Doc of Doc’s Cigar Corner
The featured cigar is the ICON Robusto (5.7″ x 54) by Punch.
Following hard on their recent introduction of the Diablo, Punch Cigars has given us yet another new entrant to their dependably superior line.
Currently available only in the Robusto vitola, ICON sports an attractive dark Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper over a Connecticut Broadleaf binder. These secure a unique Punch filler blend of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran long-leaf tobaccos similar to those in the Punch Clasico.
After a V-cut, the pre-light flavor consists of full natural tobacco, sweet, as one would predict from the wrapper. The draw is easy. Upon lighting, the initial flavor is strong, full-bodied natural sweet tobacco, tinged with a strong white pepper, which leaves a spicy, tangy aftertaste at the end of each puff. By one inch, both of these principal flavors retreat sufficiently to reveal light notes of cedar, earth, and oak with, briefly, leather in mid-cigar. This profile has a strong-to-medium body which persists through to the finish.
Construction is good, but not excellent. Over the course of five examples smoked for this review, slight uneven burn, one slow runner (resolved with positioning), and one minor capleaf disadhesion (not affecting smoking characteristics) were seen. No wrapper or capleaf unravel occurred, except as mentioned.
Rating: 98
This cigar is strong at the start, and will pair nicely with strong black coffee or espresso in the morning. Later in the day, its slightly mellower cigar flavor is a good choice for a shorter duration smoke paired with a dark Islay malt Scotch whisky such as Laphroaig or (my preference) a sharper American bourbon such as Blanton’s.
Availability: The ICON is not currently available at Good Karma or Smokers Haven in Lubbock, but both will probably stock “soon.”
It can be purchased at both CigarsInternational.com and at ThompsonCigar.com for $99.00 for a box of 18, or $30.00 for a pack of five.
Enjoy!
Doc
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