Partagas 898

[Inthestix]

Good afternoon - I made the mistake of looking at the 24:24 for the first time yesterday. I was taken by the looks of the Partagas 898s. They were gorgeous. My question is to those who have been on this fantastic community far longer than I. How often do items get restocked on average? I would love to get my hands on a few Partagas 898s but they are out of stock both by the box and singles. Anyone have any experience that might answer my question? Have a great weekend all!!

[stang]

My bank account hates the 24:24

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[jackupster]

898's are a forum favorite and come up sporadically. You could email The Prez to track down a box. You will pay the higher end of the spectrum for what they go for at FOH I would think. The comfort comes from knowing you will get a quality box of smokes from El Presidente! Hope that helps...have a great weekend!

[JohnS]

@Inthestix, once you get used to the vitolas that come up on 24:24 you'll get a better feel for what comes up often and, alternatively, what comes up rarely. Right now, and I think this is the case for the last few years, but those longer cigars such as the Lonsdale (42 rg x 165 mm) and the Dalia (43 rg x 170 mm) don't come up often. In the case of the Montecristo No.1, for example, I think in the last 6 to 12 months it's come through on 24:24 more regularly, and thus, has never failed to sell out. The Romeo y Julieta Cazadores is another Lonsdale (albeit 43 rg x 162 mm) that is more regular, but Lonsdale and Dalia vitolas have been steadily deleted over the years, for example, the Romeo y Julieta Cedros Deluxe No.1 is going some time this year, according to the 2017 Deletions List.

In respect to the Partagas 8-9-8, it is one of only three Dalias that are in regular production I believe, and one of those is a seasonal cigar which would sell out on 24:24 (if it was offered) in seconds, let alone minutes, the La Gloria Cubana Medaille d'Or No.2. The other Dalia, the Cohiba Siglo V, from the top of my head, may only have come up once or twice on 24:24 sales in the last 2 years. Luckily, the Partagas 8-9-8 has come up a few times in the last month or so I believe, hopefully some more stock is coming in.

[planetary]

Agree with all said above.  Just one note: if current production and quality of 898 are anything like the period of 2015-2016 where we have detailed 24:24 data, then you can expect Partagas 898s to come up approximately once a month.  If they're coming up more frequently, as John anecdotally observes, then that's a good sign!

In the meantime, here's Rob and Ken's review of the cigar from 2011 (cigar about 1.5 years old), if you've not checked it out yet:

 

 

[bman75]

Have the Party 898s always been priced at a bit of a premium vs similarly sized vitolas?  I can't imagine that the varnished box costs that much to produce. Is the blend that much better than, say, the Party Shorts blend?  Never had the 898 and dying to try one, but the price makes it a bit of a leap. I should have bought one retail when I had the chance a couple years ago. 

[MahDooRow]

In 2016 I think the 8-9-8 came up for the first time in October.  Since then it's made a few appearances on 24:24 / 24:72.  I expect it will continue to show up once every 4-8 weeks.  This last batch was absolutely superb!  Hopefully it's the beginning of a special run that lasts throughout 2017.   

[planetary]

1 hour ago, MahDooRow said:

In 2016 I think the 8-9-8 came up for the first time in October.

If the tabulated data is correct, the first time on sale in 2016 was a clearance late in January, followed a couple weeks later in February by some PSP.  Both sold the TOR SEP 15 box code.  There may have been a gap in sales after that, as the data unfortunately doesn't continue deep into 2016.

[BellevilleMXZ]

I so want to try one of these......

 

[TomF]

Oh gawd they're good I have a box and a half RAE JUN 15. I just love them. Would have bought another box on the 24:24 this week but the big red letters said ALL SOLD. ;(

[Inthestix]

I saw those same red letters. The big red letters spelled out stop on my credit card too.........?????

[Kbb]

2 hours ago, planetary said:

If the tabulated data is correct, the first time on sale in 2016 was a clearance late in January, followed a couple weeks later in February by some PSP.  Both sold the TOR SEP 15 box code.  There may have been a gap in sales after that, as the data unfortunately doesn't continue deep into 2016.

Gap from Feb. to June.  Then gap from June until late Oct. Then Nov.-Dec. made up for lost time.  Mostly TOR but some LAU too.

[JLFIRST]

I just picked up this box about a weeks ago! Happy, Happy!

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[MahDooRow]

3 hours ago, planetary said:

If the tabulated data is correct, the first time on sale in 2016 was a clearance late in January, followed a couple weeks later in February by some PSP.  Both sold the TOR SEP 15 box code.  There may have been a gap in sales after that, as the data unfortunately doesn't continue deep into 2016.

 

29 minutes ago, Kbb said:

Gap from Feb. to June.  Then gap from June until late Oct. Then Nov.-Dec. made up for lost time.  Mostly TOR but some LAU too.

planetary, Kbb:  Thanks for providing that info and filling in the gaps.  I'm hoping the supply of 8-9-8 is more consistent in 2017.       

[JLFIRST]

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[JLFIRST]

L

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[subport]

6 hours ago, bman75 said:

Have the Party 898s always been priced at a bit of a premium vs similarly sized vitolas?  I can't imagine that the varnished box costs that much to produce. Is the blend that much better than, say, the Party Shorts blend?  Never had the 898 and dying to try one, but the price makes it a bit of a leap. I should have bought one retail when I had the chance a couple years ago. 

Ohm... the 8-9-8 and the shorts are really not similarly sized. That is an unfair price comparison there. 

The shorts is a minutos 42x110 while the 8-9-8 is a Dalias 43x170...

Totally different size and different blend as well

[canadianbeaver]

Do you see the section on this forum where you can trade?

[Inthestix]

No - what part of the forum is it under?

[bman75]

8 hours ago, subport said:

Ohm... the 8-9-8 and the shorts are really not similarly sized. That is an unfair price comparison there. 

The shorts is a minutos 42x110 while the 8-9-8 is a Dalias 43x170...

Totally different size and different blend as well

On a price per gram basis, the 898 sells at a bit of a premium.  Not as much as I thought when I did the math, but about 22% higher than Shorts and 29% higher than D4s.  I was just considering if that premium was worth it compared to other Partagas offerings in different sizes.  

Again, on a price per gram basis it is a lot closer than I had thought to the slightly smaller Monte 1.

[Philc2001]

On my taste buds, the 8-9-8 Varnished has quite a bit more body than several other Partagas. For that reason, I find the 8-9-8 really needs a couple of years to tame it down a bit, and then it becomes a super delicious, complex, tasty, medium to full bodied cigar. I've smoked a few from late 90's and 2001 this past year, and I was greatly impressed by how well they develop over the years, just an absolute treat at over 15 years. 

Recent 2016 production seems to have a lot of the same character, and although they are smokeable, I imagine they will really start to hit their stride around 2019-2020. Since these are still in production there will be more opportunity to buy in coming months, so don't sweat it. But I would strongly urge you put some down for a nap and check them out in 3 years or so, you will be surprised what a premium taste and profile they have, especially for a regular production vitola.

[Fuzz]

48 minutes ago, Inthestix said:

No - what part of the forum is it under?

Sorry, but you do not have the requisite membership time or post count to view the Trading Forum.

[planetary]

16 hours ago, bman75 said:

Have the Party 898s always been priced at a bit of a premium vs similarly sized vitolas? 

I have a few lonsdales in my humidor, including the 898, Fundadores, Siglo V, and Fonseca No 1.  The Trini (HQ) and Cohiba (PSP) were (much) more expensive than the Partagas (PSP).  The Fonseca (PSP) were less expensive.  So if there's a price premium above what Partagas normally commands, the "premiere brands" own premiums make it harder to detect.

[Smallclub]

1 hour ago, bman75 said:

Again, on a price per gram basis it is a lot closer than I had thought to the slightly smaller Monte 1.

Because Montecristo is more expensive than Partagas. But the price per gram comparison is meaningless when one of the packagings costs much more; the varnished cabinet is one of the most elaborate cuban packaging…

[canadianbeaver]

57 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

Sorry, but you do not have the requisite membership time or post count to view the Trading Forum.

100 posts and member for six months. Absolutely correct. In time, grasshopper...