Produced: 1997
Made by: Prominentes
Shape: Parejo
Ring Gauge: 49
Length: 7 5/8inches
Purchased: TomTom Cigars, London UK, 2006.
Date: August 25th, 2006
Time: 9:30 pm Pacific
Location: San Francisco, California
Conditions: Fog rolling in from the bay, Cold 53 degrees, freshening breeze
The Purchase
This cigar was purchased at TomTom Cigars, London, UK. To learn more about my buying experience, please refer to this post.
The Location
It’s been a long week in the corporate quagmire…. Slashing heads, kissing babies, slapping backs. I’m looking forward to a quiet Friday evening with Leslie at some intimate restaurant. I arrive home and she announces “I have a surprise reservation that just came on OpenTable”…. Oh dear me thinks, its going to be one of those evenings.
We make our way across town and end up in “The Avenues” to 41st AV where we park outside an establishment that is a cross between a Disney Imagineering façade of ancient Egypt and a fish & chip shop. We have arrived at Al Masri, the best (and only) Egyptian restaurant in San Francisco…. Just what every good Jewish boy is looking forward to on a Friday night, a belly dancer that also does the cooking.
In reality the food was very good and the dancer, Samar, who was introduced as the "best in the world", was incredible....who am I to judge? The owner, Dr. Something is very welcoming and announces that only 8% of his revenues come from the restaurant, the rest comes from the dancing school.... An interesting introduction to the menu? Geez, I'm impressed that he has such visibility and analysis into his revenue stream... wish I could say the same for some corporates.
The Smoke!
Punch has a long Pre-Revolution history and was first registered as a brand in 1840 by a German named Stockmann. As the Punch name suggests, the strength of these cigars is their claim to fame. Production has remained uninterrupted after the Revolution and there has been many changes in the sizes and shapes being offered by the brand over the years.
At first sight, this is an intimidating double corona, it’s long and substantial. This particular artifact is in great condition for being 10 years old. It had been meticulously cared for at TomTom and exhibits no flaws or blemishes.
I have applied a cat’s cut and light this up on the way home. At the beginning it has a wood and earthy taste and starts to get more spices as I smoke through. Near the end it becomes almost sweet pepper and nutmeg…. An unusual combination. The draw is exceptional and it appears that it will not take as long as I would have anticipated to enjoy this smoke.
This is a very strong cigar and is best after the heavy meal I just had at Al Masri. The Cabinets are aged at least 6 years before being released onto the market which makes this a well-aged smoke of at least 16 years.
This smoke lasted about 90 minutes and was very tasty, although, it did take me some time to clear the smoke out from the neighborhood. No question about it, this is a great double corona that ages extremely well.
Rating: (3) VERY GOOD
(5) Classic, (4) Outstanding, (3) Very Good, (2) Average, (1) Don’t Bother
Humidor: PUT AWAY: 2009-2013
Smoke Now, Smoke Soon:1–3 Years, Put Away:3–7 Years, Vault:7-12 Years, Inheritance Gift:12+ Years
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