Just back from Havana- my 51st trip since 1997 🙂 and I’m still enjoying it as much as ever despite it being a bit of a ‘busman’s holiday’. The weather was a vast improvement from my January trip and I’m hoping it gets even warmer for the Festival in a week’s time ( that will be trip 52 !) Havana is packed with tourists this time of year and I was also surprised to see quite a few of the cigar crowd out and about which made it all the more fun for me.

We started the trip in style with a champagne breakfast at Caviar House in Gatwick airport and a comfortable Virgin flight to Jose Marti. Managed to get out of the airport in record time ( only time for a Partagas short ) and head straight to Partagas LCDH to smoke some custom blend La China’s. Great smokes for ‘freshies’ and most welcomed after the long 10 ½ hour flight with some good 7 year old rum ( thank you Abel !) The receptionist on the exec floor of the Nacional actually greeted me by name when I checked in….that’s when you know you have been to the same hotel too many times! But it’s still my favourite spot for a smoke and old habits die hard.

On Thursday we did the mega cigar crawl of Partagas, Palacio, Melia Habana, Comodoro, Nacional and 5th y 16th. The main smokes of the day were Cohiba BHK’s of all sizes with the odd UK regional Punch Serie D’Oro no. 1 thrown in between. I swear the BHK blend is unlike any other ( no doubt due to the medio tiempo leaf) and the cigars just get better and better.

We had been selling BHK56 faster than the other vitolas but it seems that BHK52’s are now catching up, possibly due to the rating in Cigar Aficionado ( for once I’ll agree with them !)

Looooong herf at 5th y 16th La Casa which seems to be coming back to life after a few quiet years although the humidor didn’t look terribly well stocked. Perhaps they will stock it up before Festival week. See photo below of us having a cigar with Carlos Robaina ( son of the late and legendary Alejandro)

Friday we took a mega day road trip to Varedero, Cienfuegos and Trinidad. I have not visited the two latter and was very surprised how lovely Cienfuegos is. Shops were well stocked, streets were clean and there was a great buzz. We walked all over the place and visited the museum which was very interesting with lots of detail and exhibits about the Revolution.

If Havana is in a time warp then Trinidad is twice as time warped! Cobble stoned streets etc al! of course I had to smoke a Trinidad in Trinidad so I settled on an Ingenios limited edition 🙂

Saturday was a chilled out day and some decent music in the evening with a few more Cohiba Behike and Sunday it was back to Jose Marti airport for the flight back home. I was lucky enough to get an upgrade on the flight and of course the Upper Class lounge has a smoking area 🙂 so….one last custom blend ( this time from Santos) and I was set up for the flight!

Back to the office for a few days in rainy London and then I’m off for trip no.52 for the February ‘Festival del Habano’ – can’t wait 🙂

Have a great week

Peaceful puffing

Saludos

Mitchell

Last week was a busy one as I spent a few days at our whisky and cigar stores in Glasgow and Edinburgh where my partner Ron Morrison and I enjoyed our latest Robert Graham Ltd Independent bottled single malt whiskies.

We are hoping these will be award winners this year. Deanston 1995 I can tell you is an outrageously good match with Cohiba BHK52’s which we smoked back to back into the wee small hours.

Checkout the Robert Graham Ltd scotch single malt range on this link

Checkout Cohiba Behike on this link

I think Cigar Aficionado magazine recently gave an exceptionally high rating to Behike and they were not wrong. The blend is unlike any other Cohiba, smoother and sweeter and they just keep improving every time I revisit them.

Trip number 51 to Havana is this week as I am trying to escape the lousy London weather and hoping it will be a bit warmer smoking a cigar or two with some Cuban rum round the pool of the Hotel Nacional 🙂

Back in my London office we have finally approved the plans for our new walk in humidor due to be built at the end of April – we’re looking forward to it as once again we are completely out of space to store Havanas. We actually age a proportion of our inventory for later release which I understand cigar merchants used to do many years ago,

I’ve been smoking quite a few Partagas 165th anniversary cigars over the last week and they show great promise. Good smokes now, well balanced and of perfect appearance with smooth vein free wrapper and of course the special Partagas anniversary band. I have 2 humidors open and am making twin sets of the 109’s and sublimes available for friends to try before they buy a complete humidor. Checkout the photos on this link

Have a smokey week… I know I will!

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

Actually this was a very heavy weeks herfing! Starting off with a Sunday evening herf at Ten Manchester street with friends for dinner drinks and some outstanding Cohiba Behike 52’s which just seem to taste better to me all the time. Ten Manchester street is a delightful cigar friendly boutique hotel that has one of the loveliest cigar terraces and best of all – it’s warm ! Rather important with the lousy cold weather in London this week. Great food, improved service, good wine and scotch list and a well stocked humidor – who could ask for more? Well a little background music for ambience would do no harm, perhaps they will add that at some stage. Anyway this venue is near my office so it’s fast becoming a firm favourite and regular herfing location and it’s nice to bump into friends that I recommended too (Hi Theo!)

Our annual Burns Night herf was rather oversubscribed with around 15 of the regular crowd including Gordon (happy birthday!) Craig, Vimal from Burlington Bertie cigar merchants, Tillman – our photographer from Hamburg, Mark Blount- famous basketball star!, Chris, Mike Mirecki from Cuba Welcome travel, James Leavey to name a few, meeting up at Boisdale Belgravia on Monday evening for smokes on the Terrace and Haggis in the restaurant !… all to the sounds of a piper who somehow always seemed to end up playing right in my ear ! Boisdale was heaving busy as ever and always has a great atmosphere and great service. I went through some regular production Monte 2’s which are currently smoking to perfection.

Tuesday and it was back to Ten Manchester street to meet some friends who had come over from Japan (see photo’s) drinks and smokes on the terrace- this time I was back to Punch Serie D’Oro no.1 UK regional edition and it was the bomb! Incredible blend that will keep improving for years and years.

The Tuesday evening herf was at the lovely Lanesborough Hotel cigar terrace. To be honest it doesn’t get much better in terms of service and comfort – just the best of the best. I love it! 5 friends herfing 2007 Bolivar Belicosos – has to be the best vintage for this cigar.

To cap the week of herfing off – lunch at Boisdale yesterday- perfect. Smokes on the terrace and yes I went back to BHK52’s …..whattttta week!

So some people are still asking me what’s a herf ? well here’s the answer !

Looks like January has more or less flown by and it’s been our best January in history – well done to my Sales Team. Next week I’m off to Scotland to check out our cigar stores and sample some of our latest independent whisky bottling’s in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Next month I’m looking forward to finally choosing a car transport California company and moving into our new modern cigar shop in Liverpool as well as going to Havana for the Festival… it’s going to be a busy month !

Have a smokey weekend

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

I usually only go to Havana for the February and November Festivals but this year is an exception as a good friend and great cigar aficionado asked me if I could show him around for a few days which was of course my pleasure to do. It was an even greater pleasure as we stayed on his splendid boat instead of the Hotel Nacional where I usually stay and I can tell you it was far better accommodation !

We were lucky to have an excellent driver (thank you Jorge!) and our site seeing included visits to Hemmingway’s house, Floridita, Camra Oscura, Los Jazmines, Robainas plantation, Robaina shop at the Melia

I can’t think of a better place than Havana to smoke the best Havanas ever made which included Partagas 150 and 155th anniversary Habanos 1994 amongst many others- usually matched up with some first rate Robert Graham single malt as well as 1949 Macallan- that was a treat !

The weather was a bit changeable on this my 50th trip to Havana so I’m hoping it improves by trip 51 next month for the XIII Festival del Habanos which I’m looking forward to.

Since I returned, the interest level in the incredible Partagas 165th anniversary humidor seems to have reached frenzy level as they have now sold out in Cuba. I hear someone walked in to Partagas and bought all that were not sold at the November Partagas Festival!

We finally received and have started shipping the latest Orchant Seleccion Havana cigars:

El Rey del Mundo Tainos Orchant Seleccion in slide lid boxes of 25 and singles with the most perfect wrappers and in the best condition you are ever likely to see a Havana cigar in.

Bolivar tubed Royal Coronas Orchant Seleccion to mark the occasion of the Royal wedding in boxes of 10 and singles

My cigars are of course specially double banded Orchant Seleccion and the boxes have numbered inserts. Only 64 and 100 boxes of each will ever be made available. The finest Havanas you will ever smoke…or your money back.

I’m off to Ten Manchester street for a spot of dinner and some good smokes, probably a Por Larranaga Regalias de Londres or two 🙂

Have a great weekend.

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

The annual General Meeting of Orchant & Wolters Gmbh was held in London last Sunday. The Directors of the Board including myself and Christoph Wolters (that’s the whole board!) started the meeting at Ten Manchester street’s lovely cigar terrace for a spot of lunch and continued the meeting at the American bar in the Stafford Hotel in St James’s which has a delightful cigar friendly terrace. Business was discussed very seriously over a large quantity of BHK 52’s accompanied with ‘Horsenecks’ and ‘Old fashioned’ cocktails 🙂 Plans were made for our continued world domination of the cigar trade 🙂 Needless to say Chrissie and I had a great afternoon.

El Rey Del Mundo Tainos 2001- Orchant Seleccion
Next week I am releasing a limited edition of 64 boxes of English Market Selection, 2001 vintage Tainos, personally selected at Hunters and Frankau and specially double banded Orchant Seleccion. I shall open 2 or three boxes for visitors to my London office so singles will be available as well as full boxes for a limited period of time.

To reserve some of these fine Havanas, simply drop me an email …hurry as 30 boxes are already pre sold !

Bolivar Royal Coronas – Royal Wedding cigars – Orchant Seleccion
Congratulations to William and Kate ! we are so proud of our Royal family and terribly excited for the Royal wedding that this week we are releasing 100 boxes of 10 Bolivar tubed Royal Coronas – Orchant Seleccion. Specially double banded and with Royal Wedding insert.

To reserve some of these fine Royal Wedding Havanas, simply drop me an email or pre order using this dummy secure order link hurry as 50 boxes are already pre sold !

This blog comes to you from sunny Havana where I am enjoying a few days herfing with a good friend and client who is experiencing Havana for the first time and I am relishing my role as official Havana cigar tour guide J we’re smoking our way through vast quantities of El Rey del Mundo Tainos Orchant Seleccion – of course whilst sipping some great 15 year old Cuban rum… more details on my return to Blighty.

Peaceful puffing

Saludos desde La Habana

Mitchell