Cigar:            Punch Rare Corojo Pita

Size:             50 x 6-1/8"

Country:          Hon

Wrapper:          Ecuador Sumatra

Binder:           CTBL

Filler:           DR/Hon/Nic

Flavor Strength:Medium-Full

NicotineStrength:Medium

Date Received:    2006-04-12

Suspected Age:    2005-07

Vendor/Price:     Gift of Steve Ahlrich, ASC  (also $78/25 from JR's) Thanks, Steve!

Hype:       "Started as a limited edition brand, in 2001, Villizon's master cigar maker, Frank Llaneza, began production of small quanties of these special, square-pressed cigar each year. Still handcrafted with all-Cuban seed black tobaccos, the cigars are wrapped in the richest of the dark, Sumatra wrappers grown in the mountains of Ecuador. These square-pressed beauties have a woodsy aroma, spicy flavor, and a smooth draw."

Beverage(s):      Water, Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale

Smoke time:       1:00

Date:             2007-06-03

Posted to ASC:    2007-06-03

Overall score:    2.5 / 5.0

Sock color:       None!

Hat:              None!

Overall:    Once it settles down, basically bitter-sweet with a hint of cedar in the second third.  Flavor descriptors eluded me.  Either my palate was off or the flavor was really non-descript.  I think this is one of the cases of a quality cigar that doesn't ring my bell.  It is likely to ring someone else's bell.  For me, not a box purchase. 

Ambience:   Spent the weekend working on the deck, fixing the brakes on the truck, and mowing the lawn.  Warm in the great pacific northwest.  Have retired to the shade under the deck.

Appearance: Mottled, medium-veined, double-capped wrapper.  Larger than I usually smoke.  Quite firm with a slight box-press. 

Cut & Prelight:   Non-descript aroma, kind of leathery, bit o' pepper, slight barnyard.  Open draw with a sweet, dry hay flavor. 

First third:      Initially sour pepper.  Good smoke volume.  Both sour and pepper waning, ... leaving ... not much.  Sweetening in the aftertaste. 

Second third:     Slightly sweet in the after.  Still a hint of pepper.  Holds about an inch of slightly flakey ash.  Good burn.  Voluminous smoke.  Flavor description eludes me, except bitter-sweet.  Perhaps a bit of cedar.  Nice long after. 

Third third:      Abandoned at about the 2/3 point, when I found myself reluctant to draw.