I can get into cigars with a theme—be it cooking, food, Hollywood, or horror. I appreciate a well-crafted cigar that has a fun or unique storyline to go along with it. One of the most prevalent themes in recent years is the Chinese zodiac and/or Lunar New Year.
Of the ever-growing number of brands involving themselves with the zodiac theme, Punch has managed to offer one of the more unique spins. Their Chinese New Year Series started in 2019 with the Egg Roll, and has continued with limited, annual additions of the Chop Suey (2020), Kung Pow! (2021), Fu Manchu (2022), Spring Roll (2023), and the cigar I am reviewing today: Dragon Fire (2024).
The Punch Dragon Fire is a chunky 5? x 60 vitola filled with Dominican, Honduran, and Nicaraguan tobaccos and wrapped in a Mexican leaf.
“The dragon is the only mythological figure in the Chinese zodiac and that inspired us to bring the fire-breathing totem to life with this year’s release. We had a blast creating the bold and fiery blend, and gave the cigar a flat head in a nod to the wood dragon that will preside over 2024. And in a shout out to the celebrations that will be sparked by the dragon’s arrival, we made the packaging to look like a box of fireworks.” —John Hakim, brand manager for Punch
Punch Dragon Fire Breakdown
Wrapper: Mexico
Binder: Nicaragua (Condega)
Filler: Nicaragua | Dominican Republic | Honduras
Factory: STG Estelí (Nicaragua)
Production: Limited Edition
Vitola: 5? × 60 (Robusto Gordo)
Price: $6.99 (MSRP)
Appearance
Did I say “chunky” already? Man, the sharp, flat head of the Dragon Fire really accentuates the 60 ring gauge, and it reminds me of the old M-1000 firecrackers that I may or may not have used to launch steel drums up in the air in my childhood. Staying with the firework styling, the cigar band’s silver, white, and red theme evokes images of the over-the-top graphics of most explosive entertainment enjoyed every summer in the USA. I will say that the design is a little congested, and the “2024” could have been in a different font to help with legibility.
The Mexican wrapper is dark chocolate in color, having a thick, sturdy feel. It’s slightly oily to the touch, and has a bit of a wavy roll. It gives all of the visuals I would attribute to a quality leaf. The seams are nice and tight, and the foot of the cigar is slightly closed, as the wrapper creeps over the outer edges.
Passing the cigar beneath my nose, I find semi-sweet chocolate, cedar, white vinegar, and black pepper. The same basic notes are found on the foot of the cigar, along with a general fermented tobacco note.
Cutting this cigar is not enjoyable due to its sharp, flat head and the robusto gordo’s larger ring gauge. I am not a fan of using a punch, so I push the 60-gauge stick into my V-cutter, which barely cuts a thin line across the cap. I repeat the process once more to complete what some call a “crown cut,” though the thin lines scored in the cap don’t give off much of a crown visual.
The draw is very loose at 4/10. I’ve come to expect this on 60 ring gauge (and larger) sticks, so I already know I will have to go easy as I smoke so to not overheat the cigar. Cold draw notes include lightly sweet tobacco and a musty old wood flavor.
Click images below for full resolution
Smoking Experience
I was expecting a longer toast and light due to the heavy wrapper and larger ring gauge, but I am surprised to find that the Dragon Fire seems to live up to its namesake, quickly taking to the flame of my torch. In the first few puffs, big notes of dark chocolate and musty/moldy wood finish off with a sharp red pepper. Flavor and body start strong at medium/full, while the strength is a solid step back at medium.
I’m surprised with the slow burn of this short gordo, especially when you take into account the still-loose 4/10 draw. The smoke is voluminous but doesn’t coat my palate heavily. A dry cedar note is now dominant, giving a more bitter profile to the smoke. Secondary notes of tangy leather and red pepper spice enhance the bite of this dragon. The room note is spicy, having a hardwood BBQ smoke profile. This is a nice addition, and I find myself wishing for more of it in the flavor profile itself. Flavor and body are holding steady at a medium/full, and the strength has ticked up slightly to a medium-plus.
As I hit the halfway mark, I find that the main profile hasn’t shifted much, maintaining wood and red pepper as the base, but now a savory umami profile is beginning to emerge. It’s a pleasant addition, causing the bitterness of the Dragon Fire to be tempered slightly. The large size of the band required me to remove it earlier than I normally would, and I was surprised to find a fortune cookie-styled dad joke on the back (two thumbs up on that little addition, Punch). The ash on the Dragon Fire is expectedly flaky, dropping in half-inch messy chunks. The burn line is wavy, but it has not yet required a touch-up.
Now three-quarters of the way through the Punch Dragon Fire, I am impressed with how slowly the cigar is burning. With a draw that has not budged from an overly loose resistance, the cigar itself seems to not be affected, and smolders slowly. Dry leather is back in dominating fashion, with a bitter cocoa and oily earth swirling behind it. The finish has become a dry and stinging black pepper bomb. These flavors are not mixing well at all, and I am left to hope that it doesn’t finish on this profile. Flavor and body remain constant at medium/full, and strength has not moved from its medium-plus anchoring.
At about an inch and a half to go, what remains of the Punch Dragon Fire has gone hot, and I have to close it out. Burnt nuts and a strong black pepper note are all that I taste. The cigar turned from the prior leather, cocoa, and pepper into its current form without warning. It’s like it was telling me that I was done in a not-so-subtle way.
Would I Smoke This Cigar Again?
While I’m not rushing out to fill my humidor with the Punch Dragon Fire, I do appreciate what this chunky cigar provides for the money. A long smoke time with big flavor and body from start to finish—at what I would call an affordable price point—is something that is becoming exceedingly rare these days. I’m not a fan of the 60 ring gauge, and would rather it be slimmed down to at least a 56 or less for personal smoking preferences. With all of that said, I would not hesitate to snag some at my local retailer from time to time, as they scratch that fuller-bodied itch with minimal financial commitment.
The Dragon Fire 2024 from Punch currently has 37 check-ins on dojoverse.com, ranking 1,971 out of 5.3k cigars with a smokable rating of 95%.
On the sample smoked for photos, the underside of the band read, “If you’re looking to a cigar for advice, you may have a bigger issue.”
Former releases in this series have all focused on Chinese takeout (perhaps with the exception of 2022’s Fu Manchu), while Dragon Fire marks the first major shift, being themed around firecrackers.
The photos in this review were from a session where a straight cut was used on the cigar, while the written review involves a V-cut. Nearly all Dojo reviews involve more than one smoking experience to work on, and the cut on the cigar may not always be the same. That said, the experience/draw was virtually the same, regardless of the cut.
Flavor: Medium / Full
Strength: Medium-Plus
Body: Medium / Full
Dry Leather
Musty Wood
Bitter Cocoa
Umami
Red/black Pepper
Burnt Nuts
Smoke Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Pairing Recommendation: Brown ale | Cane sugar cola | Smoky Scotch (Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Octomore)
Purchase Recommendation: 5-pack
Great smoke outputRich flavorsBalanced throughout
Transitions are lightSmoking experience turns dry towards the end
2024-04-05
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