Cigar Info
Punch master blender Agustin Garcia set out to create a blend similar to the original Punch blend. To do this they made they used all tobaccos from same countries of origin and the result was the Punch Signature. The blend had started being worked on back in 2012 and wouldn’t see the shelf until 2015. We reviewed this cigar back in 2015 here.
This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed. All of our cigars reviewed are shipped to the panelists with Boveda packs to ensure optimal smoking experience.
Originally Agustin found a small batch of Ecuadorian tobacco he wanted to use but there wasn’t enough to make Punch Signature a regular production cigar. So he started working with a grower to create a special Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper, just for this cigar. The wrapper used is related to the original Cuban Corojo seed. The rest of the blend uses a Connecticut Habano binder, and filler from Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, the same as the original Punch cigar. Punch Signature comes in five sizes: a 5 x 54 robusto – MSRP $6.79, 6 x 60 Gigante – MSRP $7.39), 4 1/2 x 50 Rothschild – MSRP$5.39, 5 3/4 x 52 torpedo – MSRP $6.99, and Pita (Toro) 6 x 50 MSRPP $8.19. All come in boxes of 18. The packaging and artwork uses artwork originally created in the 1800s for the first Punch cigars. The Punch Signature line got a refresh earlier this year and now instead of having an acrylic window has bi-fold panels with the story of the blend and brand.
Vital Stats:
Vitola: Toro
Length: 6″
Ring Gauge: 50
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Connecticut Habano
Filler: Dominican Republic and Nicaragua
Factory: STG Danli
Blender: Agustin Garcia
Number of reviewers: 5 – Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard) Lauren S. (Lauren S.) Chad M. (Chad Tchad) Randy B. (randobush) Diana (ArmyRN)
Price: $6.99
Age: 6 Months
Release Date: July 2016
Contributed by: General Cigar
Initial Impressions – Punch Signature Pita
Appearance: 88
“This 6”x50rg cigar comes in with a wrapper that is medium chocolate brown with an auburn hue. Triple cap up top, open foot at the bottom. Seams are tight but visible, slightly lumpy, firm pack with no soft spots detected.” –Randy B. (randobush)
Aroma: 90
“From the foot to cap getting leather and some musty smell to it.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
First Third
Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“I didn’t get any pepper or strong spice when starting out with this smoke. I liked the earthiness that was apparent from the very start. Billowing smoke settled in the mouth nicely and produced a nice leather with oak wood. Moving forward there was a nice honey with a hint of nuts.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
“A sweet musky flavor starts off the blend with just a slight pepper in the nose. A solid smoky earth taste lays the foundation of this cigar.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
Second Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium
“More smokiness takes over in the second third with a mix of hickory and mesquite wood notes. I feel like I should eat some bbq to go with this blend. Some pepper still shows up in the retrohale but very subtlely. The burn has started to give me a bit of trouble and the ash is not holding well at all.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
“No transition noted with the flavors being very light and very hard to pick up during this smoke. Just getting faint creamy, earthy and salty flavors. Once again the flavor is not sticking around long on the palate to pick them up. The Black pepper has calmed down on the tongue and on retrohale is very very light and not harsh anymore like it was during the first third. ” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
Final Third
Flavor: 90
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
“Going into final third chicory comes in. It’s clearly evident by the final third that this is a good cigar throughout.
Still dry cinnamon toast dominant, slight cayenne pepper, cedar coming in as well. Finish is Med- Long and leaves you wanting more.” –Randy B. (randobush)
“The sweetness seemed to disappear and the remaining third was a predominance of oak wood mixed with some leather. The cigar remains earthy and the strength increased somewhat but remained medium. There has been no real change in the flavor notes, just a trading of places during the entire smoking experience.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Overall Impressions – Punch Signature Pita
Draw: 94
“The draw was just slightly loose but had not issues and did not have much issues.” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
Burn: 88
“Had to do a few touch ups” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
Construction: 93
“There were no cracks, lifts or problems with the wrapper. The cap held nicely throughout the smoke and the overall construction was solid and consistent. ” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full
Experience Overall: 93
“Great flavors, great draw, very enjoyable.” –Joseph S. (Bearded Bastard)
“This is a heavy, meaty, smoky blend with many layers of wood notes. A slight hint of pepper adds some additional interest but overall this is just a good bbq stick. While the burn and ash left a bit to be desired, the flavors are well worth a try in my opinion. I’ll certainly go back and revisit this cigar.” –Lauren S. (Lauren S.)
“Overall this was a very light flavor with it being very hard to pick up flavors from this cigar of creamy, earthy, and salty flavors. The part I did not like was the flavors did not stay on the palate and between puffs it almost felt like I was not smoking a cigar. ” –Chad M. (Chad Tchad)
“First, I would def smoke this cigar again. Zero issues that would take away from the experience. Likewise, this cigar is perfect for a newbie with great distinguishable flavors that excite the palate, and not too strong for the weak. Additionally, this cigar is enjoyable for the seasoned vet cigar smokers Enjoy and #keepitlit.” –Randy B. (randobush)
“This was a cigar that fit my preferred flavor profile for the most part. I like an earthy cigar with leather and some sweetness. It could’ve had a little more progression and some spice might have added to the experience. But overall this served well as my first cigar of the day and paired nicely with my Texas Pecan coffee. Great cigar for those times when I want good flavor without a lot of thinking.” –Diana (ArmyRN)
Smoking Time (in minutes): 88
| Reviewer | Appear. | Aroma | 1/3 | 2/3 | 3/3 | Draw | Burn | Constr. | Overall Experience |
| Joseph S. | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 95 | 87 | 95 | 95 |
| Lauren S. | 95 | 90 | 88 | 92 | 92 | 95 | 87 | 93 | 90 |
| Chad M. | 85 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| Randy B. | 88 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 97 | 95 | 95 | 95 |
| Diana | 90 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
To view the complete scores and notes, click here.