The cigar: Punch Rare Corojo magnum
Nutritional information
Vitola: 5.25 x 54 square pressed
Origin: Honduras (Cofradia)
Wrapper: Ecuadoran Sumatra
Binder: Connecticut broadleaf
Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua
The marketing:
JR:
Started as a limited edition brand in 2001, Villazon's master cigar maker, Frank Llaneza, began production of small quanties of these special, square-pressed cigars 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.
Cigar.com:
Punch Rare Corojo is the most popular Punch line extension. Only released once a year, the Rare Corojo is always at the top of the ratings, and the blend keeps getting better year after year. The cigar starts with a red and rough looking Colorado shade wrapper that conceals a complex blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan long fillers. The result is a robust full bodied cigar that is exceptionally full flavored. One of the most notable characteristics of the Rare Corojo is how well it ages. While these cigars are great right out of the box, an additional one to two years of aging takes the Rare Corojo to a whole new level. Many aficionados pick up at least two boxes every year so they can put one aside for long term storage.
General Cigar's CigarWorld:
The History:
When Punch Rare Corojo was introduced in a limited edition some years ago, the taste and aroma of the cigars was so exceptional, all of them were sold very quickly. Then, in the year 2001, Villazon cigar master Frank Llaneza began producing in small quantities, a new square-pressed version of the cigar that is even more robust than the original.
The Cigar:
Punch Rare Corojo cigars are made with extra rich, dark Sumatra wrapper leaves that are grown in the mountains of Ecuador. The filler is a rich blend of Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos.
The Experience:
If you want a Punch cigar with an extra kick to it, Punch Rare Corojo, in the distinctive red box, is the one for you.
Prelight: Despite the name, these cigars don't have a corojo wrapper (always wondered about this . . .) but a rustic somewhat veiny Sumatra wrapper, a wrapper that looks redder because of the red double band. The foot shows a swirl of different tobaccos. Nicely square pressed, the cigar feels firm. Aroma is tobacco and earth. The cap is a bit bumpy but it slices cleanly and I get a good draw.
Burn: Easy to light, and a decent burn: a bit wavy but no problems and no touchups. The ash is a whitish light gray with some darker gray stripes, firm and not flaky, holding for quite a while before ashing. It produces a good volume of smoke -- always a plus.
Flavor: I got good, full, Honduran flavor from the lighting. Not much pepper, mostly earth, leather, some clove type spice. The flavor stayed pretty consistent throughout the smoke; there's not a lot of transition or dynamics here, although the leather and earth flavors did build a bit in intensity through the last third. The flavor is good, in the medium to medium full range, with a medium body, smooth smoke. It never got hot on my lips. Finish is clean and relatively short.
Nothing wondrous, and relatively undemanding. But that's not to criticize. Like a lot of cigars from Cofradia, this is a solid, flavorful, well-made smoke.