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Stogie Reviews: Punch Pita EMS

30 Mar 2009

With a strained economy (and that’s probably putting it gently), there seems to be a rush to identify that rare gem of a cigar that delivers great flavor at a price point that won’t break the bank. The Punch Pita EMS, which sells for under $4 per stick and often under $3 each if purchased by the box of 25, is a prime candidate for such a value smoke.

Punch Pita EMSI used to fire up this particular cigar regularly when I hit the golf course, but for some reason I hadn’t had one in years until I smoked a few for this review. Perhaps that’s because, when I’ve reached for a Punch, it has been for one of the brand’s newer (and slightly more expensive) lines, like the Rare Corojo or Gran Puro.

Unlike those blends, this six and 1/8 inch by 50 ring gauge 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 three-country filler with tobacco from the Dominican, Nicaragua, and Honduras.

The wrapper is smooth with only a few light-colered veins. Like just about every stick made by General Cigar, this one is firm and well-constructed. Pre-light the Pita has a sweet cedar aroma.

The flavor starts off earthy with a distinct almond nut taste. There is little of the peppery spice that gives Punch its traditional “punch.” That lack of spice didn’t bother me a bit, but I could have done without the bitterness that drifted in and out, becoming particularly noticeable towards the end.

The draw has just the right amount of resistance and the gray ash is sturdy. Curiously, while one of the samples went out with zero warning only an inch into the smoke, this proved to be an amomoly among the samples I smoked, so I’m willing to discount is as a fluke.

While you’re not going to mistake this cigar for the complexity of some of General’s higher-end offerings like the La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami we recently reviewed, it fits the bill for a good, reasonably priced smoke. It has a consistently pleasant flavor, good construction, and classic Punch looks. That combination earns the Punch Pita EMS a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

3 Responses to “Stogie Reviews: Punch Pita EMS”

  1. Padronnie Monday, March 30, 2009 at 5:25 am #

    100 percent agree.. The regular Punch line is under-appreciated.

  2. craig Monday, March 30, 2009 at 12:22 pm #

    I finished up a 5-pack of Punch Magnum the other day. The regular Punch line is very tasty with about 6 months age on it. I still prefer Hoyo de Monterrey out of the Villazon factory, though.

    My pick for "rare gem of a cigar that delivers great flavor at a price point that won't break the bank" is Omar Ortez Original Bellicoso. Please review this cigar one day!

  3. Morgan Stanley Saturday, September 6, 2014 at 1:20 pm #

    These cigars are well under rated. The melodious harmony of the almond creme and leather makes this one of the finest cigars out there. It seems the younger smokers have fun with all the new fancy cigar brands until someone hands them a Punch. After the first Punch they find themselves calling the Punch their go to cigar.