PUNCH

Punch :: A Brief History

1840

A German named Stockmann registered the brand Punch.

History has two theories of the origin of the name.  The first is that it was named after the very popular character in a UK show named “Mr. Punch”.  The second is that it was named after the British comic magazine “Punch”.  In either case, as the name suggest, the cigar had a relatively strong “punch”, and became very popular in the UK market.

1874 to 1930

After several ownership changes, as well as the stock market crash of 1929, the Punch brand was acquired by Fernandez & Palicio y Cia in 1930.  The company also owned the brands Belinda, Hoyo de Monterrey, and La Escepcion.

1970s

Through research compiled by Min Ron Nee, author of the classic book “An Illustrated encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars”, Punch was the fifth most popular brand.  In order from first to fifth were; Montecristo, Partagas, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann, and then Punch.

1970s

Punch released a big cigar in the double figurado shape, the Diademas Extra (#1).  It was a 55 by 9 1/8 inches cigar, completely wrapped in silver aluminum foil and each cigar was placed in a wooden tray box.  The size was discontinued in the 1980s, and was replaced by the “A” sized cigar.  The named remained the same; Diademas Extra (#2).  This new version, although popular, was discontinued in 1987.

2013

The Limited Edition 2013 “Serie d’Oro No. 2” was released.  The cigar measures 52 by 5.5 inches.

2017

Punch releases the Edicion Limitada 2017 Regios de Punch, measuring in at 47 by 4 ¾ inches.

2019

Punch releases a new Regional Edition cigar for the Mexico market called the Punch Duke.  It is the first time Habanos releases a Mexican regional that is not an Edmundo Dantes.

2019

Punch releases the highly anticipated Regional Edition for CUBA called “Le Isla”.  The Cuba Regional edition cigars are usually very popular and tend to disappear from the Cuban market quickly after release.

Today

Punch cigars made in Cuba, are not officially available in Canada.  The reason is that the exclusive Canadian Habanos distributor “Havana House” has the distribution rights to all the Habanos brands, including Punch.  However, another Canadian company controls the trademark rights to the name “Punch”.  Therefore, with one company controlling the copyright, and the other controlling the production, no Cuban Punch are sold in Canada.  It is one of the only markets outside the USA where the non-Cuban “Punch” cigars are available.