For my 2000th post - a review - Punch SS#2 NOSU

[Master Gates]

What better to make the 2000th post than with a review....


The Cigar: Punch SS#2 (NOSU) I just received from a generous BOTL

Appearance: Perfectly round and medium brown in color, with a slightly rounded head. The wrapper was slightly veiny giving it just a slight rustic look....like when the leaf shrinks a bit, giving it that slight puckered look about the veins of the leaf. A very solid cigar with no soft spots. Solid, but lacking the heft in the hand like an overfilled cigar - a good sign.

Pre-light: Clipped easily with an Xikar. Draw was just a tad on the hard side as I like it. Not too much aroma from this cigar - probably because it was in the 40s when I smoked it, and it seems as though older smokes lack that pungent aroma that fresh ones have.

Light: Lit easily with a zippo burning only the finest 200 proof ethanol First few puffs were very cedary. A moderate amount of smoke, with a nice stream of blue smoke from the end of the cigar.

The first third: The cigar stayed on the lighter side, with lots of cedar. As I got to the second third, some creamy characteristics started to shine through, and the aftertaste was of a great cup of black coffee. Definitely still a good amount of tannic bitterness to this cigar.

Second third: A little more of the creamy profile, but the cedar and coffee were still prominent. Strength seemed to build a little more and I started to get that ever so slight tingle in the back of my throat. Still a bitterness was present and easily detectable.

Last third: More of what the seconf third was, with a little more strength. I burned it down to within an inch or so.

Thoughts: Even at 10 years, this particular cigar could benefit from more age. The tannic bitterness was still fairly strong, and is a good sign that these cigars are living up to the reputation of needing lots of age to reach their full potential. Overall, a really nice cigar resulting in a solid hour and a half of enjoyment for me. If I had to give it a score, today it would be an 89/100 with full expectation that with more time the other cigars in this particular cabinet will be truly epic