’s first day of Kindergarten tomorrow. Needless to say, I was itching for a good smoke!

The Short de Punch, to me, is such a great-looking cigar. Nice brown hue, beautiful wrapper with a few bumps, and firm with just a bit of give. The aroma I get from the stick is mostly a nice barnyard, with some plain sweet tobacco. After a straight cut, I get the same on the cold draw. Nice, delicious tobacco taste, maybe a little black tea. The draw is just slightly firm, but I’m sure it’ll be fine as the cigar gets going.

 

On the opening light, I get some great tobacco flavor, some butterscotch, and something like peat, or perhaps oak. Reminds me a bit of a Scotch, I guess. A very slight hint of black pepper lingers on the finish. As the first third gets going, the flavor gets nuttier, with a little smoked paprika and salt in the background. That nuttiness soon turns into baking spices with a little bit of nutmeg as the main star, while the black pepper on the finish makes itself very apparent, giving a great kick to the mingling of other flavors. Mainly, though, the finish is dominated by a heavy dose of oak, in great harmony with the nutmeg and spices. The strength, to me, seems just under medium. In the retrohale, at first I’m getting a nice smoky pepper, something like a roasted poblano. This soon changes into a light chili oil, slightly salted. Great stuff! The texture at this point is oily, very viscous. Love that mouthfeel. Coupled with the seltzer water I’m drinking, makes for a great texture, giving those spices a great canvas on which to work. The draw improves through the opening third, having a perfect amount of resistance. Excellent PLUMES of smoke from every puff! Nearing the end of the first third, a sort of dried stone fruit appears, and gets stronger as I go on.

 

Moving on, the baking spices remain dominant, with a bit of that dried fruit and a little bit of mineral added. The retro is starting to have a touch of jalapeño juice underneath, where before there was chili oil. It’s nothing overpowering or even all that strong, it just gives a great kick to all the flavors. On the finish, the oak notes start to sort of move out of the way. The strength is kicking up a couple of notches, just over the medium line. Right around the middle of the cigar, the butterscotch from opening light pops back in to say “hello!” Also, the finish welcomes in a pop of cocoa and graham cracker at the tail end, remarkably lasting all the way to the next puff. It’s amazing what a well-blended cigar can do to the tastebuds!  Heading toward the last third, that cocoa and graham cracker become more prevalent in the finish, complementing what has become a baking spice bomb on the palate, with some great oily jalapeño still underneath it all. Awesome!

 

In the last third, there are a few noteworthy changes. The jalapeño kicks down a notch, while the baking spices and butterscotch get more intense. The biggest thing here, though, is some almond and marzipan have come into play. This only increases as I near the end of the cigar. Meanwhile, oak comes back more to the finish but now has a great char to it, revealing some excellent vanilla and almost caramel notes. I’ve been waiting for that vanilla hit, and there it is!

 

Right near the end of the smoke, the sweetness takes on a more molasses flavor. It’s harder to find any jalapeño or chili oil in the retro, which has completely been taken over by strong baking spices. The finish has also now morphed into a nice lingering mix of almond and butterscotch, and that’s what I’m left with as I get to the last inch.

End time:  10:40pm

Love this cigar. Reminds me of a holiday cookie, with a drop of peppery oil in it! Strength remained right around medium, and the draw was excellent throughout. Great construction, and just a little waviness on the burn line that required no correction. I wouldn’t say this was an overly complex experience. There were a lot of flavors, but all were complementary and nothing came as too much of a surprise. Dominant flavors were nutmeg, nutmeg, and a little nutmeg!  Supporting that, quite a bit of graham cracker and wood. Also, of course, that touch of spice throughout most of the smoke.

This has become another regular in my rotation. Never disappoints, and I’m certainly glad I picked it up tonight!

I’ll give this one a 92.

[Chris P. Bacon]

Wow, excellent review! I have a few boxes from 2020 that I was going to post on BR. This review might make me hold off.

[rcarlson]

Yeah.  These are just great.