POST CATEGORY : Mitchell’s Blog

Video Mishaps, Magazine Work and Website Updates

Hey guys! Another week passes and I’m wondering where the time has gone… It seems the older I get, the quicker time goes by, and the more I forget (foreshadowing a below story…).

So! This week, what’s been happening? Let’s start with, naturally, a Monday. Over the weekend I had a sudden realisation. I like to watch back on my latest video content to see how it’s performing, check feedback and look at what I can do better. Everyone makes mistakes, but this one was embarrassing! I filmed a video called ‘Top 5 Cigars You MUST Try in 2026!’, and in these videos I choose 5 cigars I think everyone should try. When I tell you it’s difficult to make these lists – I bloody mean it. I mean, think about it, thousands of cigars to choose from, how on earth am I supposed to pick only 5! Anyway, back to the story, I typically write a script for these kinds of videos, after all, there’s so much information to relay. Usually I do my videos in sections:

  • Introduction
  • Brand history
  • Flavour and strength profile

When it comes to the brand history section, because many of these brands have so much information, I tend to read my script and put footage of the cigars over the top, so I don’t have to keep remembering everything – after all, I am not a robot! I made one error though – when I was reading about the brand history of NUB (spoiler alert – sorry), I forgot to put the footage of the cigar over the top, so you could just see me looking off camera to the side reading from my laptop. Silly me. But alas, my video was re-edited and uploaded on Monday, to save any further embarrassment. If you haven’t checked out our YouTube content, I’d highly recommend doing so, you’ll find many reviews and tips & tricks.

Over the following few days, most of my focus went into the next edition of the C.Gars Ltd Magazine for Autumn/Winter 2026. I have to say, I am quite proud of our team for putting this together, you can see how our eye for detail has grown since the first edition back in late 2024. I would kill to show you all some sneak peaks, but I can’t. Though, I will say that the main feature of this magazine is an award winning Author… Keep those eyes peeled!

I also spent much of my time on the redesigning of the LCDH Portal, which I’m quite proud of. I’d like to say I have a creative streak within me, so any chance I get to design and create something sends lightbulbs through my head. I’m not sure when the new design will go live, as it’s a lengthy process for our IT guys, but I can’t wait to share it with you.

I designed many of our Portals on the site, to help with user friendliness whilst still showcasing what makes each brand special. Besides the LCDH Portal, the latest addition was the Trident Military Cigars Portal. Their marketing photographer really helped with this project; everything looks so professional and engaging! Their cigars are great too, I’d highly recommend The Most Secret.

I just found out that we received more stock of the Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust Sobremesa Brulee Robusto, a cigar that sold like crazy and went out of stock for over a year! So I’d be quick to grab some if you are interested. They feature an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Mexican binder and Nicaraguan filler, so there’s lots of complexity, but in contrast is quite light in strength. The experience is described as ‘A creamy liga with softer flavours of cedar, caramel and café, which are complimented by its inherent sweetness being allowed to blossom on the palate and nose – a nuttiness is also apparent within this blend.’

Besides this, today I filmed a review on The Only One Cigars First Edition cigar, and to say I was impressed is quite the understatement. I can’t remember the last time I had a cigar so smooth, elegant, and memorable as this one. The price point is a bit of a head-turner to be honest with you, but I think it’s a cigar made with special occasions and celebratory moments in mind. And hey, people will pay an arm and a leg for Cubans right? So don’t put your nose up at it until you’ve tried it! The review will be going live on our YouTube channel next week at some point (let’s hope for no video editing mishaps again).

I hope you’ve all had a fantastic week and enjoy your weekends. As always, stay safe, and happy herfing – peace!

Germains In-store, Conducting Interviews, H. Upmann Half Corona and Springbank

Hi everybody! It’s been another fantastic week here in Norfolk! We have had plenty of customers come on in and I have even had the honour of interviewing for our latest retail member of staff!

On Monday, I was back in the shop with Josh. We had lots of online orders to pick, but luckily I enlisted Will to help pick some orders whilst he waited to pack them all. Meanwhile my secondary task was to help Sharon book the parcels onto the Royal Mail system. So whilst I was picking orders I kept checking in to make sure she was on top of it all. Sharon is the master of parcel booking on, so doesn’t often need our help. However in the afternoon, the parcels had built up so I started to book on parcels. Meanwhile, I also served a gentleman who wanted some Germains Rich Dark Flake – This is currently out of stock on our website, however you should always check your local store as they may have a hidden treasure. In this case we had a spare three tins to be able to sell and the customer was over the moon! 

On Tuesday, I was conducting interviews with our lovely HR manager! This is the first time that I have been heavily involved in the hiring process for someone for the shop and I was very excited! We have even called a couple back to do a trial! So if you come in next week there is a small chance you may meet them! Afterwards, Will and I started the New World stock count. Previous readers know, we usually do it on a Thursday, however due to staff shortages we decided to do the New World count on Wednesday, but we decided to get a head start and do the full boxes the day before.

Wednesday was the big day. This was Wills first time completing the New World stock count and I must say he did an excellent job! He counted so quickly that we were done for lunch time! So after a well deserved lunch, Josh and I started doing a clean up of the shop. I also served a customer who wanted a H. Upmann Half Corona – I thought he wanted one but he wanted a box of 25! I was more than happy to oblige. I also suggested trying some New World cigars as I had noticed he only has Cubans, so the best way to try them was to go head first so he purchased the Kristoff Maduro Sampler Pack and the Kristoff Natural Sampler Pack. Next time I see him I will make sure to ask how he got on.

On Thursday, I was order picking with Josh and Robyn. Robyn and I worked through the cigar orders whilst Josh took on the pipe and accessory orders. We did really well together and then I got through the deliveries, luckily for me there wasn’t too many. Afterwards I was tasked to tidy up our New World stock sheet. That meant deleting products that we can’t get a hold of anymore as well as making sure the names are the same as they are on the website so you could copy from there and find it on the stock sheet. It was a long and arduous task, but I got there in the end. We were also visited by our favourite Springbank drinker. We had contacted him regarding a bottle of Springbank 21 Year Old 2025 as well as the 5 Year Old 100 Proof, and he certainly looked happy to see it.  I also lead our latest shop meeting. We discussed next month’s promotions as well as plans for the future. It was very productive and it’s always great for us all to get together, as we are rarely all in one room as a team. The promotions are very exciting and I can’t wait for you all to see what we have in store for you.

On Friday, I was in the shop. This was the first time this week I was actually operating the shop. I often sit in the shop to complete work and so can still greet customers. But this time I was serving them. I started the day helping Josh and Will with online order pickings and then I served a regular gentleman who wanted to try a new pipe with a small bowl. We looked through our massive range and settled on a lovely Peterson Emerald Rustic 68. Afterwards Josh and I completed the Cuban stock count.

I hope you have enjoyed this weeks goings on and I hope to see you all in store very soon.

So long for now

Oliver

Stalla Dhu Tasting, Quorum Article, Returning Happy Customers and New American Blends Tins

Hi everyone, It has been another brilliant week in Norfolk! We have had plenty of regular faces as well as holiday makers. 

On Monday, it was Josh and I in the shop. We had loads of online orders to pick, but we never run away from a challenge. We worked together to pick all the orders to the best of our ability. Afterwards, I went into the packing department to help pack a lot of the orders I just picked (as well as others of course). We were like a well oiled machine and by the end of the day we had packed all orders! We celebrated by trying one of our new Stalla Dhu expressions! We tried the Auchroisk 12 Year Old Margaux Cask Finish – the strength of the alcohol certainly comes through but so does a nice sweetness too. You will see this online very soon.

On Tuesday, I was back in the shop. I started the day by helping pick online orders. Afterwards I served a great gentleman who was the head groomsman for a wedding and wanted to get some cigars for the wedding. There were around 8 people who would be smoking and so we were looking at boxes of 10, however none in stock were fitting in the budget. So I explained about the Mitchelleros and how they are a budget price but a great cigar! He took 12 in the end in case anyone else wanted a cigar. I then showed him how to cut a cigar and explained how we have a video about it on Youtube! (You can watch it by clicking here). I hope he enjoyed them and will be back for more. I spent a lot of time stocking up the New World humidor and ordering stock to fill up our shelves. 

On Thursday, I was in the shop again but I had a lot of promotional work to get on with! I started by finalising the shop newsletters, ready to be sent out the next day. I did have to take a picture for one of the shop newsletters and I was pretty proud of myself. What do you think? Afterwards I took some pictures of the August cigars of the month and to top it off, I took pictures of Quorum cigars. Afterwards I then wrote an article on the C.Gars cigar library about Quroums, I have had plenty of customers mention how they’re a good cigar, so I wanted to find out more about them and it is very interesting. You can read the article here. Meanwhile, I served a lovely lady who wanted to get her husband a couple of cigars for his birthday. The gentleman is well known to myself as he was a regular when I first started at C.Gars! When I asked for a budget, she said “don’t worry about that” – You don’t need to tell me twice! So I suggested cigars I knew he would like without looking at price tags. I remembered he had purchased the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2022 Perfecto many years ago, so I suggested the Davidoff Winston Churchill The Artist Limited Edition 2025 Churchill. She then wanted a Cuban for him, so I suggested the Partagas Cedros Year of the Snake as it was a new release from Habanos S.A. Without a thought she said yes and then treated him to a Cigarism Jet Flame Lighter, Cutter & Cigar Stand Gift Set in Silver. I hope her husband enjoys it all! I know I would! 

In the afternoon, I started to organise the Corn Cob pipes. We have such a large variety of Corn Cob pipes, we can’t display them all! So if there is any in particular you are looking for let us know as we probably have it. I served a returning new smoker, I actually wrote about him in a previous blog post – A Day in the Life of a Retail Assistant #112 – He returned with big smiles! He loved the Davidoff Winston Churchill Traveller Belicoso and purchased another one. He has also done some more research and decided he wanted to try the Drew Estate Factory Smokes, he asked me which one is best between Shade and Maduro – A hard decision but I do love a Maduro, so I suggested the Maduro. He then bought himself a lighter we have on offer at the moment – the C.Gars Ltd Lotus Cigar Torch Lighter – Solo Jet – Carbon Fibre Finish – We currently have it for half price in the Norfolk store only. So make sure you pop in to take advantage of this offer. 

On Friday, I was online order picking with Will and Josh. In between picking, I stocked the shelves a little and packed a few orders to help the packing department. Meanwhile we had received stock of all American Blends Pipe tobacco in tins and so we wanted them all out on display. Josh went to work, figuring out where it can all go on our already very stocked shelves. He shuffled some around and made some space, however he was stopped to complete the Cuban stock count. Unfortunately, Josh had to complete it on his own as there was a lot of online orders still to complete! He did a very good job as did the rest of the team. So to celebrate the end of the week! We tried another new Stalla Dhu, this time it was the Craigellachie 12 Year Old Rye & Ruby. It was another delicious tasting, if you like a whisky with plenty of spice and underlying sweetness, this is the one for you. I am enjoying trying these new Stalla Dhu expressions and it will certainly help sell them to our customers.

On Saturday, it was Josh, Will and myself. We got through our online pickings and then Will packed all of the orders to give us a head start for Monday. Meanwhile, Josh and I continued organising the pipe tobacco tins to fit the new American Blends in. It was tough but we got there in the end. We then stocked the shelves ready for a busy Monday.

I hope you have enjoyed this week’s blog and I hope to see you all in Norfolk very soon.

So long for now.

Oliver

Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar Awards

What a fast and fabulous year it has been—I can hardly believe we’ve just wrapped up the twelfth Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar Smoker of the Year Awards at the iconic Boisdale of Canary Wharf.

The much-awaited event took place last night, commemorating the 150th anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill’s birth—a fitting tribute to a legendary cigar aficionado. The atmosphere was electric, filled with sophistication and camaraderie as cigar enthusiasts from around the world gathered to celebrate the most prestigious cigar awards event outside of Havana.

The evening’s highlight was the presentation of the Cigar Smoker of the Year 2024 award to the one and only Piers Morgan. Known for his bold opinions and sharp interviewing style. Hosted by the ever-charming Tom Parker Bowles and Ranald Macdonald, the black-tie gala was nothing short of spectacular.

 

We were graced by the presence of notable figures such as Jack Churchill, Kelsey Grammer, Ray Winstone, Paul Oakenfold, Niall Keating, Viscount Hereford, Omar Lye-Fook, the Cuban Ambassador Her Excellency Bárbara

Montalvo Álvarez, James Cosmo, and Lord Carnarvon. The atmosphere was buzzing with enthusiasts and industry leaders mingling and sharing their passion for fine cigars.

One of the night’s significant achievements was the charity auction, presided over by Jack Churchill, great-grandson of Sir Winston Churchill. The auction raised an impressive £55,000, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting The International Churchill Society, Sovereign Art Foundation, and the Lord of The Isles Galley Charitable Trust. A standout moment was the Ramon Allones Hunters & Frankau Aniversario 225 Humidor fetching £11,000—some lucky bidders certainly went home very happy indeed.

Congratulations are in order for all the winners:

  1. Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar Communicator of the Year: Ana Lopez, Head of Marketing at Hunters & Frankau
  2. Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar Sommelier of the Year: Blue Curran of The Emory
  3. Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar Producer of the Year: Plasencia Cigars, Nicaragua
  4. Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar Newcomer of the Year: Casa 1910 Revolutionary Edition Cuchillo Parado Robusto, Mexico
  5. Santa Rita Boisdale Robusto of the Year: Davidoff Grand Cru Robusto, Dominican Republic
  6. Santa Rita Boisdale Churchill Cigar of the Year: Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill, Cuba
  7. Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar of the Year 2024: EP Carrillo Encore Majestic, Nicaragua
  8. Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar Spirit of the Year: Tomintoul Cigar Malt
  9. Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar Chef of the Year: Niall Keating
  10. Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar Sportsperson of the Year: David Haye
  11. Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar Musician of the Year: Paul Oakenfold
  12. Santa Rita Boisdale Cigar Smoker of the Year 2024: Piers Morgan
  13. Santa Rita Cigar Lifetime Achievement Award: Yours truly, Mitchell Orchant

A personal note of gratitude for the Lifetime Achievement Award—it’s an absolute honour to be recognised among such esteemed company.

The evening also featured some exceptional cigars for guests to enjoy:

  • Aladino Cameroon Robusto
  • Casa 1910 Revolutionary Edition Cuchillo Parado Robusto
  • E.P. Carrillo Encore Majestic
  • Plasencia Cosecha 151
  • Davidoff Grand Cru Robusto (for VIP & Premium ticket holders)
  • Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill (for VIP & Premium ticket holders)

A world first was unveiled during the event: Tom Davies of Tom Davies Bespoke Eyewear presented a unique pair of sunglasses made from Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill cigars to Piers Morgan. This masterpiece of craftsmanship truly embodied the spirit of innovation and luxury that defines our cigar community.

As the year draws to a close, I extend my deepest thanks to our amazing teams at C.Gars and Turmeaus for their relentless hard work and to our wonderful customers for their unwavering support.

For those who couldn’t join us, fear not! Tickets for the Cigar Smoker of the Year 2025 dinner and awards are expected to go on sale soon. Keep an eye on the Boisdale website if you’d like to be part of this unforgettable celebration next year.

Smokey wishes for a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!

Mitchell

Anniversary… Birthday… The party never ends!!

It’s getting close to the celebration season again with the C.Gars 27th anniversary in October and my 60th birthday in September. It seems like yesterday that we celebrated our 25th anniversary with an exceptional event at Boisdale Belgravia. I remember my 50th birthday party at Liberty Warehouse in New York like it was yesterday 🙂 celebrated with over 100 friends and family, a mountain of cigars, the finest Stalla Dhu whisky bar and the Stan Rubin Orchestra with Steve Maglio crooning Sinatra songs ! Hard to top a party like that!

Our Orchant Seleccion Havana program came to an abrupt stop as the supply shortage worsened a few years ago at the start of Covid, but to celebrate my 60th birthday I am pleased to announce a 60th birthday Bolivar Belicosos – Orchant seleccion. One of my favourite cigars of all time if not my desert island cigar 🙂 Only 64 numbered boxes will ever be made available. I have selected these cigars based on its superior blend, construction and appearance. They will be made available on September the 3rd.

 

The Orchant Seleccion program has been a resounding success for our business. Popular brands and vitola at affordable prices. Cigars from Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Peru. My typical flavour profile is full/sweet/creamy/nutty/smooth but always light to medium and that combo has resonated very well with my clients.

 

This year’s releases included :

Plasencia Orchante

Plasencia Petit Dominique 

 

I love the Plasencia brand, quite simply – I have never had a bad one and almost all have been outstanding. This is the third Orchant Seleccion release with Plasencia and they are truly blends of merit and character

I’m very proud of our collaboration with Rocky Patel earlier this year we introduced this new Orchant Seleccion range of 3 vitolas in beautiful boxes of 10. A blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran tobacco with a Honduran Corojo wrapper, this cigar delivers a kaleidoscope of full , sweet tobacco flavour with a balance of medium strength. Construction is flawless and appearance is as good as it gets.

My Orchant Selection Cigar Malt is as popular as ever and perhaps the perfect dram to accompany a premium cigar. Our independent bottled range of Stalla Dhu continues to pick up multiple international awards . Cigars and whisky… truly a match made in heaven!

 

It’s great to be back in business in Scotland and finally fully operational this year.  Our whisky and cigar themed bar/restaurant/hotel – the iconic Mash Tun in Aberlour has undergone a complete renovation and is the perfect spot for cigar and whisky lovers. The menu is splendid, the whisky selection is stunning and the accommodation is super comfortable. Mash Tun also has a cigar terrace and bothy as well as a retail cigar and whisky shop. Overlooking the river Spey and minutes away from the Aberlour distillery and Walkers shortbread factory and shop!

It’s almost a year since we opened la Casa del Habano and Puffin Rooms- Edinburgh , truly one of my favourite locations to herf as we have a huge and super comfortable cigar terrace and a walk in humidor crammed with the finest LCDH releases and ably managed by our latest recruit Yeni Momblan from Cuba. The bar has an unrivalled whisky menu and the food menu is delicious. Other Puffin Rooms can be found in our flagship Liverpool location as well as Gstaad Switzerland.

 

We opened our new sampling lounge at La casa del Habano – Chester a few months ago. It truly is something special, styled like an apartment in old Havana and ably managed by my best pal Roy Price who joined the company full time last year after a distinguished full time career in the police (and part time career at Turmeaus and C.Gars!)  This location is open 7 days a week and the perfect spot to relax sampling a fine Havana with a good dram or cocktail.

 

We also have La Casa del Habano in Knutsford – Cheshire, the walk-in humidor is crammed with LCDH exclusives and the first floor has a delightful bright and airy sampling lounge. This location also has a wine room where you can find an excellent curated selection by our manager and wine specialist Andrew.

 

Our auction department is having its busiest year ever. Every day we received a box or collections large and small for entry. Our next sale will be held in October. My colleague Luiz Murano heads up the auction department and is a highly qualified ‘Master of Havana cigars’ having passed the higher certificate many years ago when he worked at Birley Cigars. The higher certificate was developed by Hunters & Frankau and to say it’s a hard exam to pass would be an understatement!  We are very proud of our colleague Dante Gabilo who has just passed his exam and is now a Master of Havanas. Dante is the manager of C.Gars – The City and joined us soon after the crazy Covid Lockdowns. He had no experience in the cigar business but was an avid aficionado and enthusiast who has made his passion into a very successful career.

 

My Marketing Team at our C.Gars – Norfolk office are having a lot of fun with their Sip n’ Smoke Podcast an hour of conversation accompanied with a good dram and fine cigar. Well done Lewis and Billy.

Check out The Cigar Inspector for the latest news and content on the cigar world. It’s really quite excellent. You can also review cigars and cigar merchants worldwide. Usman Dawood (a crazy cigar aficionado!) does some incredible video reviews on this site . Truly one of my favourite cigar info and review sites.

 

The Havana supply situation is still very patchy though there have been some signs of improvement as we are receiving some of the previously out of stock lines coming back in small quantities especially double coronas and some Cohiba. The industry still faces a raft of challenges but at least I can report the quality of the Havanas we receive is very high indeed.

 

The latest Havana cigar release is the La Gloria Cubana Turquinos, This Gordito (great size for me!) measures in at 5 1/2″ length and 50 ring gauge, long filler and totally handmade of course. Presented in boxes of 10 and delivering the classic light to medium flavour and strength LGC blend. This follows the re-release of the La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’ Or no.4 which is fast becoming my favourite breakfast cigar.

I think we’re going for the world record for sampling events this year! A never ending choice all around the country featuring the finest cigars and libations to accompany. The events are fun, educational (we have some great brand ambassadors) and very sociable. a good way to meet like-minded aficionados and experience the latest products on the market. C.Gars Leeds must hold the record for the most tasting events in history! with weekly sold out events throughout the year.

 

I can usually be found sampling at C.Gars- St James’s on a Wednesday and Thursday afternoon / evening. Open till 9pm with comfortable outdoor seating, it’s my favourite location to meet friends and clients from the UK and internationally. C.gars St James’s has a magnificent range of Havana cigars and specialities as well as a select range of Orchant Seleccion New World cigars. Arturo Fuente and Aladino cigars.

As we approach our 27th anniversary I can honestly say I still enjoy every day in the cigar business, in fact I still feel like I am just getting started. Our parent company Dominique London has some very very exciting expansion plans that I hope to announce in the very near future. Watch this space !

 

Peaceful puffing

 

Mitchell

C.Gars Ltd – Founder