Kimfessions: Connoisseur Kim's Homecoming With Punch 8-9-8 (REG OCT 19)

[Connoisseur Kim]

After posting the Cohiba Coronas Especiales review, I planned to do the Punch 8-9-8 review in the next episode. However, due to several personal commitments, including addressing a severe obesity issue and relocating to a new residence, The Kimfessions Series was on hiatus. Despite this, I remained eager to resume reviewing cigars, and the time for the return of beloved Kimfessions had finally come. To celebrate this important day, I decided to conduct the much-anticipated Punch 8-9-8 review at the Led Zeppelin, a meaningful venue where The Kimfessions officially began and one of the cigar lounges I am keen to revisit (it is closer to my new home, too).

Punch 8-9-8 is a Regional Edition Dalia-sized Lonsdale cigar (43 RG x 170 mm) for the Asia-Pacific market. The planned release date of this cigar was 2018, but it did not appear until 2019. Like other Regional Edition cigars, it was limited (8,888 boxes) and individually numbered. Interestingly, although its name, 8-9-8, came from a legendary 8-9-8 cigar box (the classical Cuban cigar packaging with curved sides that contains 25 cigars in three layers: eight on top, nine in the middle, and eight on bottom), the box has ten cigars in a single row, which is unusual for 8-9-8 cigar boxes. Lonsdale is one of my favourite cigar vitolas, and since it has received high praise from cigar aficionados, I am excited to see what this rare Cuban beauty tastes like.

The audiophile cigar B&M retains its ambience and charm, reminiscent of my last visit three years ago. The rich sounds from the high-end Hi-Fi system still fill the lounge, and the pint of Guinness Draught on tap continues to be its beloved signature drink. The decor remains the same, with empty cigar boxes and Guinness beer certifications hanging on the walls. The ever-present wall-mounted TV keeps cycling through Led Zeppelin concert tours and cigar advertisements. The glass-top desktop humidor still serves as a storage vessel for Led Zeppelin's Cuban cigar selections, as it always does. The only changes are the addition of a brand-new McIntosh preamplifier, the latest 2023-2024 certificates from Guinness and Habanos, and some new whisky offerings like Johnny Walker Blonde, which did not exist at the time when I visited there to do the Montecristo No. 1 review.

Punch 8-9-8 begins with an intense nut, leather, and wood bomb; hay, cocoa, and creamy notes; and the classic Cuban twang. As the cigar progresses, the aroma changes to a rich array of almond, peanut, and chestnut; chocolate, citrus, and cinnamon; and baking spice with toasty tobacco. Afterwards, it turns into a medley of sweet marshmallow, chestnut, and hazelnut with cedar and stays unchanged throughout the end. Overall, it is a refined and elegant cigar with an outstanding and harmonious flavour profile that special edition cigars should have. Additionally, because of four years of ageing and its nutty character, it delivers a pleasant chestnut and peanut ride experience without harshness, which reminds me of H. Upmann Connoisseur A and aged Montecristo No. 4. I can see why it is one of the most sought-after Regional Edition cigars among cigar aficionados. It is indeed a Paragon of Cigars (5/5) Dalia-sized Lonsdale!

For Guinness Draught, the scents of chocolate, leather, and hop glide through my olfactory system at the nose stage. Then, as I sip this famous Irish stout, I can taste subtle dark chocolate, cocoa, and mocha; roasted barley, hay, and coffee; smoky gingerbread, wood, and nut; earthy, creamy, and bittersweet malty notes with a slight hint of milkiness in my mouth. After that, it leaves a warm and smooth aftertaste, thanks to Nitrosurge technology. Although it may not be the best and most complex beer I have ever had, the stout still delivers a medium-bodied, pleasant, and creamy stout experience like before, which not only Guinness Draught is renowned for but also makes it well-paired with creamy or nutty cigars such as Punch 8-9-8 and Montecristo No. 1. Hopefully, there will be an opportunity to try other Guinness variants, like Foreign Extra Stout, since I heard that stronger ones offer a different experience from Guinness Draught.

Reviewing cigars has been a relaxing pastime and a perfect life companion ever since I puffed Cohiba Siglo II in 2015. Also, it is rare to find cigar B&Ms with a fantastic audio setup, as building a perfect Hi-Fi system with luxurious audio devices costs a fortune. Therefore, I feel glad that the atmosphere of the audiophile cigar lounge continues to be the same, and Punch 8-9-8 shows its excellence with its signature Cubanesque character, like the finest Cuban cigars I reviewed in the past. I hope there will be more time to do cigar reviews since this lifetime recreation has always been a part of my life.

Address: 30 Wiryeseong-daero 18-gil Songpa-gu, Seoul
Hours: Mon-Sat 19:00-03:00 (7:00 p.m.-3:00 a.m.)
Phone: 02-558-3031
Cigar Corkage: 10000 KRW/cigar
Cover Charge: Free of charge
Blog: https://blog.naver.com/bara3031
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ledzeppelin_bar

Note.

• This cigar review was held on June 15, 2024.
• Guinness Draught is the most commonly available Guinness variant in Korea. The next most common Guinness variant is Guinness Original (a.k.a. Extra Stout); unfortunately, since 2023, it is no longer on sale in my country.
• I used SmartMouth Clinical DDS Mouthwash and Toothpaste with water flossing after puffing Punch 8-9-8 to test SmartMouth's cigar breath removal performance, and I found them highly effective (thanks, @Cigar Surgeon) 👍

[El Presidente]

Welcome back Kim! Great review 

[Connoisseur Kim]

Just now, El Presidente said:

Welcome back Kim! Great review 

Thanks @El Presidente! I also feel glad that I'm back to the Cuban cigar review scene once again. I wish there would be more time to do lots of cigar reviews in the future .

[Puros Y Vino]

Nicely done Kim!  A big LOL to the Smart Mouth shout out. That stuff really does work. I'll use it as a reminder to get a new bottle, as I'm out. 

[JohnS]

Great review, Kim. Great work! 👍

[99call]

This is a train I'm late to Kim. But I'm well on board and going to check out all the back issues of Kimfessions.

Loved your description of Guinness.

You now need to find Nigerian Guinness i.e. "Guinness Foreign Extra Strength".

[Cigar Surgeon]

Welcome back, glad the SmartMouth worked for you, it's been a godsend for my marriage! Excellent review and wow what a venue to smoke an 8-9-8 at.

[MagicalBikeRide]

Great review.
 

If you ever visit Ireland, I’ll show you around some of the best places to have Guinness. It’s a drink that varies very much from one place to the next (due to storage conditions, frequency of cleaning, experience of barmen, line maintenance, glass detergent, etc - solving the perfect pint conundrum is about as engaged with science as us Irish get 😅). 

[chasy]

What a hero!

[rascalmonkey]

Nice one dude!!!

[teamrandr]

Welcome back! Great review!

[Chibearsv]

Great review. One of my favorite cigars and you described it very well. 

[karp]

Nice review of the cigar and nice review of the Guinness too! I haven't opened my '19 box and was thinking of selling it actually, but now I am interested in trying. 

Cheers!

 

[Connoisseur Kim]

12 hours ago, Puros Y Vino said:

Nicely done Kim!  A big LOL to the Smart Mouth shout out. That stuff really does work. I'll use it as a reminder to get a new bottle, as I'm out. 

11 hours ago, Cigar Surgeon said:

Welcome back, glad the SmartMouth worked for you, it's been a godsend for my marriage! Excellent review and wow what a venue to smoke an 8-9-8 at.

Thanks, @Puros Y Vino @Cigar Surgeon! SmartMouth is an absolute beast in terms of cigar breath removal. I'm sure their Clinical DDS does the same job as Original too.

Dat audiophile cigar lounge is still enjoyable and great, especially when I want to puff CCs with the pint of Guinness Draught on tap and robust music. I bet you'll love this cigar B&M when you visit Korea 👍

11 hours ago, JohnS said:

Great review, Kim. Great work! 👍

9 hours ago, chasy said:

What a hero!

9 hours ago, rascalmonkey said:

Nice one dude!!!

8 hours ago, teamrandr said:

Welcome back! Great review!

Much appreciated, @chasy @JohnS @rascalmonkey @teamrandr! I feel happy that everyone enjoys this recent Kimfessions episode ☺️. I hope that I will be able to post moar cigar reviews soon!

8 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

Great review. One of my favorite cigars and you described it very well. 

8 hours ago, karp said:

Nice review of the cigar and nice review of the Guinness too! I haven't opened my '19 box and was thinking of selling it actually, but now I am interested in trying. 

Cheers!

Thanks, @Chibearsv @karp! Punch 8-9-8 is definitely one of the greatest CCs and skinny CCs I've ever had. I only had one Punch 8-9-8 from my '19 box so far, but I can say '19 Punch 8-9-8 box is a fantastic experience with a huge confidence 👍

11 hours ago, 99call said:

This is a train I'm late to Kim. But I'm well on board and going to check out all the back issues of Kimfessions.

Loved your description of Guinness.

You now need to find Nigerian Guinness i.e. "Guinness Foreign Extra Strength".

Thanks, @99call! I always find Guinness Draught smooth and creamy, which reminds me of creamy CCs like Punch 8-9-8 .

I've never seen Nigerian Guinness Foreign Extra Strength (same goes on Irish Guinness Foreign Extra Stout) in Korea, but I will try it when I see this stout while I'm travelling , as it seems to be more commonly available in other countries.

11 hours ago, MagicalBikeRide said:

Great review.
 

If you ever visit Ireland, I’ll show you around some of the best places to have Guinness. It’s a drink that varies very much from one place to the next (due to storage conditions, frequency of cleaning, experience of barmen, line maintenance, glass detergent, etc - solving the perfect pint conundrum is about as engaged with science as us Irish get 😅). 

9 hours ago, BoliDan said:

Gotta give him the Guinness, Beamish, Murphys side by side. 

Much appreciated, @MagicalBikeRide @BoliDan! I'm sure it will be a special experience as puffing CCs while veling in Cuba, as I've always wondered what does Guinness on tap in Ireland taste like.

Luckily, Murphys stout can be obtained in a can at larger Korean stores nowadays (Beamish is still unavailable though). So, I might be able to sip Murphys in someday to make a comparison between Guinness Draught and Murphys if I want to.

[hrs1]

Great review - glad you're back at it!  Hoping there's a Siglo V review coming soon  

[Raskol]

👍Nice review.. Keep it up Kim. 

[gormag38]

Great review brother. I'll look for some new ones in the future. 

[LEE daehoon]

Great review! Thank you ^^ Ledbeplin is not far from my home, but I'd love to visit there!

[Connoisseur Kim]

12 hours ago, hrs1 said:

Great review - glad you're back at it!  Hoping there's a Siglo V review coming soon  

Thanks, @hrs1! I've always wanted to puff Cohiba Siglo V too, but sadly it has been one of the hardest CCs to obtain even today. I hope there will be an opportunity to review dat Dalia sized Lonsdale 🙂.

11 hours ago, Raskol said:

👍Nice review.. Keep it up Kim. 

11 hours ago, gormag38 said:

Great review brother. I'll look for some new ones in the future. 

Much appreciated, @Raskol @gormag38! Can't wait to do even more Kimfessions cigar reviews soon 

9 hours ago, LEE daehoon said:

Great review! Thank you ^^ Ledbeplin is not far from my home, but I'd love to visit there!

Thanks, @LEE daehoon! If you want to puff cigars with Guinness Draught on tap and perfect Hi-Fi setup, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this audiophile cigar lounge 👍

[rcarlson]

Good work, Kim. Glad to see you're back. Seems the rumors of your death have been greatly exaggerated.  

[Connoisseur Kim]

On 7/6/2024 at 6:57 AM, BoliDan said:

The draughts in Ireland are completely different animal. If you like imported Irish stout, the ones in Ireland will blow your mind. My was basically drooling on her first sip in Dublin.

Thanks, @BoliDan! I've always wanted to try Irish stout in Ireland (same goes on Hefeweizen in Germany), so it'll be a special beer experience for sure 🍺😀

On 7/6/2024 at 11:17 AM, rcarlson said:

Good work, Kim. Glad to see you're back. Seems the rumors of your death have been greatly exaggerated.  

Much appreciated, @rcarlson! Sorry for my long absence. It's happy to see you and other FOH members still enjoy reading my cigar review. I wish I can see ya on FOH zoom herf soon! 

[HuffnPuffff]

Great review @connoisseurkim - great to see you posting again.
Happy smoking


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[SMELTZ]

Great review and I look forward to your reviews in the future.True wealth is good health. Keep up the good work!

[GaryK 54]

Great review, Kim. I've been waiting for the return of Kimfessions. Your knowledge of Cuban cigars comes through so well in your reviews. You picked a great cigar to re inaugurate your review series. Keep them coming! 

Good to have you back, brother. If you're ever in Shanghai, I would be honoured to share cigars, drinks and conversation with you.

[Connoisseur Kim]

On 7/8/2024 at 7:48 AM, HuffnPuffff said:

Great review @connoisseurkim - great to see you posting again.
Happy smoking

23 hours ago, SMELTZ said:

Great review and I look forward to your reviews in the future.True wealth is good health. Keep up the good work!

Thanks, @HuffnPuffff @SMELTZ! After reducing lots of weight and body fat for several years (from 99 kg to 70s kg), my health has got much better than before (with more muscle gain of course), which is good for me cuz I now feel more alive. Can't wait to post even more CC reviews soon!  

21 hours ago, GaryK 54 said:

Great review, Kim. I've been waiting for the return of Kimfessions. Your knowledge of Cuban cigars comes through so well in your reviews. You picked a great cigar to re inaugurate your review series. Keep them coming! 

Good to have you back, brother. If you're ever in Shanghai, I would be honoured to share cigars, drinks and conversation with you.

Much appreciated, @GaryK 54! As you said, Punch 8-9-8 is not only a great cigar but also suitable CC for the return of Kimfessions, as it's complex and wonderful without being harsh despite only 4yrs of ageing.

I hope that I can have a herf with you when I'm travelling to Shanghai, cuz cigar herf is always enjoyable as posting The Kimfessions 👍