Cigars.ie

Christmas Corona Gordas, Day 5: Punch Royal Seleccion No.11

Fifth day of the twelve days of Christmas and the cigar i will be reviewing today is the second Punch in the lineup, the Royal Selection No.11. The Royal Selection No.11 is one of the six corona gordas Punch has released in their post-revolution history, and it has been discontinued since 2010. It is considered to be one of the strongest of all the Punch corona gordas and seems to be aging gracefully. I haven’t smoked it before, but I know people that swear by them, so I am looking forward to it. The cigar I have is not aged, but not too young either; I would assume that it is from the last couple of years of its production (’08-’09)

The Royal Selection No.11 is an eye-candy! It wears a beautiful dark, reddish-brown wrapper, that is oily and veiny, without any imperfections. The bunch is firm, almost solid, without any softer spots. Rich aromas of cedar and barnyard are present on the foot of the cigar and the cold draw is a little tight.

The opening is very sweet and fruity, with strong flavours of dried berries. Smoking in the first third and this cigar has an exceptional complexity and balance. Dried berries, raisins and caramel are the main flavours, with another array following; cedar, tobacco, tea, leather, cinnamon, white pepper, every draw reveals something new! The body started being medium, but has changed to medium to full already. The ash is dark grey with a yellow hue and seems to be solid and stuck on the cigar throughout the first third. This is a glorious cigar!

The second third is even more interesting. The body is now full and the orgy of flavours still carries on. Leather and chestnuts are now on the lead, with sweet fruity flavours, cedar, raisins, honey and tobacco closely following. The intense alternation of flavours is striking and the finish is long and sweet. The cigar burns very well and produces clouds of smoke.

I am smoking this cigar fast, but it is so strong in the last third that I have to slow down. The cedar and leather flavours are now more intense, almost covering everything else, while the finish is full of spices and cedar. The cigar goes of a couple of times, possibly because of the change of pace, but with a few touch ups it gets going again. Towards the end the cigar has the kickback of a dynamite and it feels almost overpowering. I have to put it down earlier than I would have liked to, as I am almost breaking in a cold sweat!

The Royal Selection No.11 is a great cigar, the strongest and most complex Punch I have smoked. In the first and second third it hits you with a barrage of flavours, that change after every draw. For a cigar that is only three to four years old, this is a big surprise. The last third may be a little less complex and not for the feint of heart, with a body that is as full as it can get, but a few more years will sort this out, giving the cigar even more finesse and smoothness. Nevertheless, it is a fantastic cigar, a true gem. It is a shame it is no longer produced and it is getting harder and harder to find. Another 5 star cigar (93 points) and a candidate for my favourite cigars of 2011.

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