Just returned from Havana after a rather long flight on Virgin Atlantic. £4300 for Upper Class… excellent value for some of my friends but I was slumming it in Premium 🙂

I had a wonderful time at the Festival and it was great to meet up with so many old friends as well as make many new friends although I was a lot quieter than usual having lost my voice for the last few days…. very frustrating for me but may have been pleasant for others!

Despite my lack of voice I still enjoyed the gala dinner immensely and it was great to see Ajay Patel on our table. Ajay operates the La Casa del Habano in Erdington (close to London) and is a most competent Havana cigar specialist having been in the business for many years. Some speciality lines can only be bought in the UK through Ajays LCDH so he is well worth a phone call or email.

Saturday evening whilst watching CNN news at the Hotel Nacional I was pleasantly surprised to see myself on the clip about the Cigar Festival! First time I have been on TV is some years! I’ll try and get the clip for the website.

Laura is putting up a Festival web page with some great photos taken by famous Cuban photographer Eric Rigori. Our thanks to Eric for his kind assistance as ever when I am in Havana
http://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/document.php?id=festivaldelhabanos2009.htm

We are also putting up a web page listing all the Havana cigar brands and their owners as well as the cities they were located in. I believe there were over 4000 which was far more than we had originally thought. This list has been researched thoroughly by Rolando Salup in Cuba and we thank him for his kind permission to use the information on our site. We are just waiting for translation of his notes and will then add them to the site in English.
http://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/document.php?id=aged_cigars.htm&title=Aged+Cigars

Michelle will be adding some excellent Cuban antique cigar cabinets to the online store in the next few days, that’s as soon as she has the time as our offices are once again having some more works done to them…. so I think I’ll stay home this week!

I tried the Monte Open range and the jury is still out on these as they seem a tad fresh to my palette

I tried the Trinidad Robusto “T” and confirm “there’s a lot going on” with that blend. A first rate Havana cigar that will be a massive success with our clients. The cigar can not just be called a “robusto” as it has a pigtail head and therefore has a new vitola name “robusto T” If you think about a Trinidad Coloniales with the same flavour burst but a cooler draw you will be getting the right idea. Thanks to Simon Chase of Hunters and Frankau for this delicious cigar.

I tried the Cohiba Siglo VI Reserva and confirm it’s an incredible 5 year aged cigar that will undoubtedly become a collectors item. I can’t wait for these to be released.

Finally, I tried the Cohiba Sublimes extra from the book and again confirm this is a 9/10 ( I never rate higher) cigar that I would gladly smoke for the rest of my smoking days. If you would like to buy some I have around 17 singles left now ! just shoot me an email [email protected]

Looking forward to getting back to Havana in November for the Amigos de Partagas Festival !

Saludos

Mitchell

It’s 2 a.m. and the Gala dinner has just finished. Possibly the slickest of all the gala dinners I have had the privilege of attending over the last 11 years with incredible entertainment and of course the best of company.

My table included the Managing Director of Hunters and Frankau, Jemma Freeman, as well as Marketing Director Simon Chase.

Simon conducted the most successful auction achieving in excessive of One Million Euros which I believe is a new record. The proceeds go entirely to the Cuba National Health Service.

Each lot was a work of art and photos will be on the website in the next few days

The auction lots and results were as follows

Lot 1
H Upmann humidor
50 Magnum 46
50 Sir Winston
50 Upmann no.2
50 Noellas
25 Robustos
25 Grandes
50 Magnum 50
Sold for 61,000 Euros

Lot 2
Hoyo de Monterrey humidor
50 Epicure Especial
25 Epicure no.1
25 Epicure no.2
50 Double Coronas
50 Extravaganza
50 Particulares
50 Gran Piramides
Sold for 140,000 Euros

Lot 3
Romeo humidor and 120 bottles of Torres wine in cooler
50 Churchills
50 Short Churchills
50 Romeos
25 Exhibition no.2
50 Cazadores especial
25 Hermosos no.2
50 Fabulosos no.6
50 Petit piramides
Sold for 140,000 Euros

Lot 4
Partagas humidor
50 Salamones
25 P2
50 898
25 SD no.4
50 SP no.1
50 Lusitanias
50 Sobrasalientes
50 Gran Piramides
Sold for 75,000 Euros

Lot 5
Montecristo humidor
25 A
50 Petit Edmundo
50 No.2
25 Eagle
25 Master
25 Regata
25 Junior
25 Double Coronas
50 Edmundo
50 no.4
25 Maravillas no.1
Sold for 120,000 Euros

Lot 6
Trinidad humidor
50 Robusto extra
50 Fundadores
75 Coloniales
50 Reyes
75 Robusto T
50 Ensueno
50 Torre Iznaga
Sold for 95,000 Euros

Lot 7 Cohiba humidor
25 Genios
25 Magicos
25 Secretos
50 Siglo II
50 Siglo IV
50 Esplendidos
50 Robustos
50 Lanceros
25 Gran Corona
25 Sublimes Extra
25 Siglo VI
Sold for 350,000 Euros !

We enjoyed a variety of Cohiba cigars over the evening including the incredible 5 year mature Cohiba Reserva…oh boy what a difference 5 years makes…simply incredible smoke

Saludos desde La Habana

Mitchell

This blog comes to you from warm and sunny Havana where I am doing one of my usual fast as lightening 4 day trips…this time for the annual Festival

A pilgrimage to the Mecca for cigar smokers where friends from all over the world meet up to find out what’s happening in the industry generally and what are the plans for new cigar releases for this year…. as well as herf the Festival week away

There is still no sign of the Romeo antique humidor although I understand it may be available from next week…. strange as the Festival will be over on Saturday.

I took a tour round El Laguito (the Cohiba factory) today and was more impressed than ever at the layers of quality control in place. All vitolas of Cohiba were being rolled including the new Cohiba Siglo VI Reserva which is being introduced tomorrow evening at the Gala Festival dinner.

I had the opportunity to smoke one of the Cohiba Reserva and the difference that 5 year aged tobacco makes is simply incredible. The presentation of this cigar in black lacquered boxes of 15 cigars is breath taking and only 5000 boxes will ever be made.

I also broke down and opened a Cohiba book of Sublimes Extra and smoked 2 of these fine cigars which were indeed… extra sublime.

The Hunters and Frankau Group toured the Pinar Del Rio today but I chilled out at the Partagas LCDH and herfed with numerous friends whilst sipping HC7 which worked very well with the La China Ideales that I was smoking

The new Montecristo “Open” range has also been introduced and looks interesting but I’ll reserve judgment till I have had the chance to try all the new vitolas

I tried the new Trinidad robusto and can confirm that it will be a most welcome addition to the range, soft and subtle with typical Trinidad flavours. Presented in tubes as well as hinged cabinets of 12 and 24, this cigar will be a big success.

The usual cigar stores are full of “regular” cigars so nothing much to get excited about.

Met up with some of my antique dealer friends and as ever will be importing some incredible one off 1950’s humidors that are quite breathtaking.

This evening I bumped into David Soul at an evening organised by Boisdale at 18/30 to introduce some great apartments that are being sold in Varaderro. There was also a whisky tasting but couldn’t stay as I had to meet clients for smokes on the veranda of the Nacional (the best place in the world for a cigar)

Had a quick chat with the Managing Director of Hunters and Frankau Jemma Freeman and if all goes to plan I understand that the UK exclusive Por Larranaga humidor of 50 Magnificos will be released early April. Pre register interest fast as we will sell out within nano seconds! …oh and C.Gars Ltd will ask Jemma Freeman, Ana Lopez and Simon Chase to kindly sign the humidors for us as well…. talk about a collectors item! wowwwwww:-)

OK have to dash as I still have time to smoke one more Cohiba Sublimes extra 🙂

Saludos from La Habana

Mitchell

I’m getting ready to head off to this years Festival in Havana http://www.habanos.com/article.aspx?aid=312 and can’t believe how many Habanos festivals and Partagas festivals I have been to …or all the great cigars I have smoked at the Festivals over the last 11 years

Havana Festivals are perfect for meeting up with like minded cigar loving friends from all over the world in fact it’s almost become like an exclusive social club.

I’ll be updating my blog from Havana as there is usually high speed Wifi at the Hotel Nacional

I’m hoping the Romeo antique humidor will finally be released for the Festival http://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/romeo-julieta-ancient-humidor-mafiasmoker-p-6438.html but so far there’s no sign of it even though we expected it last year!

I’ll be taking a few of my favourite Punch Serie D’Oro no.1 to smoke with friends who nave not had the opportunity of trying the UK exclusive yet.

If you are going to Havana for the Festival…you’ll find me sipping a Daiquiri and smoking a cigar most evenings on the veranda of the Nacional 🙂

Mitchell

Did you catch the Brit Awards last night? We may have problems in our economy but Britain still has talent!…and three cheers for Duffy, she certainly deserved the three awards.

Hmmm… cigar related content: Tom Jones looked cool, as ever and I remember seeing him enjoy a large Havana at the old Churchill cigar bar and divan some years ago!

Bolivar Belicosos have long been one of my firm favourites and the best years production I can remember in the last decade has been 2007. The blend, the wrapper, the construction …all perfect.

I’ve decided that the next exclusive “Orchant Seleccion” will therefore be the BBF from 2007 and will be personally selecting the 64 boxes (2 master cases) at Hunters and Frankau’s humidor in the next few days for release by the second week of March

After the long selection process is complete, these perfect boxes will receive the “Orchant Seleccion ” treatment including the extra gold “Orchant Seleccion ” bands on the cigars and the box as well as gold engraved plate showing the limited edition number of the box. Each box is signed and in due course may well become a collectors item.

Orchant Seleccion Havanas are made available periodically and when first released are priced the same as our regular English Market Selection cigars. They are limited to 64 boxes and they are never re-released.

If you would like to be put on the list for more information about these cigars just drop me an email at [email protected]

My thanks as ever to Simon Chase and John Darnton of Hunters and Frankau for their kind assistance with this project.

I have just realised that I have been involved in the Havana cigar business in one form or another since 1994 ! The changes I have seen in the UK cigar trade as well as the cigar industry in general have been quite incredible over the years as has the meteoric growth of C.Gars Ltd. I have to say though that I have been a very lucky cigar merchant to have been supplied by Hunters and Frankau and had the support, expertise and assistance of John and Simon.

Smoke less ! smoke the best!…EMS….English Market Selection. In all honesty it just doesn’t get any better than EMS

Time for a strong Cubita and a BBF 🙂

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell