Punch Pita

Punch, by General Cigar, is a legendary stogie surrounded by rich lore long established in Cuba. With its blend of full-bodied Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican tobaccos and its robust Ecuadorian wrapper, Punch is aptly named. Note that your toro features only the simple, classic Punch band that is so instantly recognizable. It surrounds a reddish Colorado brown Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, a Connecticut binder, and a full-bodied, three-country filler blend of tobaccos from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras. There are only a few light-colored veins on this firm, well constructed stick. Take a whiff and smell sweet cedar. Expect an earthy flavor at the start with a distinct taste of almonds. Then there’s the peppery spice that gives Punch its name, a big taste experienced smokers can truly appreciate. The draw is perfect—just the right amount of resistance—and the gray ash is sturdy. Smoke it after a big meal with a hearty Scotch Ale.

Honduras has been a tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing area for hundreds of years, but it was the Communist revolution in Cuba that really put Honduras on the map. In the 1960s, many Cuban cigar makers fled their homeland and arrived in Honduras to re-establish their way of life. The immigrants took advantage of the climate, soil, and geography, which were well-suited to tobacco growing, and began producing high quality cigars. The center of the Honduran cigar industry is the city of Danli and the nearby Jamastran Valley. The majority of the world’s pure Corojo tobacco is grown here, now that Cuba has stopped production of this iconic, spicy, and rich variety in favor of Corojo hybrids. Other important areas of Honduran cigar production include the Talanga Valley, Copan, and Trojes.