Punch 898

[El Presidente]

1 minute ago, Hammer Smokin' said:

based on the region it was developed for, I'd say you are north of $200 / box.

I'll go with $210 / 10 sticks.

 

250 .......and I have no idea.

[Hammer Smokin']

[Connoisseur Kim]

Dat Dalia sized Lonsdale! I must grab'em before they disappear to the oblivion! Glad that skinny CC fans still exist in the world, since I really like skinny cigars so muuuuuch (also love thick RG CCs)!

The only one thing that makes me feel dissappointed is the box looks like 4-3-4 (10ct version of 8-9-8) not 25ct (8+9+8) as normal 8-9-8 boxes, despite of the fact this CC bears the name of 8-9-8 (it's RE so can't blame Tabacuba other than distributors for packaging as Rob said)...

나의 SM-N950N 의 Tapatalk에서 보냄

[Tstew75]

898s in a non-898 config'd box?????

As they say on MNF........"COME ON MAAANNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!"

[99call]

My only problem with this release is calling them 898 for a single deck of cigars? Makes little sense to me. Nothing wrong with 343s,. I just don't get it

[Islandboy]

As offensive as the packaging vs monicker is, I’m good with the sponsor marketing this to include average cigar shmucks like myself. Love me some Punch delicacies. 

[NSXCIGAR]

6 hours ago, Markspring1978 said:

About time Punch does a Lonsdale. 

No kidding. Hard to believe but this will be the first Lonsdale Punch has ever offered post-Rev.

They could certainly have chosen a better name than 8-9-8. Although I suppose it's better than Ammunition, Herfing or WIH 20. 

With 88,000 sticks and a highly undesirable vitola I'd say these will stick around like the RG 88 and probably be priced similarly--$180. Unless they are just fantastic smokes which would be unlikely for a young Asia Pacific.

[MD Puffer]

4 hours ago, Tstew75 said:

898s in a non-898 config'd box?????

As they say on MNF........"COME ON MAAANNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!"

 

3 hours ago, 99call said:

My only problem with this release is calling them 898 for a single deck of cigars? Makes little sense to me. Nothing wrong with 343s,. I just don't get it

There are no number 8’s in “3-4-3”. 

Makes perfect sense for the intended market. 

[tigger]

Name/packaging silliness aside, I think it's great that these are coming out. ?

Next, we'll see whether or not the price exceeds my somewhat flexible limit for the value of a handful of leaves that will be set on fire some time in the future...

[La_Tigre]

13 hours ago, MD Puffer said:

Kind of difficult to pew pew regionals when they look like that.

Don’t think I could pass on these if given a chance. 

“Stay on target!”

[IanMcLean68]

Seeing as they are ignoring what "898" actually stands for, i.e. not just the vitola dimensions, I would have been happier to see these packaged in 6-7-8-8-8-7-6 format ?

Apart from this I certainly applaud the idea of a dalia regional! Perhaps they are listening to us after-all!

 

[Hookmaker]

11 hours ago, db13 said:

Don’t panic. 8,888 boxes produced. I have the feeling we’ll be seeing these appear a lot on 24:24 in the months to come and well into 2020...

LOL,, dream on?

[JoeyBones777]

13 hours ago, El Presidente said:

250 .......and I have no idea.

?? I hope you are way off! My guess is 180. This is more wide eyed hopefulness than legit guesstimation.

[JoeyBones777]

8 hours ago, MD Puffer said:

 

There are no number 8’s in “3-4-3”. 

Makes perfect sense for the intended market. 

They still could've named it "898" but packaged it as 343. No different than naming it "898" but packaging it in single layer 10 ct box.

[MD Puffer]

17 minutes ago, JoeyBones777 said:

They still could've named it "898" but packaged it as 343. No different than naming it "898" but packaging it in single layer 10 ct box.

But there'd be a row of 4 in the middle.  That's the unluckiest number.  It sounds like death.  Bad juju.

[JoeyBones777]

3 minutes ago, MD Puffer said:

But there'd be a row of 4 in the middle.  That's the unluckiest number.  It sounds like death.  Bad juju.

Well, whomever invented Cantonese really screwed the pooch on that one.

[FireMedic]

I'd been happier if they would just give into pressure and package them in the 8-6-7-5-3-0-9 style but then again the Jenny method is a lost art

[TheGipper]

Yeah...8-9-8s in a 10-0-0 packaging configuration.  Annoying, but I won't care if they smoke well.

[Colt45]

Very nice to see another Dalia.

[RDB]

Well I like the 48s, and I like Punch Punch, and I like the fact we’re seeing a little bit of a Punch revival! I’ll take some if they are not silly money.

[Tstew75]

15 hours ago, MD Puffer said:

 

There are no number 8’s in “3-4-3”. 

Makes perfect sense for the intended market. 

Huh? ?

[PigFish]

On 10/3/2019 at 7:41 PM, El Presidente said:

With all due respect, I think you have this one wrong mate. 

Most of the cigar world will run a thousand miles before they buy a skinny.  Asia worse than most other regions.  Let's hope they don't have to resort to jars to move the balance. 

I don't want a box of 10 but in 10's they will likely sell out. 

This is not a Tabacuba play. It is a play by a distributor who knows and is playing to their regional market.  They are not concerned about you or FOH and neither should they be.  Again, this is not Tabacuba. 

If the end price is too much, don't buy. That is capitalism pure and simple. 

I wish them success on this one. A 10 count of skinnies makes no sense to me but hey.....I am not taking the risk and I am sure they have run their numbers. 

 

I can buy into the point this is not Tabacuba... No one buys or sells Cuban tobacco without their blessing, but I understand that they allow distributors to do their own thing, now and again. Point taken!

I hold Tabacuba responsible for not servicing me as a client... We have argued this time and time again, and frankly I am pretty much over it. I get it... They can get people to pay too much for crap, so why sell good cigars at a fair price with the market clamoring for crappy cigars at higher price points? I understand that the broader market, the larger cigar consuming populace that drives this... I proffer they have little taste, and less sense (MHO).

Where we differ is in the form of acquiescence and desperation. I am not willing to surrender my wisdom and good sense, nor my money for a 'thank God, hail Mary... they made a Dalia, hooray... mindset.' I also get I am not typical here.

I am not going to say you are wrong about your analysis either. We just think differently about it. I frankly don't care if they sell them or not. I have no vested interest.

Let me just add a note about the analysis of a body of data as I see it. If they sell, or they don't sell, the entirety of the process of marketing this cigar needs consideration.

I think it is pretty common knowledge that the people most attracted to this cigar are not as gullible regarding 'market gimmicks' as customers clamoring for trend cigar models. Frankly, these cigars are aimed at people like me. The vitola defines me and my coterie. They are counter-culture cigars. However, they come with an asinine attempt to market them as something other, an attempt to pander to the trendy cigar client. I believe you recognize this. If they don't sell, it could be due to pricing a counter culture cigar at a trend cigar level. We just don't know yet.

I believe that you think that if not packaged a certain way, they won't sell. So the question is then, why try to sell cabbage patch kids to beanie baby collectors? We can debate that another time.

If you fairly price and package this cigar to attract those wanting a Dalias to smoke it, it will sell. It will sell in bundles, 898 format, or in a cardboard box. The people who want the vitola, and the tobacco contained within will purchase it if you make it appealing to that market segment. The mistake in my mind is that this is already aimed at the incorrect market segment. I don't know yet... It will depend on the price. The savvy cigar smoker won't overpay for this cigar. They trendy cigar smoker... well I don't pretend to represent that segment. Price this at $200.00 and you will find out!

My placement in the market segment is a savvy smoker. I realize that this is just another cigar. It is not truly anything special. It is still tobacco, destined to become ash. It is unproven from a taste perspective. It is worth no more, and no less than any competitive cigar containing the same amount of tobacco. It is frankly no more a luxury item than pickled pigs feet! There is likely more actual cost associated with a jar of "Napa Valley Olives with Peppers and Garlic" than there is in this box of cigars!

The broader market supports selling fewer, larger, crapy cigars to my peers. I am outvoted with dollars (or other currencies). I understand that too. There is no need to pander to the counter-culture critic such that I am, when there are so many eager suckers waiting to gobble up any crap that a maker, or distributor can put into a shiny box!

So, to bring this full circle; the cigar is made for people like me. However the cigar is marketed (the box and potential price) to capture people that really don't want it... As a result, I am afraid that I cannot jump for joy over the effort. Price it right and I will strongly agree with the marketing effort and applaud those bringing it to market. Price it to support the trend in cigars and I will reject it. Putting it in a 10x box is an omen of a bad start. We shall see!

Always stimulating... Cheers! -R

[Fuzz]

If you guys keep complaining, HSA will bring out a 4 pack in 1-2-1 packaging!

[Markspring1978]

Being the eternal optimist that I am, here’s how I hope this plays out...

Lots of newish smokers out there who are buying shiny QdO54, Punch Dukes, and Talismans buy these Dalias in a box of 10, love them, 24 months from now a regular production Punch 898 box of 25 appears and we all regain trust in a broken system. 

That being said, the more realistic pessimist on my other shoulder realizes that more likely, these won’t sell well, and it will be the catalyst for Tabacuba to discontinue the Party 898. 

For me, I will buy 5 boxes of these. Arrange them into two empty MdO2 boxes and have a ball 5 years from now, all the while remembering that these are just fermented leaves rolled into tubes. 

[Fugu]

2 hours ago, Fuzz said:

If you guys keep complaining, HSA will bring out a 4 pack in 1-2-1 packaging!

And you guys don't listen ... not HSA, it's been PCC! 

I venture to guess that that packaging would've never happened under the late Sir David. What a world we've come to - an 898 in a simple 10er, they didn't even bother with a 343. Jeez. Either pack it 8-9-8 or simply name it 'Punch Dalia' or give it one of these odd fantasy names (given current events how about Punch Truncheon....). This "lucky 8" thingy is slowly becoming ridiculous.