Punch Gran Cru Diadema Maduro

Often called the pride of the Punch line as well as the silkiest of Hondurans, Punch Grand Cru owes much of its smooth-smoking qualities to its elegant Connecticut Shade wrapper and its unique blend of super-premium Honduran tobaccos. In addition, the Maduro versions of Punch Grand Cru are made with the darkest Connecticut Broadleaf wrappers; it also has a Connecticut Broadleaf binder. (Diadema refers to the size and shape of the cigar; typically Diademas are pyramid shaped, 8.5 inches in length and have a ring gauge of 60.) Cigar master Frank Llaneza crafted it as a counterpoint to the richest of Punch cigars—this is a milder smoke than is typical of Punch. The Gran Cru offers an elegant, mild to medium-bodied experience. Note the luscious dark chocolate color. Hold it up to the light just right and you should see some fine crystals on the wrapper. The prelight draw is easy and a precursor to its rich sweet tobacco flavors. Its vintage tobaccos are aged from 4-5 years. Panelists found the burn started off a bit uneven but by the midway point it burned beautifully. The light gray ash holds until it's tapped off. It starts with some strong earthy flavors and a subtle hint of coffee. Look for dark chocolate flavors (with a touch of sweetness) and a woody note to develop, both of which get stronger half-way into the smoke. Quite nice with port as a relaxing after dinner treat.

Honduras has been a tobacco growing and cigar manufacturing area for hundreds of years, but it was the Communist revolution in Cuba that really put Honduras on the map. In the 1960s, many Cuban cigar makers fled their homeland and arrived in Honduras to re-establish their way of life. The immigrants took advantage of the climate, soil, and geography, which were well-suited to tobacco growing, and began producing high quality cigars. The center of the Honduran cigar industry is the city of Danli and the nearby Jamastran Valley. The majority of the world’s pure Corojo tobacco is grown here, now that Cuba has stopped production of this iconic, spicy, and rich variety in favor of Corojo hybrids. Other important areas of Honduran cigar production include the Talanga Valley, Copan, and Trojes.