Tom's Cigar Reviews

Punch Gran Puro & The Balvenie 17 Year Scotch

I paired tonight’s cigar with a

small glass of The Balvenie

single malt scotch. This stuff

is aged for 17 years in sherry

casks. Although I am not a

connoisseur of scotch, I did n

otice a pleasant fruity and

sweet taste. A few small sips

during each third of the cigar

really helps reset the pallet for

the next draw. I’d have to

recommend it. As I always say, if

you are looking to get drunk,

go with something cheaper.

This stuff is like $70.00 a bottle

and is meant for sipping, not chugging.

On to the cigar…

Punch Gran Puro
Wrapper/Binder/Filler: Honduran
Size: 5.5 X 54
Price: Around $6.00

Pre-smoke and construction:
The dark, somewhat veiny wrapper looked a little rugged and smelled of a barnyard. The foot smelled of hay and tobacco. When pinching, I noticed no soft spots, and the triple cap was well placed. The prelight draw was a little loose, but I wouldn’t consider it bad. The burn was good, requiring only a few touch ups. The ash held on for an inch and a half before falling off.

In the medium body range, the first third began with peppery notes. An earthy flavor dominated. There is really nothing more to it then that.

The second third continued with pepper and earthy flavors. The smoke was smooth, and coffee notes came in to the picture. In the background, woody notes crept in.

There really wasn’t a lot to report on the last third. The body crept into the full range, and the woody notes increased. The flavors in the previous third remained as well.

Conclusion:
The Gran Puro was an enjoyable smoke. The flavors were good, but I have to admit that it seemed like just another cigar. Maybe I was just expecting more complexities, or I am being picky tonight. I definitely would take a Punch Rare Corojo over this one. But that’s just my opinion. As I always say, you need to judge for yourself. This definitely isn’t a bad cigar.

Posted in: Cigar Reviews, Drinks

Tags: balvenie, cigar, gran, punch, puro, review, scotch

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 8th, 2009 at 9:00 pm and is filed under Cigar Reviews, Drinks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.