Quick question in re: Punch 898 asia pacific 2018

[Grady]

So I'm delighted to have snagged a couple of boxes of these Punch 898's in yesterday's 24:24 (gotta grab the lonsdales when you can get them!), but I admit to being a bit confused ... my understanding was that these were a 2018 limited regional release of 8,888 boxes that started arriving on the market in 2019, so why would there be a 2020 box code (TUE FEB 20)? 

Did they merely *announce* the release in 2018 and are slowly making these cigars over the years until they reach 8,888 boxes? 

I posted this question in yesterday's 24:24 forum thread so that everybody else could benefit from a response and while it got plenty of likes it doesn't seem like it got noticed by anyone with the answer ... many apologies if this is a dumb question or has already been answered elsewhere!

[Bijan]

I'm not an expert on these special releases, but I believe the boxes are supposed to be numbered (from 1 to 8888).

Edit: and according to CCW they were released late 2019.

[Grady]

2 minutes ago, Bijan said:

I'm not an expert on these special releases, but I believe the boxes are supposed to be numbered (from 1 to 8888).

Edit: and according to CCW they were released late 2019.

Yeah, that's what I thought too, that's why I'm confused about the box code that was referenced in yesterday's 24:24. 

[El Presidente]

There is a mix of box codes in there but that is the youngest in the pile that was seen. 

Distributors pay upfront for Regionals.  A one year delay is normal. stretching into two years not uncommon. Now the cigars may have been rolled last year but boxed this year. They may have been rolled and boxes this year. You just won't know unless someone is lucky enough to walk through the fabrica and sees them. That is not going to happen this year. 

HSA is committed to supplying the full order unless  for one reason or another they can't and the balance owing is used as a credit for the new regional already 12 months late. 

 

 

[Grady]

Just now, El Presidente said:

There is a mix of box codes in there but that is the youngest in the pile that was seen. 

Distributors pay upfront for Regionals.  A one year delay is normal. stretching into two years not uncommon. Now the cigars may have been rolled last year but boxed this year. They may have been rolled and boxes this year. You just won't know unless someone is lucky enough to walk through the fabrica and sees them. That is not going to happen this year. 

HSA is committed to supplying the full order unless  for one reason or another they can't and the balance owing is used as a credit for the new regional already 12 months late. 

 

 

Thank you very much for the info!

[NSXCIGAR]

33 minutes ago, Grady said:

Did they merely *announce* the release in 2018 and are slowly making these cigars over the years until they reach 8,888 boxes? 

Box codes for ERs can often span many months. It doesn't appear the factories make the full run and when they're finished all boxes go to the distributors at the same time. It appears that the distributors typically get ERs in waves. 

Whether all the cigars are rolled at once but there are other limitations like packaging I do not know. But it does appear they leave the factories at different times. 

[bates40]

It's Cuba