Happy Friday Readers and it certainly has been a happy week for us as we started the week off with a loooong meeting at the UK Havana importers Hunters and Frankau and had a fab time rummaging through their incredible humidor.

We managed to persuade the Hunters team to let us have a stock of the 2002 Bolivar Centenary cigars which was a great surprise as we thought they were sold out long ago but these have been gently maturing since 2002

I remember attending the launch dinner for these cigars back in the days when we could enjoy smoking indoors!

I have smoked my way through quite “ a few” of the Belicosos Finos and contrasted them with 08 BBF’s and they are remarkably great cigars. The effect of age has produced a rich,complex, balanced cigar that is medium strength and full flavour with hints of spice and a sweet creamy character. Perfect construction and a smooth colorado shade wrapper topped off with the extra Centenary band make this an absolute winner. Try them while you can ( or I may smoke them all!) Oh and the Royal Coronas aren’t too shabby either!

Bolivar Centenary specially banded Royal Coronas (25 cigars)
4 7/8″ length and 50 ring gauge
£525.00

Bolivar Centenary specially banded Royal Coronas
4 7/8″ length and 50 ring gauge
£25.00

Bolivar Centenary specially banded Belicosos Finos
5 1/2″ length and 52 ring gauge
£26.00

Bolivar Centenary Double Sampler – 4 cigars
2 each Royal Coronas and Belicosos Finos – total 4 cigars and free delivery
£99.00

Bolivar Centenary Special Sampler – 10 cigars
This sampler contains five each of the specially made cigars from the Bolivar Centenary Humidor.
£250.00

Last night I checked out the splendid new cigar terrace at No 10 Manchester street  where my partner and whisky connoisseur Ron Morrison of Robert Graham Ltd  enjoyed Juan Lopez Seleccion Suprema matched with some Alsace followed by a late herf at the Lanesborough Hotel cigar lounge for some Punch Serie D’Oro no.1 matched up with some rather crisp Roederer Champagne. Incredible cigar selection at the Lanesborough and without doubt the most comfortable cigar lounge (so far) in the UK

To finish my week I had a nice surprise when surfing H&F’s website with a couple of great articles about our new shops Good old H&F – great people and the best cigars in the world.

Have a great weekend

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

January has kicked off with a busier than busy bang 🙂 and I spent a few days up in Scotland this week in the fabulous new Robert Graham Ltd whisky and cigar store in Canongate, Edinburgh where I have had the pleasure of tasting and approving my limited edition Cigar Malt. When I say limited I really mean it as there are only 60 numbered bottles in presentation case. Actually make that 59 as we have used 1 bottle for “testing purposes” 🙂

Cask strength and non chill filtered this 1992 Speyside Distillery is simply splendid.

The exclusive Robert Graham Cigar Malt was tested with one of my current favourite cigars the Cohiba Gran Reserva.

If you would like to be one of the lucky chaps to enjoy this Cigar Malt I will be offering a bottle together with a single Cohiba Gran Reserva at just £135 inclusive shipping. You may need to email us fast though 🙂 [email protected] a must for whisky and cigar aficionados.

Due to the bizarre laws in Scotland being different to England we are no longer able to legally sample cigars in our cigars stores in Scotland but fortunately we have a lovely cigar friendly apartment 2 minutes away from Royal Mile 🙂

Today I had the pleasure of a visit from Jemma Freeman (Managing Director of Hunters and Frankau) at our new whisky and cigar store in West Hampstead, London and I think Jemma was pretty impressed with our fine range of Havanas. Our London store is open till 8 p.m and I think that’s the only late closing cigar store in London which is perfect if you want to pop in for a smoke. We still have a few lockers available for clients who wish to lay down cigars for their later smoking pleasure or investment safe in the knowledge they will be professionally cared for.

Finally the printers have made it through the snow and delivered my book! so my apologies for the late shipping to clients who pre ordered and I am happy to say all orders have started shipping today

“Once Upon a Time in Cuba”
by Michael Mirecki and Mitchell Orchant is a 147 page
compilation of our original photograph collection of Cuba.

Our book has a foreword by Simon Chase
of Hunters and Frankau and includes chapters on

Famous people
The Cuban Revolution
Pre Revolution
Bars, Music and Cabaret
Buena Vista Social Club
Tobacco (of course!)
and Sport.

Only 1000 individually numbered hard back coffee table books
will be made available. Hardback size 9 1/2″ X 9 1/2″.

Price per book £29.99 plus
Postage and Packing
Within mainland UK £5.00
European destinations £10.00
Rest of the world £15.00

Click here to order

End of year stock take was a delight as usual especially as I found a few nice vintage cigars lurking at the back of the London humidor!

Punch Especiales Pre Embargo – 1s

H Upmann Singulares Pre Embargo – 1s

H Upmann Singulares Pre Embargo – 25s

Punch Double Coronas – (1996) cab selection 1s

Partagas Serie D No. 4 cigars (1996) – 1s

Ramon Allones Magnums cabinet selection – 1s

Romeo y Julieta Piramidos No.1 – Pre embargo – cab 50s

Romeo y Julieta Cedros No.1 – gold top (1960’s) – 1s

Romeo y Julieta Cedros No.1 gold top (1960’s) – box 25s (sealed)

Romeo y Julieta Tubed Churchills – 1s

Romeo y Julieta Tubed Churchills – 25s

Lots of vintage Davidoff due for release in the next month too! …and maybe a few Dunhills too 😉

Have a great weekend

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

And for only the second time in the history of C.Gars Ltd London office – the office is closed due to snow but fear not as our shops are sending out all mail orders so there will be no delay from us, although I dare say if you are also snowed in there may be some Royal Mail delays.

I was sensible enough to kidnap my General Manager Michelle by tempting her with dinner at my home, knowing of course she would be stranded by snow before dessert! Now I have Michelle working 24 hours a day (so what’s new?!)

S’now big problem being at home for an extra day or two as I have a fully stocked humidor (Partagas P2’s, Bolivar Belicosos Finos, Punch Serie D’Oro no.1’s, Monte 2’s, El Rey de Mundo Choix de L’Epoque all in copious quantity of course) as well as a decent stock in the bar (mainly Cuban rum especially Vigia and Robert Graham whisky obviously!) So no change to my working days then, just a different venue.

The coming years plans already include 2 trips to Havana for the Festivals, trips to the East Coast and West Coast, numerous trips to Germany to our fabulous La Casa del Habano (as well as a trip to Berlin at the end of this month to give a talk at a cigar dinner) and quite a few extended trips to Scotland as we expand the Robert Graham cigar and whisky business.

There could well be a few more cigars shops coming to a Town near you! and if not, you can be sure that as the UK’s largest specialist cigar merchant with the most locations and humungous stocks our mail order prices will always be the best available in the UK. Quality – Service – Value 24/7 – every day of the year come snow or shine.

Before I know it…… it will be Christmas again

Stay warm and peaceful puffing

Mitchell

That’s it!…another year done and per my Christmas blog our best year ever 🙂

I’m spending a quiet evening in with friends and have a nice selection of Davidoff/Dunhill cigars for the long evening ahead starting with a mild Don Perignon and building up to a Chateau Y’Quem and finally a Cabinetta…and I’ve decided to stick to 1989 vintage Bilecart Salmon champagne. Should be a match made in cigar and champagne heaven 🙂

Wish you a safe and happy new year and looking forward to a smokey 2010 !

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

By the 24th December 7000 Christmas mail orders shipped – 99.9% delivered 🙂 Now that’s what I call a merry Christmas.

Thank you and well done to all the boys and girls of C.Gars Ltd, Turmeaus Tobacconist, Robert Graham Ltd and LCDH Hamburg – an incredible Team – our best year ever.

Our Group expansion in 2009 has likely made us the largest Havana Specialist in the UK and with our Partners in Ireland, Germany and Mexico we look forward to further expansion Domestically and Internationally in 2010.

A full list of our locations can be seen here

As well as being specialists in Havana cigars, smokers accessories rum and whisky we added an extraordinary range of chocolate to our retail range which we will bring online in 2010. We also added our dedicated Gifts website which has already proved very popular with our clients.

Our proudest achievement of the year was winning Gold and Bronze award winning independent Bottler 2009 from Whisky Magazine

Our beautiful new cigar and whisky shops in London’s West Hampstead and Edinburgh Royal Mile are fast becoming a must stop destination for cigar and whisky aficionados.

Our Vintage Cigar Auction at the fabulous Boisdale restaurant in Belgravia was a resounding success and we are already planning our Summer 2010 auction as well as taking many fabulous entries

And to cap the year off my book with Mike Mirecki “Once Upon a Time in Cuba” is now published and will be available from next week. Our book has a foreword by Simon Chase of Hunters and Frankau and is a 147 page compilation of our original photograph collection of Cuba which includes chapters on Famous people, The Cuban Revolution, Pre Revolution, Bars, Music and Cabaret, Buena Vista Social Club, Tobacco (of course!) and Sport.

Only 1000 individually numbered hard back coffee table books will be made available at £29.99. Available by mail order, as well as in our retail stores and a few select other cigar stores and book stores

Thanks to all our clients, suppliers and friends and wish you a smokey new year!

Mitch, Laura and Mish