Punch Princesas: Celebrating 185 Years of British Wit and Cuban Craft

Punch is the brand that gets overlooked. While collectors chase Cohiba and Montecristo eats up the headlines, Punch quietly turns 185 years old in 2025 — older than Italy as a unified country, older than the photograph, older than every other major Habanos brand except H. Upmann. To mark the anniversary, Habanos S.A. is releasing the Punch Princesas as the brand’s 2025 Edición Limitada, and it deserves more attention than it’s getting.

The brand’s strange backstory

Quick history, because it matters for understanding the cigar. Punch was founded in 1840 by Manuel López, a Spaniard who saw an opportunity nobody else was chasing: the British market. Britain in the mid-1800s was the world’s wealthiest consumer base and loved a punchline, so López named his cigars after Mr. Punch — the puppet from Punch and Judy, the satirical magazine character on every coffee table in London. The marketing worked. Punch became the British smoker’s default Habano for the next century.

That heritage still shapes the brand. Punch cigars run drier and nuttier than Montecristo’s leathery profile, with a sweetness that Cuban tobacco rarely shows so cleanly. If Cohiba is the formalist and Montecristo is the storyteller, Punch is the wit at the dinner party — slightly off-script, often more memorable.

What the Princesas actually is

The numbers: 52 ring gauge by 135mm. That’s a Petit Robusto-adjacent format — substantial but not large. Expect 60-80 minutes of burn time, which makes it a weeknight cigar rather than a Saturday afternoon commitment. For a brand that historically thrived on Coronas and Petit Coronas, the Princesas at 52 RG is a modern accommodation. Today’s smokers want a wider gauge, and Habanos delivered.

Like every Edición Limitada release, the wrapper, filler, and binder have been aged for a minimum of two years before rolling. For Punch in particular, that aging is critical — fresh Punch can come across grassy and one-dimensional in the first third. Two years of leaf aging integrates the blend; the result smokes like a cigar that’s already had three years of box rest.

The flavor profile

Cedar and roasted nuts on the draw. Honey sweetness on the retrohale that develops into a faint caramel through the middle third. The brand’s signature creamy finish, with just enough Cuban earthiness to remind you what you’re smoking. Medium body throughout — never as full as a Cohiba Behike or as bold as a Bolívar, but more complex than the price tag suggests.

Pair with a cup of strong black coffee in the morning, or a single-malt Speyside (Glenfiddich 15, Macallan 12) in the evening. Skip the heavy peat — same rule as the Montecristo Elba, the cigar’s elegance gets buried under Islay smoke.

Pricing and availability

Expected retail in Europe is €18–€24 per stick, with box-of-25 presentations around €450–€550. That’s significantly under the Montecristo Elba at €45-55 per stick, which is exactly what makes the Princesas interesting — it’s the most accessible Edición Limitada of 2025.

Availability follows the standard Habanos channel hierarchy: La Casa del Habano franchises first, then Habanos Specialist retailers, then general accounts. Allocation should be more generous than the Elba because Punch has lower collector demand — which is the buying opportunity hiding inside the anniversary.

For verified retailers worldwide, check Habanos’ official locator at habanos.com.

Should you buy a box?

If you smoke Habanos regularly and don’t already own Punch in your rotation, this is the year to fix that. The Princesas is aged, the price is approachable, and 185-year anniversary releases tend to appreciate in resale markets if you’re patient. A box of 25 at €450 works out to €18 a stick — half the price per stick of comparable aged Montecristos.

If you’ve already got a proper humidor going, drop a sealed box in for two years of additional rest. The flavor on a five-year-aged Punch is genuinely different — sweeter, rounder, with the cedar pulling back to let the honey notes lead. That’s the Punch experience the brand was built around. The Princesas is your cleanest path to it.

Watch for arrival at your specialist in late 2025 through Q1 2026. The honest move on a Punch EL? Buy quietly. The brand’s collectors are an undersold club, and that’s why prices hold.