Connoisseur’s Corner: Punch Double Corona (1994)
It’s not surprising that nearly 30 years in a wooden 50-count cabinet has made the first puffs of this cigar quite cedary, but the heavy woodiness dissipates for a smoke that begins floral before taking a distinctly fruity turn, showing lots of dried cherry and stewed raspberry. A surprising note of buttered bread gives it all the quality of a flaky fruit pastry. Unexpected to say the least, but tasty and interesting. Some underlying spice indicates more aging potential. Will come back to this one in a few years. —Gregory Mottola
The ’06 No. 2 Cigar of the Year has evolved into an ever-better smoke. Well-balanced from its youth, this cigar has rounded with age. From the first puff, La Flor Dominicana’s trademark strength comes through, but it is wrapped in a riot of orange peel, leather and earthiness around a core of spice. The burn and draw are perfect. The long finish of cocoa and espresso goes on and on. —Gordon Mott
Many older cigars are mellow and nuanced. Not this slim, dark smoke. It’s still a powerhouse after spending nearly 30 years crammed in a box, wrapped in foil. (The foil packaging makes it a true rarity in the cigar world.) The Cazador is brawny from the first puff, loaded with minerals, salt and flinty earth. It has plenty of power and life, quite a fun smoke. —David Savona
The faint impressions of nutmeg, minerals, cinnamon and slate gain some intensity about halfway through, and are deliciously elegant, but this thin corona is past its prime and doesn’t deliver in aroma or flavor the way it once did. If you have any of these laying around your locker or perhaps burried in a humidor, smoke them now before they fade away. —Gregory Mottola
