Is a Punch 8-9-8 still an 898 when sold in a box of 10??

[unaslob]

These are the questions that keep me up at night.

As a kid I always heard my uncle talk about how a Partagas 898 is the best cigar. He really loved those. I thought that 898 designation was a Partagas thing. I grow up and they all have them, Punch, Ashton, etc. So I figure it’s a certain vitola-specific size and shape. Nope, that’s not true either.  Turns out the 898 designation came solely from a style of packaging. 8 on the bottom 9 in the middle and 8 on the top. Ok. That's fine I get it. Then I see these boxes of 10 Asia Pacifico Punch 898 and my head explodes. 🤯

is there something I’m missing to the nomenclature? 

[BrightonCorgi]

343's

[KCCubano]

There is nothing 898 about them as they come in a single layer of ten sticks. Must have been hitting the Havana Club pretty hard when they came up with that one.

[SirVantes]

1 hour ago, unaslob said:

Then I see these boxes of 10 Asia Pacifico punch 898 and my head explodes. 🤯

Does your head then implode when you see the LGC Medaille d'Or 1/2/3/4s that are packaged in 8-9-8 boxes, and are not called 8-9-8s?

[SirVantes]

6 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

343's

Yes

[Chibearsv]

Good timing. I don’t really care what they call them. They’re delicious, especially with my morning coffee. Like right now with some Wishbone Ash on the Bose. 

[ha_banos]

But to answer the headline. No sir they are not. Confined to the other great Habanos marketing names 

- Herfing 

- Walk in humidor

- Ammunition

- Hat-trick

- Hermitage

- Gladiator

- Amateur

- 898 (in a 10 box)

[SCgarman]

I believe Arturo Fuente also has an 8-9-8, so not exclusive to Cuba. Although the Fuente family was originally from there. Likely a marketing idea to make a more compact cigar box perhaps? Instead of a "topper" 13 on top of 12.

[Ford2112]

1 hour ago, SCgarman said:

I believe Arturo Fuente also has an 8-9-8

8-5-8 

[JohnS]

We've only just 'scratched the surface' here. We need to start new separate threads as to why the Rafael Gonzalez Coronas de Lonsdales is a Hermosos No.4 and the new Asia-Pacifico Regional Edition La Flor de Cano Diademas is a Julieta No.2-sized Churchill!

[Glass Half Full]

Fuente’s 8-5-8’s are not related to their size or other specs. They relate to Carlos Sr.’s 85th birthday (at least as far as I’ve read). The point was, supposedly, whichever way you read the box, you’d end up thinking “85” was a magical number.

I’m just repeating things I’ve read so welcome any corrections.

[Ford2112]

@Glass Half Full this is correct.

[BrightonCorgi]

There was talk years ago about a Swiss retailer doing a pyramid style box of 25's similar to Toblerone packaging. Not sure how far it got, but would've been really cool.

[El Presidente]

I could never work out the reasoning behind that name. 

[SirVantes]

9 hours ago, JohnS said:

We've only just 'scratched the surface' here. We need to start new separate threads as to why the Rafael Gonzalez Coronas de Lonsdales is a Hermosos No.4 and the new Asia-Pacifico Regional Edition La Flor de Cano Diademas is a Julieta No.2-sized Churchill!

First things first, @JohnS Let's figure out what a particular CC is called, before asking why it's called that.

The box says "20 Maestro", "20 Origen", "20 Rito".  So, 1 Maestro, 1 Origen, 1 Rito.  Great, simple. No "s".

But "20 Aliados".  So 1 Aliados?

Ergo, 1 Lusitanias, 1 Presidentes, 1 Shorts...1 Robustos (?!)

[JohnS]

2 hours ago, SirVantes said:

First things first, @JohnS Let's figure out what a particular CC is called, before asking why it's called that.

Of course, there are a few rabbit holes we could venture down in the links below...

[99call]

On 2/3/2025 at 3:22 AM, ha_banos said:

But to answer the headline. No sir they are not. Confined to the other great Habanos marketing names 

- Herfing 

- Walk in humidor

- Ammunition

- Hat-trick

- Hermitage

- Gladiator

- Amateur

- 898 (in a 10 box)

I don’t want to set off @Chas.Alpha But ‘Vikingos’ has to be the most awkward stupid name in release history. 

[ha_banos]

@99call missed that one! Baltic Vikings! But also reminds me of Simones. Why the Canada regional!? 🤔 Perhaps confused translating North and South?

[99call]

10 hours ago, ha_banos said:

Why the Canada regional!? 🤔 Perhaps confused translating North and South?

I have no idea, the only Canadian regional name that made any sense to me was the ‘Siboney' 2014 one.

[gormag38]

3 hours ago, ha_banos said:

But also reminds me of Simones.

Man, such a glorious cab. I'm lucky enough to have sourced some singles, but a whole cab of these would probably be the jewel in my collection. (or at least until a new one strikes my fancy 😆)