Tag Archives: punch

by Craig Vanderslice | July 21, 2021 · 10:07 pm

The CigarMedics 3-in-1 Torch Lighter and the Contest Winner

I’ve been testing out some items from CigarMedics, the folks that make the Humidimeter, which is a great device that checks the internal moisture content of your cigars and lets you know that they are ready to smoke. The genius of this device is that it takes the absolute moisture reading and translates it to a relative humidity number that makes sense to us in relation to the RH of out humidor. For instance, instead of a reading of 12% absolute moisture content, it’ll read 63% RH, read at the foot

buy cefixime online http://rheumconsultants.com/new_web/css/fonts/eot/cefixime.html no prescription pharmacy

of the cigar. The RH number seems to make more sense than the absolute moisture number. It’s a cool device which has saved me from smoking cigars that were too wet to smoke, and I really hate smoking wet cigars! CigarMedics has been making some other cigar devises, which I’ve been testing, a cigar cutter, and a couple draw enhancement tools, one of which Luigi made just for me after some discussion. These have a serrated piercer, which is akin to a spiral saw bit. They work very well at opening up those cigars that are sometimes packed a little too tight at the head, or have a twist in the bunch. But nevermind all that, I wanted to talk about the triple flame torch lighter that they offer. I recently came into possession of one of these lighters and have been using it exclusively for the last couple months.

The CigarMedics 3-in-1 Torch Lighter is a hefty triple jet torch with a punch in the bottom and a cigar rest on the top. You have to manually flip the lid open, which is fine, less mechanism to fail, in my opinion, and the trigger is nice and large. It has a nice fuel window so you can see when it’s running low, and I’ve had no issues with it not lighting when I needed it to. The flames are strong and even, some people think three jets are overkill, I have torch lighters from single to four and really don’t notice too much difference to be honest. I always have my cigar well above the flame anyway. Since I am in the habit of purging my lighters when I fill them, I never have a problem with lighters either (get CigarProp’s purge tool, you won’t be sorry). As far as the punch goes, I haven’t had opportunity to use it yet, it’s small, maybe 7mm, if I use a punch I have an Adorini punch that has 9 and 13mm punches. As with most lighters with built in punches, it’s handy to have in an emergency. The way this one is made it would easily eject the waste when it retracts into the lighter, which is nice. It also securely locks, making ugly pocket accidents unlikely. As far as the size, it’s large,

buy lipitor online http://rheumconsultants.com/new_web/css/fonts/eot/lipitor.html no prescription pharmacy

but not bulky, so it fits nicely in the pocket. It’s also reasonably priced, which is a good thing. I like it a lot, and it continues to me my primary lighter, and I have a lot of lighters.

Contest

Once again, I consulted the Google Random Number Generator, and Duane Holmes was selected as the winner of the 90+ Rated All-Star Sampler and cutter. I know Duane said he ordered one, but his number came up, so how he’ll have two. I kinda got the impression that many of you ordered them, for which I am appreciative. When people react to my advertisers, it helps me out! Thank you! It also sounds like Duane has a birthday coming up, so Happy Birthday! I know he’s a long time reader, so there might just be a little something extra in the box!

That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

3 Comments

Filed under Accessories, Contest, Review

Tagged as Butane Lighters, cigar, CigarMedics, cigars, Contest, Lighter, punch, Torch

by Craig Vanderslice | June 17, 2020 · 10:24 pm

A Visit to Best Cigar Pub and Best Cigar Prices Exclusive Rare Select Cigars

Pic from PCB’s website

Yesterday my wife and I took a drive to Scranton to pick up a cool cigar lamp that she won in an auction, so on the way back we stopped in to Best Cigar Pub in Drums, PA for lunch. I had visited here briefly over the winter and gotten a tour and had a cigar (you can read about it here), today we enjoyed a meal at the pub. They had just re-opened last Thursday, and were observing all of the precautions we need to become accustomed to. Fortunately it was a beautiful spring day, and they had copious outdoor seating, even extending into the parking lot. My first stop was into the retail shop, masks required, with only three patrons allowed in a a time and no handling the product. Charlie was very helpful, recognizing me behind my cigar mask (which coordinated with my shirt, I’m a dork). I picked up some of their exclusive 601 Pennsylvania Toros and joined my wife outside. The Pub has an excellent menu of fresh food, My wife had a Cuban sandwich, and I had a Short Rib with Provolone sandwich and both were delicious served with potato chips made there. I enjoyed one of the 601 Pennsylvanias while we enjoyed the views. Kyle was our server and did an excellent job, everyone there was very friendly and accomodating, although I am having trouble getting used to hearing people speaking through masks. I have enough trouble hearing as it is. I really like the 601 PA Edition, by the way, but it was a bit breezy and I had trouble with the burn, leading to a bit of a tunnel. Best Cigar Pub is a destination, I can imagine when restrictions are lifted it will be a great place for events, or just to hang out and have a nice meal.

Papier-mâché cigar lamp

By the way, here is the cool lamp we picked up. While we were eating, Charlie from the humidor came out and very kindly handed me a bag with one each of their Rare Select series from General Cigar. I selected the CAO Rare Select when I got home for my evening walk. After spending the day in the car I needed to stretch my legs. The CAO Rare Select was a 6″ x 50 toro with a Sun Grown Honduran wrapper, Honduran binder and Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. I’ll preface this by saying there are some CAO cigars I like, and some I don’t, and the ones I don’t are typically the Criollo and Gold series. this cigar performed very well, and was not a bad cigar by any stretch of the imagination. It was a medium bodied cigar, with flavors on the leathery side, not a lot of sweetness. It was a good smoke, and I enjoyed it, and I think if you like cigars that fall more on the floral/leathery side, this is a cigar you’ll like.

Today I selected the Macanudo Rare Select. I was surprised by a Macanudo with a Sumatra wrapper as opposed to a shade wrapper. I wonder about the through process here, I see that green Macanudo band and I expect a Connecticut Shade Wrapper over a Mexican Binder. In this case, we have an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper over a Nicaraguan binder with fillers from the DR, Nicaragua and Jamaica. I was also expecting a milder cigar than I got, this was a medium bodied cigar with some interesting flavors. Again, the construction was right, the burn and draw were perfect. The Jamaican tobacco adds a little something interesting to the blend. I’ve had a Macanudo in the past couple years with Jamaican tobacco, one of the Estate Reserves I think, but prior to that I have to go back to the 90s when I had a box of Price Philips from Jamaica. Considering those had the Connecticut wrapper, there’s no way to make a comparison, not sure why I mentioned it. This was a pretty good smoke!

Tonight I smoked the Punch Rare Select. Looking at this, I knew I was in for a treat. The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper was dark and oily. It has a Nicaraguan binder, and, get this, fillers from Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic! I didn’t have to light it and the flavor on the lips made me happy. It had a nice, chocolaty taste, and when I lit it those flavors intensified. This is a hearty cigar, loads of flavor and good to the last drop. All those great tobaccos combined to make for a delicious cigar, and the whole Rare Select series is very reasonable priced, making these a great bargain. Punch is another brand that I’ve enjoyed for a long time, almost always in the darker expressions. I can’t tell you how many maduro and double maduro Rothschilds smoked in the 90s. This one competes favorably, and it’s a cigar I’ll smoke again. I smoked it to a finger-burning nub and was sad when it was finished. Thanks to Charlie at Best Cigar Prices shop for sharing these three cigars with me!

That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

5 Comments

Filed under Review, Stores

Tagged as Best Cigar Prices, Best Cigar Pub, CAO, cigar, cigars, macanudo, punch

by Craig Vanderslice | March 11, 2020 · 8:05 pm

The New Punch Knuckle Buster Cigar

A few weeks ago I posted about the new Punch Chop Suey, as well as the Shop Press, and I included the press release for the new Punch Knuckle Buster. To recap, the Punch Knuckle Buster is a new regular production cigar made at the HATSA factory in Honduras with Habano seed tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras. The wrapper is Nicaraguan, the binder Honduran and the filler a blend of the two. The cigars are priced between $5 and $6 before state taxes where applicable, so they are very reasonably priced. I smoked one last night and I actually hadn’t even looked at the pricing before I smoked it, so I had no preconceived notions. First, I’ve enjoyed a lot of Punch cigars over the years. I wrote a post about a controversy which existed in the ’90s about Punch and Hoyo de Monterrey cigars back in 2012 (http://www.cigarcraig.com/punch-vs-hoyo-de-monterrey-a-debate-finally-settled/) dispelling the myth that the two cigars were exactly the same. There have been some hits and misses in the Punch line in recent years to my palate, but otherwise it’s been a solid line. For instance, the Punch Diablo I smoked tonight, made by A.J. Fernandez, is a fantastic cigar to my palate.

The Punch Knuckle Buster I smoked was the 6″ x 50 Toro, it also comes in a 4½” x 52 Robusto and 6¼”x 60 Gordo, I’d happily smoke any of them. It’s a nice looking cigar, the Nicaraguan Habano wrapper is an attractive shade of brown without blemish.The construction on the sample I smoked was perfect, it had the flat ember that I enjoy, no cone, all of the leaves in the blend burning at the same rate. When I first lit it up I wondered where it was going. It started out rather blah, if I had known the price point I wouldn’t have been surprised at that point. After about the first inch, started sweetening up and really got good. It was a medium bodied cigar all the way through, and it was really quite nice. There was a nice, sweet, nutty flavor that I really enjoyed. Now that I see that it’s a very reasonably priced cigar, I’m surprised and quite happy. I thought it was a beautiful cigar, and contemplated smoking another tonight. It seems to me there was a Punch Bare Knuckle some time ago, it might have been a Maier and Dutch exclusive, but it was a strong cigar, this one was not. It was smooth and tasty. Maybe it isn’t the greatest name, as it implies it packs a punch, which it doesn’t, I’d be comfortable sharing this with a novice smoker. It has a load of flavor,

Interestingly, it’s been brought to my attention that the new CigarWorld.com site is having their first official contest, and it happens to involve the Punch brand. You’ll have to register and join the Groups, and go HERE. If you review a Punch cigar on the site this month you’ll be entered to win a Punch Bobblehead. Follow the directions on the post. Thank you to General Cigar Co. for sending the Punch Knuckle Buster samples. That’s all for today, until the next time,

CigarCraig

2 Comments

Filed under Review

Tagged as cigar, cigars, Knuckle Buster, punch

by Craig Vanderslice | February 26, 2020 · 8:38 pm

A Visit to Black Horse Cigars and some Punch Cigars

Yesterday I took a drive to Sicklerville, New Jersey and paid a quick visit to Black Horse Cigars for a smoke. My wife was doing some research at the library at Rowan University about 6 miles away, so it was a good excuse for a vis

buy clomid online https://bccrf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/png/clomid.html no prescription pharmacy

it. The Black Horse Cigar Shop is at the end of a small shopping center and has a well appointed walk in humidor with reasonable prices for New Jersey. I selected a Punch Store Press Mata Fina and their own Aniversario cigar in a Lancero size and went to check out the lounge. They have a really nice lounge with all the amenities, a bar area, comfy seating, several hightop tables and TVs. I settles into one of the leather couches (and hoped that I could get up after sinking in!) and lit up the Punch. They had recently had an event featuring the Punch Store Press series, and the line was prominently displayed in the humidor, so it caught my eye. The 5½”x 55 Mata Fina not only looked like it was the right size for my time allotment, but the Brazilian Mata Fina Wrapper was a beautiful dark brown and looked tasty. They are displayed in trays with wooden dividers like they use to press the cigars in the factory to create the box press presentation. The lounge has lighters and cutters liberally sprinkled throughout the place, of course, I carry my own tools. The Punch Store Press Mata Fina started off a with little odd flavor, almost sour, but developed nicely over time. It sweetened slightly, but was more on the savory side for the most part. I really liked it and hated to put it down. Just before I had to leave one of the members came in and was very friendly and had he been there when I came in I can imagine that I would have spent the entire time having a great conversation with him. I was impressed with the shop and look forward to the next time I’m in the area and can stop in and spend some more time in the lounge.

When I got home I took my evening walk with the Black Horse Aniversario Lancero, which is a 6½” x 40 San Andrés wrapped cigar with and Dominican Binder and filler. OK, so it isn’t really a Lancero, it’s Lancero-ish, they also had a Gordo. I probably should have picked up their Connecticut version as well, it’s something for the next time I go there. They were tight-lipped about the factory where this is made, I asked, but my question went unanswered. This cigar has a dark maduro wrapper, and a pigtail cap. The burn and draw were perfect and I enjoyed it for a good hour and a half. It was earthy and on the milder side of medium, with some espresso flavors. I found it to be quite enjoyable and the $10ish price-tag was not out of line.

Speaking of Punch, this news came out last week:

PUNCH TO LAUNCH FULL-TIME LINE CALLED “KNUCKLE BUSTER”

Punch is set to launch a full-time, wallet and palate-pleasing line called “Knuckle Buster.” The three-cigar collection will begin shipping to retailers in March.

Named for a phrase made famous by a university basketball coach who described a rough and tumble physical game as a “Blue Collar Knuckle Buster,” the Punch Knuckle Buster was created to deliver a hardworking blend for hard working people.

Ed Lahmann, senior brand manager for Punch said, “Punch is committed to staying true to what the brand has represented over the last six decades: a consistent, well-made, no-nonsense cigar at a price that’s fair and reasonable. Punch Knuckle Buster honors this commitment with a solid, enticing blend for the people who work hard to enjoy the good life.”

Punch’s blending team at the HATSA cigar factory set out to make a medium-bodied cigar that would appeal to both new and seasoned smokers. They selected only Habano-seed tobaccos from Nicaragua and Honduras to deliver when it comes to balancing flavor and strength with complexity. Knuckle Buster has a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, a Nicaraguan Habano binder and its filler tobaccos are from Nicaragua and Honduras.

Punch Knuckle Buster will ship to retailers on March 9 in these three sizes:

Robusto (4.5” x 52); SRP per cigar $4.99; Available in 25 count boxes

Toro (6” x 50); SRP per cigar $5.49; Available in 25 count boxes

Gordo (6.25” x 60) : SRP per cigar $5.99; Available in 20 count boxes

Lahmann continued, “Our hope is that Punch Knuckle Buster becomes a ‘go to’ blend that cigar smokers can rely on time and time again, without having to think twice when they hit the cash register or click on their carts. We want it to be the perfect smoke for walking the dog or mowing the lawn or enjoying with cigar smoking friends. Because after all, a cigar is not about money or status or boutique cigar makers. It’s about removing those barriers and enjoying a moment of well-earned relaxation.”

Punch cigars are handcrafted at General Cigar’s HATSA factory in Danli, Honduras.

A few weeks ago Punch released the limited Edition Chop Suey, following up last year’s Egg Roll. I never did get around to trying the Egg Roll,

buy arimidex online https://bccrf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/png/arimidex.html no prescription pharmacy

not sure why I didn’t pick some up. The Chop Suey is a 7” x 37 Panatela with a 1” shaggy foot. I receive a pair of these from General a few weeks ago and figured tonight was a good night to give one a try. This has an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers, and retails for around $6. They package the bundles of 25 in boxes that look like Chinese take-out, and the bands have fortunes on the underside, mine said “Avoid people who take cigar fortunes too seriously”. I guess that’s better than “Help. I”m being held captive in a fortune cookie factory”. The first inch of this, without the wrapper, tasted pretty good, when the wrapper caught, it didn’t seem to change a whole lot. The draw tightened a bit, and when this happens I usually check the foot to see if there’s a tar build up, and there was, and I’m glad I cleaned it off with my finger before it hit my lips or tongue. If you’ve ever had that tar hit your tongue, it about ruins a cigar, or anything else, for the rest of the night. I re-cut the cigar and fixed the tar problem, sometimes cutting the absolute bare minimum off the cap just isn’t enough. The rest of the cigar smoked well, it tasted fine with leathery flavors. It lacked the sweetness I expect from Sumatra wrappers, but the higher combustion temperature from the. smaller ring might have something to do with that. I’ll give this cigar another try under different circumstances.

That’s enough for today, until the next time.

CigarCraig

Comments Off on A Visit to Black Horse Cigars and some Punch Cigars

Filed under Review, Stores

Tagged as Black Horse, Chop Suey, cigar, cigars, Mata Fina, punch, Store Press

by CigarCraig | July 6, 2018 · 4:52 pm

News: Punch Launches Diablo

News from General Cigar late on a Friday! A long time ago they had a brand called “Diablo”, it was short-lived, and now they are using the name on a Punch line extension made at AJ Fernandez. I happen to know that the folks who actually make the cigars don’t really care for the name, generally. Catholicism tends to be heavily practiced in cigar making countries, and the locals can get a bit squirrelly about invoking the antichrist’s name. That’s not my problem, however, it looks like a blend that I’d appreciate.

Punch beckons you to the dark side without fear of losing your soul with the release of its newest collection called Diablo.

Punch Diablo marks the first time that a Punch cigar will be made outside of Honduras, where the brand has been made since the 1960s.

Ed Lahmann, senior brand manager for Punch said, “When it came time to select the blend for Diablo, we decided that we wanted to make the fullest-bodied Punch to date. AJ Fernandez is a master when it comes to developing full-bodied cigars, so we asked him to create a blend using aged tobaccos, one that has strength and bold flavor to complement the rest of the cigars under the Punch umbrella. We’re confident that the blend he delivered will be a great new option for classic Punch smokers and that Diablo will give all full-bodied smokers another reason to experience Punch.”

The unofficial brand spokesman, aka the snarky Mr. Punch character, chimed in to say, “With Diablo, we wanted a powerful smoke. So if you’re a pansie or a snowflake or whatever PC term they use these days, this is not a smoke for you.”

The devil is in the details, so Master Blender AJ Fernandez has left nothing to chance with this tempting four-country blend. Befitting of its diabolical name, Punch Diablo is made with a blend of four-year-aged Nicaraguan and Honduran Habano leaves and is wrapped in a deep, oscuro Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper, also aged four years. A bold Connecticut Broadleaf binder that’s been aged for six years seals the deal to deliver a sinfully indulgent smoke that’s spicy, intriguing and destined to leave you spellbound.

Notes of wood, earth and leather abound in this medium-plus to full-bodied smoke.

Handcrafted at Tabacalera AJ Fernandez, Punch Diablo will make its debut in packaging that features the brand’s new look and feel. These three sizes will be available, beginning in late July: