An 898 voyage.

[TheLiquidGator]

 

This 898 was from a 2004 box I bought in 2006. I let them sit 2 years before I tried the first one. I was so harsh and rough I had to toss it out. I remember calling it a "thrashing barbarian."

 

So I decided to let the box sit another 3 years. It is now 2011. Still very, very rough and a true mongrel. Not enjoyable at all. Had to toss this one as well.

 

So I decided to age them yet another 3 years. It is now 2014. Better, but still "no cigar." Was able to smoke this one. Just barely.

 

At this point am thinking I just got a lousy box of cigars. But, the wrappers looked great and the construction was good too.

 

Today after another 3 years of aging VIOLA~ What a cigar. Still rich with lots of power. But, the flavors were so good. Rich aged tobacco, leather, molasses, cream, even a hint of mint and ginger. Stellar cigar. Patients indeed pays off. This box still has legs to age for many more years.

 

[Philc2001]

P 8-9-8-V certainly age well, but that is quite the journey. I have a box of 2015 that are smoking ok, nothing special, but certainly not the kind of powerhouse mongrel you described. I love this cigar after 3-5 years. I was gifted one from 1999 by a friend, which I smoked last year, and it was one of the best cigars I smoked all year, so they do have looong legs. 

[PapaDisco]

Wow! 13 years just to be smokeable!  That's my kind of cigar!  My 2014 898's were so good ROTT (in 2015) that I smoked through half the box right away and it took a serious effort of will to stash the rest away.  Hopefully to get to where yours are.  My 898's had that youthful mongrel in the final 1/3 but the first 2/3ds were so powerful and delicious they've been hard to ignore.

[MrGlass]

My 2008's took about 5 years to come around, and I was so disappointed in them initially that I never bothered chasing down another box.  I regret that now, but it seems I had a much easier journey than you.  I hope you enjoy the rest of them.

[Fugu]

Looks like you fetched that single Ramon Allones 898 that accidentally slipped into your box of Parties....

[Buck14]

Damn, the 898 was the last box on my TO DO list, maybe I should reconsider?

[Danimalia]

I had my first 898 about a month or two ago after I received it as an extra from a generous trade partner. A real treat. I think it was about 5 years old. Very, very rich, but a pleasure to smoke and not harsh at all.

 

Buck, I would keep it on the list. I don't think there's anything quite like it. Very exotic. Spicy, but in the sense of cooking spices more than pepper. Maybe seek out a few in a trade. I don't think most boxes need quite as many years as the OP's did, and some people say they're good fresh too.

[Leopolis Semper Fidelis]

Bassman (the late Steve Singer - R.I.P.) told me that my pre-1995 Partagás 8-9-8s were the best cigars he had ever tasted.  I couldn't (and can't) help but agree.  Those produced from the mid-1990s onward have a different blend and flavour - nowhere near as satisfying, as far as my palate is concerned.

[avaldes]

My boxes of RA-898 from that last batch in 2002 were very much like this. Smoked in 2005 was a surefire trip to GAK-ville. Fastforward to 2012 and it was a tolerable but very strong cigar. Fastforward to 2017 and they are still strong but starting to produce killer flavors and aromas. I still have a few left and it is incredible that it took 15 years to develop into a great smoke.

[Wertman]

wow looks incredible.  awesome looking smoke thanks for sharing such a beauty

[TheLiquidGator]

Am planning on burning another one from this box tomorrow. Been in the dry box for 10 days. Hoping it is as good as the last one.

[99call]

Great thread.  Without 898's I don't think I would be as enthusiastic about cigars as I am. There is something almost romantic about the notion of something that starts out with rough edges, and a bit brutal, then over time self corrects and becomes better for all it's flaws.    I think the reason I like them, is that it's a bit like people

[stunod]

I have 2 boxes from 2014 and their defiantly not ready. I was thinking 2 more years but now I’m reassessing that. Maybe 5. But I will be sampling one every 6 months or so.

 

[luvdunhill]

Smoking one now. AGU ABR 08. I get a touch of dried apricot? Pretty much definition of Partagás to my tastes.

[Guest Nekhyludov]

2 hours ago, stunod said:

I have 2 boxes from 2014 and their defiantly not ready.

I love the idea of a box being defiantly not ready.

"F*** YOU! I'M NOT READY!"

[AlFais]

RA and Partagas 898 are both excellent but like most say, they need several long years of rest to blossom. The longer the better.