Punch Regional Release Asia Pacific 8-9-8 2018 - Limefinger ‘The Learnings’ Riesling 2020

One of the tough things about judging cigars is the extraordinary variation that bedevils attempts to do so. It is why that one should smoke as many examples of any particular cigar as possible before giving judgement. Of course, when Rob and I do our videos, we do exactly the opposite. We might, in some cases and more often Rob than myself, be able to bring past experience of a cigar to the table to provide a basis for comparison. But sometimes, it will be the first time either of us will have seen a cigar. Should we really be making definitive judgements based on that?

Well, yes. Otherwise, we would not get to spend our thoroughly enjoyable afternoons, together or zooming, discussing the world, solving problems, enjoying a drink and a smoke. But in reality, these reviews are not just subjective but if based on a single cigar, fraught with potential problems. Take them as a cautious indication, at best. 

Look at this week’s cigar, the Punch Regional Release Asia Pacific 8-9-8 2018. 

I tried one recently for Kenfessions, this one as it happens, and it came up well. I gave it a 92 – we’ll get to more details shortly. One of the things I will often do, after I have finished my cigar and done the review, is have a poke about FOH or the internet in general to see what others think. It doesn’t change my thoughts but it is always interesting to see if others agree. Or not. Up popped two reviews on the net (well, no doubt more but these were the top two and served the purpose). 

The first, from Halfwheel, was shall we say, not overly complimentary. In fact, they kicked the poor thing from pillar to post. Allow me to stress that I enjoy and respect the stuff Halfwheel does. And I am in no way disputing what he saw. Whoever is behind the site does thorough and informative reviews. I have no doubt that his review aligned exactly with his experience. As it should. 

And his, unfortunately, was not a pleasant experience. “With about two inches left, I’ve reached the point where I really don’t want to be smoking the cigar. To be clear, I would have likely thrown away the Punch 8-9-8 before this point, but there’s nothing left in terms of redeeming qualities… what I ended up with just another a long list of Edición Regionals that are a complete waste of money and time.” He gave it 75. So, not a success and a cigar to avoid. 

The next review was a bit different. 97. Doesn’t get much better. Far better than the experience I had, even if I enjoyed mine, and a different universe to Halfwheel. 

Now, this is where it gets even more complicated. That second review, the 97, was by me (honestly, I had completely forgotten doing it). It was in Quill and Pad. It must have come from a video Rob and I did. After checking, it had and Rob had declared this as the finest young cigar he had ever seen, bar the Cohiba Gran Reserva, and he gave it 95 (personally, I thought that gave him ‘Grinch of the Year’ award). 

My thoughts then – “Construction was fine, the draw also… they were exceedingly youthful. We were prepared to grant it some slack because of that, but no need… From the first puff, it was clear that this was something seriously special. There were immediate and rich notes of roasted nuts, toasted biscuits. No issues with youth, no “elbows and knees.” Immaculately balanced from the word go! This lovely toasty richness continued for the first third. Utterly delicious. The cigar was around medium-full in power. One of the key indicators of quality and potential in a young cigar is to follow its evolution as one smokes through it. We both said that, despite the desire to see such an evolution, it was so enjoyable that we didn’t care if it stayed exactly the same the entire way through (normally, that gets a bit boring). As it happened, we did not need to worry. The richness and toastiness became a little more moderated after a third. There was a creamy note that then became apparent, creamy coffee, some fudge. A hint of caramel. The power had calmed down and the cigar was medium at best at this stage. Again, we’d have been more than happy with that. After around two-thirds through, it reinvented itself yet again with the rich and roasted nut flavours coming back. The power also returned. Such a joy and a never-ending surprise. It was not done yet. One would expect that the finish of such a young cigar would have been a little harsh, perhaps a little hot. Hard to keep that balance right through. None of that: the power ramped right up and finished absolutely full blast, full power. The finish went for a very long time. We both had very similar experiences, so one can hopefully assume that these experiences will be reasonably standard.”

Well, whacko. 

Back we come to a middle ground with my recent one. Creamy, spices, a real roast and toast character. The power was a little over medium. There was a tiny bit of harshness to finish, as we expected but did not find in the earlier examples, but not much really. Overall, I really liked it. and I gave it 92. 

So, 75 or 92 or 95 or 97? Fingers crossed your box is a cracker, but this one does seem all over the place. 

For the more technical among us, a Lonsdale, a vitola named Dalia’s. Length of 170 and a ring gauge of 43 (for me, this qualifies as a skinny). 2018 it might be, but it did not emerge until late 2019. They made 8,888 boxes of 10 cigars. And this is a problem for me. Not the 8,888, which is obviously designed for the Chinese market, but 8-9-8s in boxes of ten? No, no, no. The entire point of the 8-9-8s, the reason they exist, is because they are layered that way in boxes of 25. Not happy with boxes of ten. 5-5? Spare me. 

A very simple match today, the Limefinger ‘The Learnings’ Riesling 2020. My old mate, ‘Pikey’, Neil Pike, responsible for so many stunning wines, especially Rieslings, recently retired (at a very young age, I might add) from his eponymous winery. Brother Andrew now runs the place and we are seeing a seamless transition. After early retirement, it did not take long before Neil found himself back in the saddle, sourcing fruit from a favourite Watervale vineyard. The result is the first wine for a new label, ‘Limefinger’. A cracking effort from what might be considered not the finest vintage the region has ever seen. 

The old master has not lost his touch. It is fine, lean, focused and well balanced. Steely backbone with citrus notes, lime and grapefruit. Excellent length and finely balanced. Everything suggests an exciting future. For this wine and the new operation. 95. 

And it made a reasonable match. Perhaps not one that will have songs written of it, and tales told around the fireplace to future generations, but serviceable. 

KBG