Islay is smoking !

Just back from the beautiful Isle of Islay http://www.islayinfo.com/

7 friends enjoying a week taste testing single malt whisky, trying to pair up scotch with Havana cigars. It was a tough job but our “CigarGroup” (formerly known as the No More Scots smoking Club) was up to the task 🙂

We managed to get through around 16 different expressions of various brands including Ardbeg,Jura,Bowmore,Laphroaig and others but our favourite was Bruichladdich http://www.bruichladdich.com/ where we enjoyed a private tour and tasting with director of production Jim McEwan.Jim was an absolute star, spending plenty of time chatting with us about his background as well as the distillery and the industry in general. We tried a number of different single malts and were very impressed indeed.

If all goes to plan we will have an excellent vintage Bruichladdich aged in Latour cask that we will make into a cigar malt in the next few months.

Jim kindly let us taste his Bowmore 1994 which was delightful and the CigarGroup ( Gordon, Craig, Chris, Christoph, Zaff, Ron, Tillman, Mitch) are looking forward to stashing a few bottles in due course.

I was very impressed with Jura http://www.juradevelopment.co.uk/web/index.php the Island as well as the whisky.It seems to be the lightest of all the Islays and doesn’t drown out a cigars flavour in the same way as the more peaty scotch does. Jura has some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen

We stayed at Octovullin Farmhouse http://www.scottish-castle-holidays.co.uk/the-isles/octovullin.html and spent the evenings herfing through an extraordinary amount of Punch serie D’Oro no.1, Partagas SP no,2, La Gloria Gloriosos and of course our old favourites: Monte 2’s

Our smoking buddy Tillmann Pretscher who also happens to be rather famous photographer spent the week snapping away so I should be able to get some great photos up on the website in the next few days

If you like a scotch with your cigar as I do check out my website http://www.whisky-cigars.co.uk/ Possible the best range of scotch on the internet.

Back to the London office on Monday and looking forward to a very very busy weeks herfing including the Hunters and Frankau Summer party, the Industry lunch at Lords on Wednesday and no doubt a dinner or two at Boisdale.

Have a smokey weekend

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

Long time no blog!

Sunny greetings from London where I am smoking an English Market Selection Por Larranaga Petit Corona with my espresso on what should become one of the hottest days so far this year.

Not my usual size of cigar that’s for sure but the blending on this cabinet selection Havana has really surprised me in its intensity and complexity.

One thinks of Por Larranaga as a milder blend but I can assure you there is nothing mild about this cigar. It is surprisingly full flavoured and full strength.

I have smoked my way through 40 cigars from the same cabinet and so far every one has been identically perfect blend/construction/appearance. Highly recommended for a zing to the taste buds ! http://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/larranaga-petit-coronas-p-5108.html

I can’t believe it’s June already, this year is really flying by fast and so will this month which is one of the busiest months in the year for us. We have Hunters and Frankau’s summer party and launch of the Montecristo Open range on the 16th June and at AITS trade lunch at Lords cricket ground on the 17th with Carol Thatcher as guest speaker… that should be interesting 🙂

Next week I am heading off to the beautiful Isle of Islay with 8 friends to try and find the perfect single malt for the perfect Havana cigar. http://www.islayinfo.com/ Tough job I know ! I’ll report back my findings of course 🙂

Michelle is busy designing the new C.Gars Ltd Mousemat with help from cartoonist Neil Oldham. If you would like one, please email her soonest on [email protected]

And finally: The good news is that Chancellor Darling (he of the Marx Brothers eye brows) may well be gone in the planned cabinet reshuffle. Oh dear/what a shame/never mind. Nobody could have been worse in the job so if/when he goes I shall celebrate with the largest Havana cigar I can find… and a bottle of my finest Champagne. Any excuse for a celebration 🙂

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

Orchant&Wolters Tainos…splendid!

Just back from our little outpost in Hamburg where we have the fabulous roller Beltram for the next few weeks Rodolfo is from the Romeo factory in Havana and we are privileged to have him in our La Casa del Habana I knew the weather would be great in Hamburg as the BBC weather forecast stated clearly that there would be heavy rain all day. Needless to say it was sunny and hot. So much so that we enjoyed lunch Al Fresco at the “Indo Chine” overlooking the harbour. I was amazed when I saw they have an Ice Bar upstairs. Fabulous but too cold for me!

Over lunch we taste tested the new and exclusive Orchant & Wolters Selection La Gloria Cubana Tainos which was as good as Wolters had told me it would be.Delicate and subtle sweet flavours throughout,complex and aromatic. Possibly the perfect day time Havana. On release from today.

Back to the cigar lounge for a bottle of 99 Pomerol and another O&W Tainos whilst signing all 120 boxes of cigars !

Photo courtesy of Tillmann U. Pretscher – Till Pretscher Photography Hamburg

Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? Hard to say but when I finally got home last night…. I lit up another Tainos 🙂

Have a smokey weekend

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

C.Gars Ltd exclusives!

Coming soon: Limited edition Orchant and Wolters Seleccion La Gloria Cubana Tainos

Boxes of 10 Churchill sized cigars 7″ length and 47 ring gauge. Only 120 boxes of these specially selected and double banded cigars will ever be made.

MRN describes this cigar in his Encyclopaedia as “No doubt a connoisseurs cigar,requires a very fine palate to appreciate“

The cigars have been checked for quality by Christoph Wolters and the box lid signed by him.

Each box is engraved with the limited edition number. A great smoke,a collectors item. £125 inclusive delivery world wide.

Release date 22nd May. Pre-orders available by email [email protected] or this secure link http://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/mitchells-special-p-4716.html and request your favourite number.

Bad news is that we are unable to sell these to our clients in the UK,however Hunters and Frankau have kindly agreed to assist us with the next Orchant Seleccion cigar which will be a very limited edition of the Bolivar Corona Extra ( Bolivar being my favourite brand !) and yes these will be available to my clients in the UK at our regular website price. More details to follow.

We are also planning to do a limited edition presentation of 100 Trinidad Fundadores. Email for details [email protected]

Best wishes from gloomy London

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

Loads of cigars!

Good grief! I was looking at our humidor and thinking: ” Wowwww…we have a lot of Havanas ! so I thought I would share a few photos with you 🙂 because if you can’t zoom round to the office to sample a cigar, you could never believe some of the incredible stocks that we have. Sorry it’s quite a few photos and the truth is that it still doesn’t do justice to the depth of our range and collection.

Enjoyed a splendid dinner at Boisdale of Belgravia with Jemma Freeman of Hunters and Frankau and outgoing Cuban Director Ana Lopez ( heading back to sunny Havana in a few months time) and incoming Cuban Director Ignacio Balmaseda ( previously in charge of La Casa del Habano Franchise) Ana has been superb and supportive to the UK Havana cigar trade and we will miss her but we are so happy to welcome Ignacio who has 20 years experience with Habanos S.A.

The UK market continues to be a star performer in Europe and I am certain its because of the undisputed quality of English Market Selection (EMS) Havanas and the incredible regional edition Havanas we have had over the last few years (Ramon Belicosos, Por Larranaga Magnificos, Punch Serie D’Oro no.1 and La Gloria Cubana Gloriosos)

A few delicious EMS cigars just in:

Box of 25 English Market Selection Cohiba Piramides Limited edition ECA ABR 02 £500

Cabinet of 20 English Market Selection Partagas Series D No 4 Reserva 2005 £1000