Lighting was very difficult to catch the band

When it comes to limited edition cigars, there are two key facts:  1) Cigar Manufacturers have been making limited cigars for a long time; 2) When a limited cigar comes out, it is going capture the public’s attention.   Such is the case with the Punch Rare Corojo series.  This is an annual release done by General Cigars that has been around for ten years and it is something that cigar enthusiasts look forward to.  For 2011, the 10th anniversary Punch decided to change things up and tweak the blend.   The end result is fantastic  This is definitely another limited run cigar that cigar enthusiasts are going to want to make sure they get their hands on.

The reason why the Punch Rare Corojo series is an annual release is because there the tobaccos that make up the cigar are select tobaccos that are not widely available – thus the reason why this is made in limited quantities.   This year the cigar gets a new wrapper and new banding (white replaces red – and 10th Anniversary is included on the secondary band).

Blend Profile

For the Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary, a Connecticut Corojo wrapper replaces the traditional Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper.  The binder and filler pretty much remain the same

Wrapper: Connecticut Corojo
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Dominican (Piloto Cubano)

Vitolas Available

The Rare Corojo 10th Anniversary was released in 2011 as a single vitola – 5 x 50, Robusto.  The 10th Anniversary stays true to the box-press tradition of previous Rare Corojo releases.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

For this experience with the 10th Anniversary Rare Corojo, I opted to place a straight cut into the cigar.  The pre-light draw wasn’t overwhelming, but it was solid.  The highlight of the dry draws I took from this cigar were berry notes.   It was then on to light the cigar and see what would be brought to the table.

Flavor Profile

The initial draws I got from the 10th Anniversary Rare Corojo were not what I expected.  These notes were of wood and cream.   It wasn’t long though before some of the nice berry notes I got on the pre-light draw came back into the picture.   Around 10 percent into the cigar, an interesting mix of spices began to layer the berry sweetness.  I definitely classified this spice mix as what I mention in many reviews as “baker’s spice.  The top spice from that mix was cinnamon (and to a lesser extent nutmeg).  Around the 1/4 way of the cigar experience, it was the cinnamon and baker’s spice that became the dominant notes.   At the same time, I noticed the sweetness changed from berry. In fact the sweetness that emerges almost has a “cola sweetenss” quality to it (yeah, I know – not your standard flavor adjective).

Around the 60 percent point of the smoke, I noticed the sweet notes began to increase.   The sweetness seemed to morph back to more of the berry flavor I had early on.   It didn’t take long though before the cinnamon/baker’s spice notes increase in body as well.  This would be the way the cigar progressed to the nub.  The nub was soft and cool – not harsh at all with good flavors right to the end.

Another interesting note is throughout this smoke, I also detected much of the baker’s spice through the nose.

Burn and Draw

This Punch 10th Anniversary Corojo did require a few touch-ups to keep the burn straight, but the burn rate and temperature were fine.   The draw was excellent on this cigar – no complaints from me that.


Strength and Body

I didn’t find the Punch 10th Anniversary Corojo to be a very strong smoke.   It definitely was a solid medium in terms of the amount of nicotine this cigar generated.  As for body, the flavors also start out as medium to full – and there were points (particularly in the last third) where I thought it was in the full range.  Overall though, I’d still categorize the majority of this smoke as medium to full.


Final Thoughts

I always found the original Punch Rare Corojo a very flavorful, but not a complex cigar.   While the 10th Anniversary Corojo is slightly more complex than the original, I’d still categorize it as low complexity cigar.   The flavors on this 10th Anniversary edition are very good and eclipse the original.  Overall, this was a good smoking experience  Most certainly, the Punch 10th Anniversary Corojo is a cigar I’d recommend picking up before the supplies run out.

Summary

Burn: Good
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Low
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium to Full (parts are Full bodied)
Assessment: Nice to Have

Disclaimer:  The cigar experience described in this assessment was purchased at Outland Cigars in Charlotte, North Carolina.