Video review HERE.
(Description provided by General Cigar)
A new cigar from Punch called “The People’s Champ,” has begun shipping. The cigar is the result of input from thousands of dyed-in-the-wool Punch fans who guided every aspect of the cigar and its packaging.
The Punch Brotherhood, an online-based group of Punch brand enthusiasts from across the US, started collaborating on The People’s Champ cigar in 2019, providing feedback to the Punch brand and cigar-making teams in the U.S. and Honduras. Three years later, with input on everything from the profile and the size of the cigar to its packaging, Punch will proudly unveil the limited edition robusto.
Punch brand manager John Hakim said, “We asked. They told. We crafted. This is the best way to describe how The People’s Champ cigar was created. While some may say we spent a lot of time on such a limited run of cigars, we beg to differ. We learned so much from Punch’s most devoted fans, and those insights will be incredibly valuable in guiding us on future releases.”
Crafted at HATSA in Honduras, The People’s Champ cigar features a five-country blend, made with a rich Honduran Habano wrapper from the Talanga Valley, with a Mexican San Andrean binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Nicaragua. The medium bodied experience begins with a hint of sweetness and builds to notes of nuts and leather, with a white pepper finish.
The People’s Champ is a brick and mortar exclusive that will be sold to an elite group of Punch retailers across the country. The cigars will be available in both 5 and 10-count, paper-wrapped bundles which began shipping to retailers on June 1.
The People’s Champ (5” x 50); SRP per cigar $6.49
The cigar is dark and nice looking. It has an average feel in the hand.
The test draw after cutting the cap was good. The initial flavors at light up were a nice citrus that seems to be an orange citrus, brown sugar, bakers chocolate, and black coffee. There was black pepper rated at 7 1/2. There also seems to be underlying toffee but it needs to develop more. Overall, a nice start.
At the first third (27 minutes) the burn is not even. The wrapper is quite dense and coarse. The flavors now are somewhere between orange citrus and apricot. It seems to be transitioning. There is still nice brown sugar. There are now cinnamon notes. The black pepper has increased to an 8. I still had the bakers chocolate and black coffee. The finish is chocolate and black coffee with very good lingering black pepper. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The cigar has nice front end sweetness and there are plenty of lower level dark notes. I rated the first third 93.
Moving through the second third (48 minutes) the pronounced citrus/apricot is downplayed. The brown sugar is still there. The bakers chocolate and black coffee seem to be taking the lead. The cigar is now full bodied. The finish is unchanged. The burn is a little better; not perfect but better. The cigar has dropped off a little. I rated the second third 90.
The cigar lasted 1 hour 8 minutes. The bakers chocolate took the lead in the final third, closely followed by the black coffee. The front end notes have brown sugar but the citrus or apricot seem to have gone away. The black pepper remains very good. The cigar is full bodied. The finish is also heavy on the bakers chocolate with some black coffee and very good lingering black pepper. The cigar kept dropping. The first third was very good but it dropped off after that. I rated the final third 88.
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