Punch (Honduran)

Punch (Honduran) is the U.S.-market Punch. It is a different cigar from the Cuban Punch and has no Cuban tobacco. It is made by General Cigar Co., part of Scandinavian Tobacco Group, at the Honduran American Tobacco S.A. (HATSA) factory in Danlí, Honduras.

After the 1959 revolution the U.S. rights to the Punch name passed to Villazón & Co., a cigar company in Tampa run by Frank Llaneza and Dan Blumenthal. Villazón began making Punch in Honduras, and it was one of the first premium brands made there. General Cigar bought Villazón in 1997, together with Hoyo de Monterrey (Honduran).

The band copies the Cuban design, with a red medallion and the word “Imported.” Lines include the original Punch, in natural and maduro wrappers, Grand Cru, Gran Puro, Rare Corojo, and Signature. Most Punch cigars are medium to full in strength, and many use Honduran leaf. Punch Diablo is an exception: it is made outside Honduras.

Punch has been one of the best-selling premium cigar brands in the United States for many years. The museum bands below are all U.S.-market bands.