• Punch is one of the first cigar brands to have been developed in Honduras. Made in accordance with the country’s tradition of expertly curing its tobacco, Punch lives up to its name with a bold, full-flavored taste. The maduro wrapper adds just a hint of sweetness in the finish.
• 5.25 x 45
• Honduran
• Box of 25 Cigars

Punch is an interesting brand, in that from its formation in Cuba over a century and a half ago, it has been focused on one particular market that it wanted to break into and dominate. That market is the European, and more specifically, the British, market.

Punch actually managed to do a great job breaking into this market, too, and before the Cuban revolution, they were one of, if not the, most popular cigars in the British markets. Sadly, the Cuban revolution ruined things for those of us in the United States who may have enjoyed a Punch Maduro here and there.

Of course, a good idea doesn’t stay down for long, and a few scant years after the Cuban revolution, Punch began to operate again outside of Cuba, opening a facility in Honduras from which they could make their delicious cigars and make them in large quantities. Now they make cigars with lovely, well-cared for, delicious Cuban-seed tobaccos, mostly grown in Honduras, but sometimes grown in Nicaragua or the Dominican Republic.

So, is the Punch Elites Maduro a cigar worth your money? In my opinion, it is. To start with, I’m a big fan of dark cigars. As a general rule, if a cigar doesn’t have a wrapper that is a Connecticut Broadleaf or darker, I’m not interested in it, and this cigar has the kind of wrapper I enjoy. The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper used in this cigar is exactly the kind of thing I enjoy, and imparts a very delicious and smooth flavor. If you’re an aficionado of dark cigars, give this one a try.