Punch Fu Manchu Kicks Off Chinese New Year
For some, the mention of Fu Manchu calls to mind the old novels of Sax Rohmer. For others, it brings back memories of Peter Sellers in his final film, The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu. But for cigar smokers, it means the newest Punch in General Cigar’s Chinese New Year series.
The Punch Fu Manchu is the fourth in the line, following last year’s Punch Egg Roll. Like the previous releases, the packaging of Fu Manchu is a jovial reference to Chinese-American takeout food. This year, Fu Manchu cigars come in a box that resembles a soup container.
The new Punches are made in Honduras at the HATSA factory and consist of a Honduran wrapper, Indonesian binder and filler blend of tobacco from Nicaragua, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Each box-pressed Toro measures 6 inches by 50 ring gauge and carries a suggested retail price of $5.99. The long pigtail running down the side of the cigar is meant to resemble the long Chinese braid worn by Fu Manchu on-screen.
The soup containers come with 20 toros, and only 6,400 of these boxes will be released. They begin shipping today in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
