All the way back in 2019, Punch released the Egg Roll (4-1/2″ x 50). It was their first release celebrating the Chinese New Year. Since then, they have released one each year. Instead of naming their releases after the Chinese Zodiac animals, Punch has opted for naming them after different elements of Chinese culture and cuisine.

This year’s release is a larger version (6″ x 60) of the original 2019 release: the Punch Egg Roll XL. The Punch Egg Roll XL is a 6″ x 60 gordo featuring a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over an Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed binder and fillers from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the United States.

OVERVIEW

VITOLA: Gordo
SIZE: 6″ x 60

ORIGIN: Honduras
FACTORY: STG Danli

WRAPPER: Connecticut Broadleaf
BINDER: Ecuadorian Sumatra-seed
FILLER: Columbian, Dominican, Mexican, USA

STRENGTH: Medium-Full

SOURCE:
halfwheel

ENVIRONMENT

WHERE:
Studio/Lounge

WHEN:
May 16 @1pm

DRINKS:
Bottled Water

WEATHER:
Indoors

HOW MANY CIGARS SMOKED:
3

PRODUCTION

RELEASE TYPE Limited Edition

ORIGINALLY RELEASE DATE February ’26

TOTAL PRODUCTION
Typical Box Size: Boxes of 20
Production Totals: Unknown

VITOLA BREAKDOWN
o Gordo (6″ x 60)

BAND DESIGN

The band is black and red with gold accents. There is a white Chinese symbol in the middle and a gold “Punch” below it. That same symbol is found in the background of the band, a nice touch that almost escaped me. There is an elegant feel to the band… until you take it off and are met with a fortune. A cheeky nod to the fortune cookies found in American Chinese restaurants.

PRE-LIGHT OBSERVATIONS

CONSTRUCTION

The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is a dark shade of brown. It is semi-smooth to the touch, has some mottling, and has several veins running through it. The wrapper certainly has “character.” The exposed foot is slightly lighter in color than the wrapper. I would describe the Egg Roll XL’s overall look as rustic.

AROMA

The wrapper has notes of wood, grass, and barnyard. The foot gives off notes of grass, barnyard funk, fruit, damp earth, and sweet tobacco.

COLD DRAW

The cold draw reveals notes of cereal, wood, damp earth, and a subtle sweetness. The draw is a bit on the tight side.

SMOKING EXPERIENCE

LIGHT & DRAW
Cut: S.T. Dupont x Fender Cutter/Stand
Fire: S.T. Dupont x Fender Ligne 2 Lacquered Lighter

The initial light has notes of wood, cereal, nuts, and a sweetness I can’t quite place. Black pepper on the retrohale. I’m surprised that there isn’t more to the initial light. The flavors are good, but it just feels lacking. There is little to no change in flavors as the wrapper ignites. I find this disappointing. What’s the point of a shaggy foot if you can’t taste the difference the wrapper makes?

SMOKE

The smoke output is great on two of the three Egg Roll XLs smoked for this review. The first one just didn’t seem to have a lot of smoke production compared to the others. The smoke is creamy and satisfying in the two that produced more smoke.

FIRST THIRD
>> Wood, Earth, Cereal

The flavors continue from the initial light: wood, nuts, earth, and cereal. A hint of sweet cream. Black pepper on the retrohale. A sweet fruit note lingers on my palate. The finish is long. The flavors are well balanced. A generic wood note seems to lead the charge, though the nuts and fruit are close behind. The burn is less than straight, which was an issue for each one smoked for this review. The ash is gray with black streaks and less than compact. The smoke begins to become drier, and the amount of smoke produced slows down. Salted nuts, wood, and dry cereal all come through. The burn line becomes very erratic as the flavors really start to fade into one another. Earth, wood, nuts, fruit, cereal. The profile is firmly medium.

SECOND THIRD
>> Chocolate, Coffee Citrus

The middle third sees the flavors start to pop: chocolate, coffee, nuts, wood, and pepper. The fruit note from the initial third becomes deeper and really complements the other notes. Black pepper and baking spices on the retrohale. The burn line corrects itself, though it remains slightly uneven. The ash remains somewhat flaky. Citrus comes through now, highlighting the baking spices and pepper. Cereal and fruit linger on my palate. The finish continues to be long. Salted peanuts, coffee, and chocolate lead the charge in the middle third. Sweet bread or cereal, wood, and citrus bring up the rear. Pepper lingers on the palate. The flavors are bolder in this middle third, and the profile is medium-full.

I need to note here that the first Egg Roll XL I smoked seemed woefully underfilled in the middle of the cigar, which contributed to its poor smoke output.

FINAL THIRD
>> Coffee, Chocolate, Baking Spices

The profile ticks up a bit to begin the final third, but I would still say it is medium-full. The flavors don’t really change: coffee, chocolate, nuts, earth, and cereal/bread. Baking spices and black pepper on the retrohale. The citrus has all but faded, and the tasting notes seem to melt into one another. The finish has roasted nuts and a hint of red pepper. The burn is, well… atrocious. This seems to be consistent between all three smoked for this review. The ash continues to leave big flakes everywhere. I find myself having to really pay attention in this final third because it is just more of the same. A burst of citrus returns, but it is short-lived.

RATING & FINAL THOUGHTS

FLAVOR PROGRESSION

The Egg Roll XL begins with a medium profile of cereal, wood, nuts, and black pepper. Unfortunately, there is very little complexity or nuance to be found. The highlight for me comes in the middle third where the profile shifts to medium-full and has a nice citrus note that complements the baking spices and earthiness. The final third is more earth-forward and becomes a bit monotonous.

BURN EXPERIENCE

Atrocious from beginning to end. To its credit, the Egg Roll XL does self-correct enough to avoid requiring a touch-up or relight. The first cigar smoked for this review was woefully underfilled and had poor smoke production.

RATING BREAKDOWN
0.60 / 0.80 … Craft & Aesthetic
0.40 / 0.50 … Pre-Light Characteristics
0.50 / 0.50 … Lighting Process
6.7 / 7.70 … Smoking Experience
0.40 / 0.50 … Personal Enjoyment

COMPLIMENTS & CRITIQUES

IS BIGGER BETTER?

The original Punch Egg Roll was one of my favorite cigars ever produced by STG. I bought several boxes of it and smoked every one. To say that I was excited for the Egg Roll XL would be an understatement. Perhaps my expectations were set too high because the Egg Roll XL left me slightly disappointed.

To be fair, it is not a bad cigar. There are great notes of cereal/bread, citrus, coffee, nuts, wood, baking spices, and black pepper. It lacked the nuance, complexity, and “oomph” I associate with Connecticut Broadleaf to really keep my attention. Couple that with the burn and construction issues I experienced, and I’m left wondering, “Were my expectations too high?” Maybe.

But I do think that the Punch Egg Roll XL should be experienced. The flavors are great, and it did consistently correct itself. I’d encourage everyone to give it a try for themselves.

SIMPLY STOGIES RATING: 8.6 / 10.0

Cigar Review: Punch Egg Roll XL