Dublin Launch of Punch Nectares 50

[Drguano]

A great time was had by all.

 

 

 

[ha_banos]

Some usual suspects make there way everywhere! Thanks for the photos!

[westg]

Amazing. Great pics. 😃

[madandana]

A great time. Thanks for sharing Peter.

Peter and I had to represent FOH as Ben couldn’t get out of bed in time 😂😂🍹🍹🍷🍷

[Fugu]

A shame HSA refused to do the green bands, as Andy proposed / designed. Truly a missed opportunity!

[ha_banos]

5 hours ago, Fugu said:

A shame HSA refused to do the green bands, as Andy proposed / designed. Truly a missed opportunity!

I agree! I mean who produced this? It looks smothered in Green.

[El Presidente]

So happy for Rob/Stuart. This was a long journey. Well done Andy/Yiorgos for all your hard work bringing it to fruition. 

 

 

Ireland Gets Its First Habanos Regional Edition Cigar

Cuba’s newest smoke, the Punch Néctares No. 50, made its debut yesterday in Dublin

Jun 23, 2025 | By David Savona

 

 

The Punch Néctares No. 50 Exclusivo Irlanda made its public debut yesterday in Dublin, presented by Hunters & Frankau, the British cigar importer, and Ampersand, the Irish cigar import company. The Néctares No. 50 is 6 1/4 inches long by 50 ring, packed in cabinets of 50. The cigars have a suggested retail price of 65 euros ($75) apiece, and they come in numbered cabinets. Production is being capped at 1,400 boxes, or 70,000 cigars. 

CONTINUED

 

[ha_banos]

The stateside brothers who identify as Irish will go nuts for these I guess. That's not going to be enough cabs.

Well done to everyone getting these done. I only imagine it had been quite the journey. 

Can't believe Ben slept through the whole event? 

[El Presidente]

God I hope there is one up on Bond Roberts later today. 

 

[ha_banos]

11 hours ago, El Presidente said:

God I hope there is one up on Bond Roberts later today.

I heard GA next year! So unless Foxy is nimble fingering...

[madandana]

On 6/24/2025 at 5:54 AM, ha_banos said:

The stateside brothers who identify as Irish will go nuts for these I guess. That's not going to be enough cabs.

Well done to everyone getting these done. I only imagine it had been quite the journey. 

Can't believe Ben slept through the whole event? 

Just kidding - Ben and Hattie made it. Just a little late.

[El Presidente]

13 hours ago, madandana said:

Just kidding - Ben and Hattie made it. Just a little late.

What a surprise 

[Ryan]

A lovely day out. Great to see so many people I hadn't seen in years. Ben and Harriet in great form. I finished up at 8 am yesterday morning on a hotel smoking patio in a different town. That's a long story. An interlude with a professional women's rugby team in a nightclub at 3 am.

Nice to finally see my profile photo in real life. After 17 years.

[Ryan]

Sat down with the Gibraltarians yesterday and came up with the Gibraltarian regional, marca/vitola/packaging. It'll be brilliant. 

[Ryan]

I went to the rugby with the Stagnettos on Friday evening, Lions vs Argentina. Pubs were too busy so cans and Ramon Allones in the park before the game. 
Some happy Argentinians at the end.

[JohnS]

June 23, 2025 - Patrick Lagreid

Ireland Gets its First Edición Regional as Punch Néctares No. 50 Goes on Sale

Over the weekend, cigar smokers in Ireland were treated to a first as the Punch Néctares No. 50 was released, the first time that the country has had its own Edición Regional release.

The Punch Néctares No. 50 measures 6 3/10 inches (160mm) long and has a 50 ring gauge, a vitola known as the Magnum 50. It’s the same size as the H. Upmann Magnum 50 and has also been used for a handful of other Edición Regional releases as well as the Partagás Selección Privada, one of the 2014 Edición Limitada releases.  Production is limited to 1,400 boxes of 50 cigars, a total run of 70,000 cigars. Single cigars are priced at €65.50 ($75.80), while a cabinet of 50 is priced at €3,000 ($3,471,86).

“Finally bringing Ireland its first Habanos Regional Edition is a moment of immense pride,” said Rob Fox, managing director of the distributor Ampersand and chair of the retailer James J. Fox, said at the launch. “The Punch Néctares No. 50 is a phenomenal cigar and, in reuniting the Punch brand with its legacy Néctares line, it represents our enduring commitment to cigar culture in Ireland. We can’t wait to share it with our loyal customers.”

The cigars get their name from a discontinued subset of the Punch brand called Néctares that was made exclusively for James J Fox cigar merchants in Dublin and London. The original Punch Néctares line, whose vitolas were differentiated numerically, was discontinued in the 1980s. “At the time, it was one of the most sought-after cigars in the Irish market, hence the name’s use to celebrate Ireland’s first Habanos Regional Edition cigar,” a press release announcing the cigar’s launch said.

The cigars are distributed in Ireland by Ampersand, which worked in collaboration with Hunters & Frankau, which is the distributor of Habanos S.A. products in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar.

The Edición Regional program is offered by Habanos S.A. to its various distributors around the world. Each year, distributors can select one cigar to be commissioned for their region, though there have been exceptions when some distributors have been able to select more than one. Those cigars must come from a brand that was not part of the company’s former “Global Brands” group, meaning Cohiba, H. Upmann, Hoyo de Monterrey, Montecristo, Partagás, and Romeo y Julieta are not eligible. Additionally, the selection must be a size that is currently not offered in that specific brand.

Edición Regional cigars are signified by a secondary red and silver band that reads Edición Regional, followed typically by the name of the region represented by that specific distributor. Oftentimes, the cigars do not arrive at stores during the year they are selected for, sometimes multiple years later.

Images courtesy of Hunters & Frankau.

Source: https://halfwheel.com/ireland-gets-its-first-edicion-regional-as-punch-nectares-no-50-goes-on-sale/452550/

[Fugu]

So, a word on the cigar itself from the ones who’d smoked it? Sure, you guys are biased, but still…  😅 

Or is the silence so far in that regard something to be concerned about?!?   

[Lucas Buck]

If I could even procure a single stick I would be thrilled. 

[El Presidente]

6 hours ago, Fugu said:

So, a word on the cigar itself from the ones who’d smoked it? Sure, you guys are biased, but still…  😅 

Or is the silence so far in that regard something to be concerned about?!?   

 Insert Irish accent. 

"Rob,I’m tellin’ ya! This one’s one o’ the finest bloody sticks I’ve had since ol’ Saint Patrick himself booted the snakes outta Ireland and lit a celebratory puro on the hill o’ Tara. Smooth as a priest's confessional lie and hits harder than me aunt Maureen after three whiskeys!"

[99call]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

 Insert Irish accent. 

"Rob,I’m tellin’ ya! This one’s one o’ the finest bloody sticks I’ve had since ol’ Saint Patrick himself booted the snakes outta Ireland and lit a celebratory puro on the hill o’ Tara. Smooth as a priest's confessional lie and hits harder than me aunt Maureen after three whiskeys!"

Wrappers as glossy as Molly Malones...

[Drguano]

Very nice cigar that got better as it smoked. Being in Ireland for the week prior to the release did impact my taste buds in a major way (world’s nastiest kabob after leaving the pub late Saturday night) and I had hoped no one would ask for a nuanced tasting report. I heard nothing but positive comments from even the crankiest smokers. Only one report of a tight draw. My draw and burn were perfect. It must have grown stronger as it went as I became more enamored as I got further along. The final observation was that people were smoking them down. There were no half sticks in the ashtrays. In the end, I hope they are good as I remember as I bought a box.

[eeblum]

I have had the pleasure of enjoying a Néctares No.4 on my 50th birthday. It was gifted to me by @cigarnv. It remains to this day as one of the most memorable cigars I had ever smoked. Thank you Reid!

[ha_banos]

On 6/24/2025 at 11:38 PM, Ryan said:

I went to the rugby with the Stagnettos on Friday evening, Lions vs Argentina. Pubs were too busy so cans and Ramon Allones in the park before the game. 
Some happy Argentinians at the end.

Just think if this was France, no smoking in parks etc. where kids might roam. Coming soon to your bit of the EU too.

Breathing car/bus fumes? No de problem.

[madandana]

My friends here will tell you that I’m no connoisseur so I may not be qualified for a full report. 

But Both Dana and I enjoyed the cigar immensely. As Peter said it grew in strength and flavor, burn was perfect. No complaints on the draw.

 

[Havanaaddict]

Over the years I have been able to sample a few of the Nectares No.2 & No.4. The Nectares No.2 being the must unique and one of my top 5 cigar I have ever smoked!