Well done, Darling!

Great news from our Chancellor….2.5% reduction in VAT ! Don’t spend it too fast though,well at least not on your cigars as he has very kindly immediately increased duty on tobacco by 4% !
Just in case you needed further proof that Darling is the most out of touch Chancellor in recent memory.
Oh well his days are numbered in government no doubt and I am sure cigar smokers will be pleased to see the back of the silly named and silly eyebrowed Darling !
 

 
 
A good friend of mine suggested that Darling may be a long lost Marx brother ! I think Harpo,Groucho,Chico,Gummo or Zeppo would do a better job as chancellor….and they’re dead !
Well …C.Gars Ltd will hold prices as they are for as long as possible to bring our customers the best value cigars in the UK
Peaceful puffing
Mitchell

Photos from Havana!

Mitch is on his flight home from cigar land 🙂 and I thought you may like to see some of the fantastic photos from his trip to the Island …..

 


One of the beautiful auction lots that I was unsuccessful in bidding on!
 

 


Wake up Massimo you still have to do the auction!


Excellent band and dancers providing non stop entertainment 🙂

 

 
Valerio


Mitch and Zaff


Nakamura



Abel


Mitch & Joe

 

 
Don Roberto (!) and the lovely Tamara from Partagas



La China presenting Mitchell with his Amigos de Partagas gift
 
“Amigos de Partagas!”

 

 
More Amigos!


The Mafia boys!


Kiki from Partagas with a few smokes:-)


Abel Partagas LCDH manager


Wilkes, Joe, Mitch and Zaff

 
 
No idea who that is, geat photo looks like the lady has set the bloke in the middle on fire!


The Partagas cake…almost as tasty as the cigars!


La China and Parisi

 


Minetti stealing all the good cigars!

 

 
Mitchell with the Amigo de Partagas cigars

Wow…what a night!

 

 

 

 

Just about to leave sunny Havana…

Just about to leave sunny Havana, after a weeks non stop herfing:-)
 
Had some great news from Laura that our website is now visited by over 1500 people daily and my blog is one of the most popular pages visited! Laura tells me we just topped 15000 clients world wide, Michelle advises 100% same day order shipping/fulfilment over the last week whilst I have been away…woohooo:-) C.Gars Ltd has come a long way since 1997. Well done Laura, Mishie, Eli, Marci, Christine, Michelle and all of the C.Gars & Turmeaus team.
 
The trip has been my easiest yet as the exec floor at the Nacional now has fairly high speed wifi. Some improvement from the days when there was no internet and in fact no mobile phone network (not that long ago!)
 
So now I’m looking forward to the 2009 Festival which will be the last week of February. If you’d like to go to Havana, drop me a line and I’ll hook you up with Mike Mirecki from Cuba Welcome Travel. Best value for travel to Cuba….and Mike is “one of the boys”:-)
 
 
Can’t wait to get back to London as I’m waiting for official news from Hunters and Frankau about the launch timing of the fabulous new UK regional edition cigars ( La Gloria Gloriosos and Punch Serie D’Oro No.1)
 
…just time for a final Cohiba robusto at Jose Marti airport…. yes smoking IS allowed 🙂
 
Saludos
 
 
Mitchell

Partagas 15th Anniversary Festival

Just back from the fantastic gala dinner which was held at the Habana Libre Hotel where some 300 “Amigos de Partagas” enjoyed an incredible evening of good food, wine, Havana Club rum, great music, incredible cigars and of course the best of company.
Specially banded cigars were handed out throughout the evening including an excellent Laguito no.1 and the incredible new Salamones.
Massimo held the auction of 5 special humidors containing a variety of specially banded cigars. The final lot sold for 10,000 C.U.C to Roberto from Italy. The auction was a great success and the money raised is donated to a Cuban charity.
It was a pleasure to be amongst so many fellow cigar smokers and friends from all over the world including Italy, France, USA, Canada and Greece to name just a few, although I was surprised that the English contingent amounted to …3 (Me, Zaff and Wilkes!)

Proudly representing C.Gars Ltd and La Casa del Habano-Hamburg, I was invited on to the stage to be recognised as a “Friend of Partagas” and presented with a beautiful box of specially banded cigars. The box has also been signed by the team working at Partagas LCDH including “La China” one of my favourite rollers.
Towards the end of the evening, a raffle was drawn. Their were a variety of prizes including a holiday for two in Sardinia kindly donated by an Italian aficionado and it was great to see one of the guys on our table win the prize.
Finally the most enormous cake was wheeled in and it was made to look like the Partagas factory.
Thanks to LCDH Partagas and the Italian cigar clubs for putting together such a wonderful evening
Photos to follow in the next few days
Have a great weekend
Saludos
Mitchell

Another Day in Cigar Paradise :-)

Greetings from Havana!
 
Today’s weather was monsoon in the
morning and sunshine in the afternoon!
 
Custom blend Yolandas and
Vigia rum at the Melia Habana this morning and custom blend La Chinas and Havana
Club rum at Partagas in the afternoon.
 
Lunch at Prado Neptuno for
the best pizza in Town (plus smoking of course permitted!)
 
Jazz
club this evening (near Melia Cohiba) with a few Siglo VI’s gifted to me at
Partagas today 🙂
 
It’s been a fabulous week in Havana for the
Partagas Festival, possibly the best one yet.
 
The Italians win the
prize for being the best represented country here! They are everywhere 🙂 A few
Germans, French, Canadians, Americas and Austrians and ummm Me
representing the UK!
 
Partagas LCDH is one of the best places to
herf in Havana and I’m always meeting new friends from all over the world (Hello
Josey from Canada!)
 
What has struck me is the incredible quality of
Havanas. In terms of blending and construction as well as appearance, the
improvement over the last 4 years has been breathtaking. Its so rare to get a
badly rolled cigar these days and the newer the vintage the better the cigar in
my opinion. 
 
In the 11 years I have been visiting Havana
it amazes me how so little has changed. The buildings are still crumbling. The
people in general appear to be living in varying degrees of poverty but everyone
seems happy and friendly. Everyone asks me when I think the embargo will end and
what the ramifications will be. The answer is in truth I have no idea. Hopefully
Havana will not lose its charm but the people will have a better standard of
living.


No sign of Havana Club 15 year old rum anywhere, seems like its not being made anymore, so if you have a bottle – savour it!

Italy possibly has the most enthusiastic Havana cigar scene anywhere in the world with the
incredible Cigar Club association represented all over the country. Massimo is
definitely El Jefe 🙂
 
I’m off for a Daiquiri on the veranda at the
Hotel Nacional with Zaff 🙂
 
Hasta
luego
 
Saludos
 
Mitch