AUTHOR ARCHIVES :

New Dominique London Pall Mall Store, Everyday Cigars Explained, Goodbye Drew Estate Acid

Hello C.Gars! I hope you have all had a great week! 

On Monday, we were incredibly busy with online orders. As a team we all got together and picked them all very fast. Afterwards I became a teacher – As my loyal readers will know, I have been doing a lot more computer work since the Norfolk shop closed and I have been loving it. However , I am not going to be working every day and so I need to train someone else to be able to do it whilst I am away on holiday. So I spent time with Lisa, she already knew how to do some of it but there are bits that she finds intimidating and so I walked her through it all – how to create stock reports, how to contact suppliers about products and more. She did a very good job and I am confident she will be able to do it while I’m not around.

On Tuesday, I spent a lot of time creating not one but two articles for the C.Gars cigar library. The first one is called Everyday Cigars Explained – Popular Options UK Smokers Buy Regularly – I feel like this is a great article for those who want to smoke cigars everyday but are afraid of the price tag – You can read it here. The second one is called Cigar Shops in the UK – How to Find Trusted Retailers Near You – This one is a nice generic article about how to find a trusted cigar shop – You can read it here. The brilliant team here took care of online orders but I always like to help where I can. I noticed an interesting order from a customer who purchased some rather special Cuban cigars. He ordered three of each too, which either means he is a great friend to his friends or he knows what he likes and took advantage of our low prices. Either way I’m happy for him.

Wednesday seemed to be a very busy day for me. I started the day by helping the team pick online orders and then afterwards I was making sure all of our stock was online. A few weeks ago I reviewed some cigars that had been out of stock on our website for a while. After speaking with my Yoda Chris, it was decided we must take action, so I contacted all of our suppliers to see if we could get the stock and I also contacted our London Office to see if they had stock of some of the products. I was pleasantly surprised to see that London had some Davidoff Discovery Limited Edition 2022 Gran Toro – This cigar sold very well and to see they had some was very surprising indeed – Get them whilst you can as they have very limited stock! Afterwards I received a very good press release from Dominique London! They have confirmed that our new La Casa del Habano boutique on Pall Mall, in the heart of St James’s, will officially open at 10am on 26 March 2026! This is incredibly exciting as it is the UK’s first Dominique London store! You can read more about it here.

Thursday was stock count day. Lisa and I worked tirelessly to count all of our stock and we did it with plenty of time to spare. Afterwards I received some unfortunate news – Drew Estate have discontinued their Acid range in the UK! This is a massive shame as the Acid Blondie was incredibly popular and in some cases a lot of customers first ever cigar. So if you do enjoy the Acid range from Drew Estate get yours whilst you can! My personal favourite is the Green Candela – I can’t describe the flavour other than sweet, but it was lovely! Maybe I’ll get a few before they all go.

On Friday, After completing all of the online orders I was given a task to consolidate one month’s worth of Cuban out of stock into one handy spreadsheet. This meant going through all my old reports and combining them together, it was tough but I did it in a very good time. Afterwards I re-listed some Chevron cigars. We have always sold the bundles so I thought I would put the singles online to see if they were always wanted as singles. As the singles hadn’t been sold for a while, I had to re-do the pricing on them as the bundles had gone up unfortunately.  

I hope you have enjoyed this weeks going on in Norfolk.

So long for now.

Oliver.

This Woman’s Work

Is This Really a Man’s World?

‘This is a man’s world’, the words vehemently proclaimed by the prolific, enigmatic, culturally defining and captivating ‘Godfather of Soul’, James Joseph Brown.
A powerful, yet controversial statement that outlines the nature of the archetypal society within which many discoveries, developments and accomplishments have been achieved.

Even more commanding than that opening proclamation are the following lyrics that passionately state ‘but it wouldn’t be nothing without a woman or a girl’. In light of International Women’s Day (which in my humble opinion should be celebrated every day) I have decided to share my unpretentious perspective, highlight my appreciation and highlight the crucial and instrumental work being carried out by the great women of the CGars / Dominique London brand.

Yesterday at the St James Street branch of CGars, the company had the honour of hosting a book signing event for the well-renowned and globally celebrated Alexander Groom. The lauded author, researcher and successor to the ‘Cuban Cigar Website’ throne, founded by Trevor Leask, is considered by many within the cigar community to be the leading authority on Havana cigars. His 720-page dissertation, ‘El Habano Moderno: A Collector’s Guide to Cuban Cigars in the Modern Era’, an awe-inspiring body of work, serves as the ‘new-age bible’ for Habanos cigar enthusiasts worldwide. I was fortunate enough to share a brief moment with this ‘legend of the leaf’ and have him sign my own personal copy of his masterpiece publication.

The Woman of The Year.

It was at this event that I had the sincere pleasure of meeting the illustrious, highly decorated cigar expert, first-everHabanos Woman of the Year and founder of Dominique London Ltd, Dominique Gyselinck. A power couple in every sense of the term, the pair exuded an air of majesty and excellence that can be attributed to success — success in business as well as all other integral aspects of life.

I’m not one to mince words so I will just go ahead and say I found her to be a magnificent specimen of the quintessential ‘Boss Lady’. She was elegant, very well presented, stylish, polished and refined with an air of quiet super-confidence. She was far from meek but her comportment, more so than her words, commanded both attention and respect. As a result I paid her the toll of both and it was an honour to offer her the same quality of hospitality that I would extend to CGars customers on her behalf.

As the founder of her brand, she is not only a strategic leader but also a symbol of progressive defiance in a male-dominated industry. That being said, the majority of the employees I met on my travels to the different locations and outlets under the company’s banner were highly motivated, charismatic and influential women. I find it very significant that such an organisation with such a wide reach, that not only survived but flourished during the age of an international pandemic, has at its core a female-dominated workforce that encapsulates the necessity for mutual opportunity and respect between the sexes.

Reflections of a son.

It is by no means a coincidence that I myself was fortunate enough to be raised by a strong enterprising woman who, as well as being the foundation of security and welfare for a legion of family members she left behind in Nigeria in the late 1960s, was able to support my father, a Biafran War veteran and stenographer for General Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, in raising a family of four children.

One of her most impressive accomplishments in my opinion was the success of her own commercial cleaning contractor company, Almo Cleaning Services, that operated as the official cleaning contractor to Lambeth Palace, the formal London residence and administrative headquarters of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Her organisation held this contract and designation for no less than 13 years until her tragic and untimely demise in 2016 in a losing battle with liver cancer. She was however survived by myself and two exceptionally resilient, intelligent and hardworking daughters who embody her legacy.

Before she left this world she imparted her lessons of business management on myself and my partner. Together we continue to honour her memory by adhering to her ethos of decency, morality and hard work being the foundation of a fruitful partnership. It brings me immense joy to see Sadie, the mother of my four children of which three of them are girls, who just recently turned 40, achieving her personal goals, nurturing her children and building an entrepreneurial legacy by fostering a strong enduring culture of accountability and dedicated personal development in our home.

Birds of a feather.

I believe my mother would have greatly admired the likes of Dominique and the rest of the hardworking women of CGars / Dominique London as she would have seen herself and her struggles in these great professionals that remain an integral part of the brand’s success.

I couldn’t help but feel that protective, guiding, motherly energy from so many different women I have had the honour of meeting since becoming a part of this community. Whether it was for the purpose of training or just a genuine natural instinct to want to help me find my way, I’m sure without the excellence and attentiveness of these women, this company wouldn’t be what it is today.

Last thoughts.

It is for this reason that I implore you, all of you reading this humble tribute piece, to celebrate the women of CGars as the cornerstone of this fine company as you enjoy the fruits of their labour. Yes we men are here too, but we would be nothing without our female counterparts to whom we owe an abundance of gratitude.

To the masters of the universe and mere mortals alike, keep your spirits poured, your cigars alight and the continuous appreciation, celebration and liberation of women and their fundamental rights alive.

Joseph Okon

Travel Humidors, Kristoff Cigars, Davidoff Price Drop

Hello everyone! I hope you are keeping well, the weather is brightening up now and we are getting an influx of online orders to enjoy the nicer weather.

Monday was a lot busier than usual, we had a lot of online orders specifically for cigars. It felt nice when we finally completed our order pickings. I certainly enjoyed having the humidor products downstairs in the old shop space. It made picking orders with humidors a lot easier. I noticed a lot of travel humidors were being picked – It would seem like everyone wants their top quality cigars on their holiday (who wouldn’t). Afterwards I created a Cuban cigar order, our stock levels are quite good, a few favourites are out of stock but overall we are doing well. 

On Tuesday, I spent some time writing a new article for the C.Gars cigar library – It’s called Montecristo Cigars: Prices, Formats & What UK Smokers Need to Know – You can read it here. I also spent some time speaking to our SEO specialist to see how we can improve the cigar library software that we use. Currently it’s in a bit of a trial mode as I use it the most, I tend to find out the bugs in the system. However, he has assured me he is working on it for me. Afterwards, I planned my cigar subscriptions. It’s difficult to decide what cigars to use each month as I like to keep it different. Personally I like to try different things and I’d like to think my subscribers feel the same and so when I put something out of the ordinary in there, it’s great to see some good feedback. I also noticed a new cigar selection from Kristoff, It’s a fabulous little box of 8 Robustos. It’s called the Kristoff Robusto Sampler Pack, make sure you get yours now.

Wednesday, Lisa and I decided to do a stock count. You will see why in a moment. Together we started on the Cuban cigars before moving to the New Worlds. I also noted a few brands that have been overlooked and passed them onto our brilliant marketing team, hopefully you’ll see a few on our newsletters and want to give them a go. 

On Thursday, we were slightly short staffed due to some of our management team being on a training course. Once I completed the online orders, I opened a very large delivery of Kristoff cigars! I was very happy to see it but also overwhelmed as to where I would put it! However, I made a space and luckily they all (just about) fitted in our humidor. Afterwards, I looked at our out of stock list going back to last year! This will be where our suppliers haven’t been able to get the stock but we don’t want to take the product offline. I made a large list and asked Chris, if it is worth speaking to our suppliers to see if they have any stock at all or taking some offline. Later in the day, Chris gave me another job of going through a spreadsheet and judging if some products should be on offer. These will be under-performing cigars by the numbers (this doesn’t mean they are bad cigars, as there could be a variety of reasons) that might need a little push in the right direction with a lower price. My favourite price drop so far is the Davidoff Grand Cru Diademas Finas Limited Edition 2024 – I was able to take £13 off the full price! Make sure you check it out as I will be reviewing them next month! 

On Friday, I had a training session about effective communication. I certainly took a lot from our session and will be using it going forward. Afterwards, I helped pick online orders and carried on with my spreadsheet. As you may have noticed, I have been doing a lot more computer work, the truth is I love it! I have been on computers for as long as I can remember and so this is second nature to me.

I hope you have all enjoyed this weeks goings on.

So long for now.

Oliver

My Father Jaime Garcia, Alexander Groom, Dominican Cigars

Hello everyone, It has been a rather different week for me this week. Less computers and more manual labour! 

Monday was another busy day with plenty of online orders. On Friday before the weekend, I actually lowered the price of the My Father Jaime Garcia range to see if the price was putting customers off trying them, and it turned out I was right. Since lowering the price, many customers purchased one to see what they are like – It sounds like a great cigar to have in the late morning/early afternoon. Get yours whilst you can at this low price. After all of the online order picking, I created a Cuban cigar order, I love getting so much done on a Monday as it makes the rest of the week seem easy (even though it isn’t).

Tuesday was a big day for us all. After online order picking, A few members of the team started making the ex-shop look more like a warehouse. They started by building some shelving and bringing down humidors from a room upstairs. The team did a fantastic job! But what did I do? Well I spent all of my time in the New World humidor, rearranging it all alphabetically to make finding stock easier as well as making our stock counts more efficient – something we would find out later.

On Wednesday, I carried on with the New World humidor – this was not an easy task and it took a lot more energy than I had expected but I got there! We also made more space for more cigars to fit in, so it was an extra bonus! Meanwhile the rest of the team kept bringing down more stock! It’s unbelievable how much this place looks less than a shop now.

Thursday was stock count day. Lisa and I counted everything as quickly as we could and almost everything was in the perfect place and we even came up with some ideas to fit even more stock in. I also found out our cigar brand of the month for March is Rocky Patel! A fantastic brand, well known around the world. Keep an eye on our website for some amazing deals on Rocky Patel cigars. After the stock count, I noticed Lewis had been very busy on the C.Gars cigar library. Once exciting article is about an exclusive evening with Alexander Groom! He is the author behind the El Habano Moderno books – Click here to read more.

On Friday, I was back on my computer. I started the day by picking orders, afterwards I completed the finishing touches to the shop newsletters. I then updated the stock of our Cuban cigars as well as some of the accessories. I then focused on creating an article for the C.Gars cigar library. This one is called Dominican Cigars – A Guide to the Best Brands Available in the UK. I enjoyed writing this article and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, click here to read. I spent the afternoon improving an old article of mine which needed a few tweaks, and then just a general tidy up ready for another week.

I hope you have enjoyed this weeks blog.

So long for now.

Oliver

Top 10 Cigars, Whisky Flight Nights, A Big Move Around

Hello everyone from the Norfolk Warehouse! Another week goes by and the realisation of us being a warehouse is in full flow.

On Monday, we were amazed by the amount of online orders we had – at this time of the year and especially considering the weather currently – We don’t expect loads of orders but it really shocked us. We didn’t panic and just like a well oiled machine we got the job done. Afterwards I contacted all of our cigar suppliers to see if there were any stock issues, of which I am pleased to say there aren’t many and then I sent a stock report on our out of stock Cuban cigars to our Head of Operations to see what she could do. In the afternoon, I ordered some Cuban stock (in the hope we get it all). It does seem like the popular cigars are easy to get but not the more obscure lines like Sancho Panza and Saint Luis Rey. 

On Tuesday, I focused on the C.Gars cigar library. I now have the help of one of our marketing specialists Lewis (you may have seen him on our Youtube channel). Together we have been given a large list of articles that need writing and uploading. This week four articles were uploaded! A highlight for me was the Top 10 cigars of 2025 – It is fascinating to see what our most popular cigars are chosen by you! You can read it here, but make sure you check out all of our articles. As well as creating articles, I improved some old ones so they will get more views from people using Google. In between articles, I had a look at some of our oldest out of stock products to see if there was any I could put online. I then contacted our suppliers to see if they have stock of which I found some we will never get again, so I then have to take them off the website.

On Wednesday, I focused on the shop newsletters. Even though I no longer run a shop anymore, my knowledge on the products certainly helped me create the newsletters with the shops. Like I have always said, you need to travel to each of the shops to truly appreciate the uniqueness of each store. C.Gars Leeds have started doing Whisky Flight Nights on Fridays (when they don’t have a cigar sampling event). I think it’s a great idea for £15. Afterwards, Lisa and I started our weekly stock count. We decided to start with Cuban cigars to get them fully completed in a day and then move onto New World cigars. Late on in the day I was tasked to check a price difference between two suppliers. It looks like we can now get PDR cigars from two different suppliers and so I was tasked to see the price difference so we can pass those changes onto our customers. So if you see some PDR cigars go down in price, you are welcome. 

Thursday was stock count day. We were given a new stock sheet to use as a lot of our cigars have had slight name changes, but this was good as the new sheet only had everything that was online at the time, and so anything we found that wasn’t on the stock sheet I put online, it felt like a fantastic day. Afterwards, I was given another task from Chris our assistant manager and my Yoda – He wanted me to find out the sales of certain cigars for January and compare them to February, all the ones he had chosen were on sale in January and not on sale in February and he wanted to see the difference in sales and see if its a popularity issue with the cigar or a price issue. Again I found it very fascinating to see and completed it as soon as possible.

Friday was upon us. We started our day by picking orders and then we started moving stock around the warehouse. We are now moving all pipe tobacco into one room with Ben, so he can manage our stock levels a lot easier. It certainly is an interesting office for him but he will soon get used to it and the best part? His office is next to mine! By the way, I still haven’t moved from where I used to sit in the shop. I have now just claimed it as my office! Afterwards I started to organise our New World humidor, just like I did with the Cuban cigars a couple of weeks ago, all New world cigars will be placed alphabetically. It helps a lot during stock count and if we have any new starters it will help them when picking orders. We have already organised our Davidoff/Plasencia section so it goes alphabetically perfectly – the rest of the brands will just be a bigger task – But as always we will get there!

I hope you have enjoyed this week’s going on.

So long for now.

Oliver.