This week’s blog comes to you from sunny Havana 🙂 where I am proud to be participating in the 14^th annual Festival Habano.

After a rather bumpy Virgin flight (turbulence seems to be the same in Upper Class – even if laying flat!) I actually managed to zoom through immigration and grab my cases before I had time to herf a Partagas Shorts which is a record for Havana airport arrivals! Headed straight to Palacio for a smoke and to grab some Montecristo Gran Reserva to enjoy over the next few days… may as well enjoy Havana in style.

After a few worries as to whether I would even have a hotel room at the Nacional, it was a pleasant surprise to find I had been booked into a very comfortable suite with fabulous views of the Malecon. Spent the evening on the Terrace with numerous friends from all over the globe and ended the evening having a smoke with the Hunters and Frankau group. Simon Chase kindly gifted me a delicious San Cristobal (new size – looked like a Maravillas) and another friend gave me the new Cohiba Piramides extra which is not only a great size but also an excellent blend. I am looking forward to these cigars becoming available as I am certain they will be exceptionally popular.

Thursday has been a whirlwind days of herfing round the cigar stores starting with coffee and a BHK52 at Miramar LCDH and moving on to the Melia Habana where I hooked up my laptop and emailed the office 17 photos in 3 hours (so much for fast wifi!) but managed 2 BHK56’s whilst going through the painful email process. The cigar stores are well stocked and  there are plenty of the H Upmann Royal Robusto wooden boxes of 10 which I believe are only for sale in Cuba.

I visited the trade fair at the Convention Centre which was the busiest I can ever remember it (as well as the hottest) and collected some beautiful ceramic jars that were made for me. Some will be used to display Havanas in our retail cigar stores and a few may be sold in the future. Found a fabulous original photo of Che that will go nicely in our collection and a few large ‘tronquitos’  then back to the Nacional terrace for more smokes and drinks with Christoph from LCDH Hamburg and friends.

Hunters and Frankau invited the top UK cigar specialists including Eddie Sahakian of Davidoff and Parresh Patel of Regal to the first tasting of the UK regional edition Bolivar Britanicas – a celestiales finos shaped cigar – 5 3/8” length and 48 ring gauge cigar, presented in wooden boxes of 10 and hopefully due to arrive in our humidors this month.

After smoking two of these cigars I can report that this is another winner for the UK regional edition series. The blend is full flavoured, smooth, complex and medium to full strength. The construction was perfect with an even burn and an attractive Colorado maduro wrapper. Only 3000 boxes of 10 will ever be made and they are likely to sell out very fast. Despite having no confirmed price as yet we already have almost 500 orders!

This Festival has a buzz like no other I can remember. Havana seems jam packed this year and there is an amazing atmosphere. The weather is hot and sunny during the day and balmy in the evenings – just perfect.

There are some great cigars being introduced at the gala dinner including this year’s Romeo Gran Reserva which is a Churchill in possibly the most beautiful presentation box yet.

The highlight of the  Gala dinner of course was the Humidor Auction with all proceeds going to the Cuban National Health Service and conducted by Simon Chase. Each auction Lot can only be described as a unique creation. The cigars in the humidors are rolled by the most skilled master rollers and the humidors are quite breath taking.

Lot 1 H Upmann Humidor, ceramic jar and ashtray with 350 cigars, including H Upmann no.3 which has not been made since the 1970’s, as well as grandes and short piramides which are not commercial production vitola.

Lot 2 Hoyo de Monterrey, 350 cigars including specially made Obseqios, Extravaganza,Colosales and Belicosos no.1

Lot 3 Romeo y Julieta, 350 cigars including Fabulosos no.6, Seleccion de Luxe – a vitola not made since the 1960’s, Petit Piramides and Aguilas.

Lot 4 Partagas, 350 cigars including Serie D no. 1 and 2, Serie C no.4, Salmones no.2 and Sobrasalientes

Lot 5 Montecristo, 375 cigars including Gran Reserva, Double Coronas and Maravillas no.1

Lot 6 Cohiba, an incredible humidor of El Laguito complete with 520 cigars including the incredible 2009 Gran Reserva

I’ll scan the brochure and put up on the website soon as I get back to London so you can see the full descriptions.

I have been coming to Havana for 16 years, 54 visits so far! and have attended the last 12 Festivals but I think I have enjoyed this one the most due to the incredible atmosphere and the good times herfing with so many friends from all over the world.

The Gala dinner was a slick affair with nonstop entertainment by singers and dancers over a long evening that finished around 1.30 am. We enjoyed Romeo Exhibition no.4 on arrival followed by the new petit Churchill, Wide Churchill and finally Gran Reserva… with plenty of wine, port and rum served in a red Romeo imaged room at Pabexco that was very impressive.

Ana Lopez (marketing Director Habanos SA) welcomed us and the highlight of our evening was Jemma Freeman winning the Habanos award for business which was richly deserved. The UK market is a mature and sophisticated market and clearly a growing market. This is thanks to the stringent quality control by Hunters and Frankau that we believe make our English Market Selection (EMS) Havanas the finest in the world.
Results now in: Habanos Festival Gala dinner Auction results In Euros

Lot   

1. 60,000
2. 40,000
3. 130,000
4. 60,000
5. 80,000
6. 360,000

Total 730,000 Euros

Peaceful puffing  and best wishes from Havana

Mitchell

 

Looks like I brought the good weather back from my vacation in Israel last week as London is unseasonably lovely and warm… and perfect for outdoor cigar smoking of course 🙂

I had a fabulous week of herfing with my Father and enjoying our old favourites: Monte 2’s, BBF’s and PSD4’s as well as a few treats (Davidoff Chateau Latour and Dunhill Mojito)

My trip back started in style as the duty free in Tel Aviv had a fabulous cigar shop with a smoking lounge! So there I was herfing the Israeli regional edition Ramon Allones petit robusto and drinking a single malt at 8 in the morning (the flight went very smoothly for me at least!)

Back to London and that old tough routine which included a herf at the Lanesborough where a few friends and I got well stuck into the new Montecristo Gran Reserva 🙂 can’t even print the prices on the website as we are so competitive and as ever guarantee that our prices will always be the best in the UK. These cigars are Monte 2’s with a supercharger! Deep and complex, sweet and smooth from the first to the last puff. Perfect construction  and very good smooth wrapper (shades from colorado claro to colorado maduro) only 5000 cabinet made and selling like crazy as expected.

Available by mail order as usual and also now rolling out to our retail cigars shops too with Mayfair the first to get them.

Our humidor is full to capacity with auction cigars as they arriving daily for our July 2^nd auction at Boisdale Canary Wharf. Auction catalogue due out Mid May and there should be some great bargains potentially available. From Davidoff to Dunhill, pre embargo. Limited editions aged and mature Havanas. Always an exciting event.

I have selected a great new sampler made up of Havana cigars matured from 2007/2008. If you buy them separately they would cost around £140 but in our readymade sampler pack they are a bit of a steal at just £99 Inc VAT and delivery 🙂 so there you go… C.Gars Ltd still the biggest and best in the UK cigar trade (allegedly!)

-Partagas
Lusitania
-H Upmann Magnum
46
-H Upmann Magnum
50
-Cohiba Maduro
Genios
-Cohiba Maduro
Magicos
-Ramon Allones specially
Selected
-Hoyo Epicure
no.1
-Montecristo no.2

8 of the finest Havana cigars – well matured and ready for smoking

Drop me an email to order or to request a secure order link – only 50 sampler packs available so order early to avoid disappointment [email protected]

Off to Havana next week for the annual Festival del Habanos. Looking forward to meeting up with old friends and making some new friends too. I am massively excited about the first tasting of the UK Regional 2102 Bolivar next Friday and hoping it’s as good as expected. Planned for release in March from our importers Hunters and Frankau.

The Gala dinner will feature the next Gran Reserva which will be  Romeo churchill which is an interesting choice that I can’t wait to try.

I have commissioned some very special ceramic jars in Havana and I’m hoping that they will be ready for me to collect next week. I will be offering some of these complete with some of my Seleccion Orchant Havana cigars. Drop me an email if you would like details.

Have a smokey
weekend.

Peaceful
puffing

Mitchell

So the weather in London can’t quite make its mind up this week but it looks like more snow on the way. If it’s as bad as the last two years and I can’t get to the office (goodness knows my sports car is useless on icy roads) I may decide to do a sort of Desert Island Discs or should I say Snow Stranded Cigars!

I came up with this list to stash in the home humidor to last me through 🙂

1. Bolivar Belicosos – I can smoke these any time of day

2. Montecristo no.2 – My long standing favourite cigar that has been exceptional quality over the last few years

3. Punch Orchant Seleccion no.11 – Simply delicious

4. Juan Lopez Seleccion Suprema – Had to have a UK regional in the list as they are such great Havanas



5. Partagas Serie D no.4 – Had to have a robusto in the list of course

Now that would cover the flavour and strength profiles that I love but I would also need a few libations to match up so delving into the Robert Graham Ltd range it would have to be :

1. Allt-Bhainne 1997 – Delicious when paired up with the Bolivar or Punch

2. Benrinnes 1998 – Perfect with the Montecristo  and Juan Lopez

3. Glenallachie – Outstanding with just about any good Havana!

So that would be me set up nicely… as long as my Palio stays good and sharp!

Spent a little time herfing in our Mayfair cigar shop this week and have to say for a small specialist shop… it has one busy sampling area! On Thursday there must have been a constant stream of cigar smokers buying cigars  and sampling them on the premises. The extraction system is amazing – well done to our builders as well as the Rabbit air system. The coffee and Scotch are not too shabby either 🙂

Alfie Turmeaus cigar shop in Mayfair is open 7 days a week for our customers convenience with late nights on Thursday and Friday

The Mayfair shop is located in Shepherd Market which is such a gorgeous location and ideal for a cigar shop. The shops around us are so classy, from the top class florist and jeweller to fabulous boutiques. I popped in to one of the neighbours for a coffee and was very impressed to say the least check out Tanner Krolle next time you are in the area, great people and splendid leather craft. There are 2 great pubs as well and quite a few first class restaurants (some with outdoor seating – so they will be good for a smoke when the weather is better!)

Shepherd Market may well end up to be THE central  London destination point for cigar smokers especially when the new 5 Hertford Street club opens in the future. I can’t think of a nicer location in Town except perhaps St James’s where you can smoke outside the lovely Franco’s restaurant. There is still one Havana cigar specialist I can think of offhand which is the beautiful Davidoff shop.

A little further north you can also sample in peace at our West Hampstead Robert Graham Ltd shop… and you can also enjoy a dram of scotch there from our fabulous range of course. The walk in humidor has a great range of Havanas and non-Cuban cigars and you can usually find some discontinued and interesting Havanas that can’t be found anywhere else in the country.

So I’ve had enough of the cold, armed with a large humipouch full of large Havanas I’m off for a week for some Valentines sunshine where I will do my next blog from!

Have a smokey weekend.

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

At last they have arrived! Feast your eyes on the latest  Orchant Seleccion Havana cigars:

Punch Royal Selection no.11. The cabinet selection version of the benchmark Corona Gorda Punch Punch but somehow always a better blend for my palate. 2007 was a fantastic vintage and the 32 cabinets I have selected from our importers Hunters and Frankau are all the finest English Market Selection 2007 code.

Available by the cabinet and in singles.

Measuring in at 5 5/58” length and 46 ring gauge this cheeky smoke is loaded with sweet, full and complex flavours from the first to the last finger burning puff. The tobacco is well matured and the wrappers generally silky smooth colorado – colorado maduro. During tests I only found 1 with a sub-par draw and the rest (quite a few so far!) have a cool, clear draw. A sophisticated blend not for the novice but the experienced Havana smoker will enjoy this smoke immensely. Get them while you can as most of the stock has already been pre ordered.

I’m planning a delicious Orchant Seleccion Havana sampler for next month as we have now had quite a few of the finest Havana cigars banded specially for us. It will be a great opportunity for my clients to try a few of my favourite Havana cigars.

Lunch at Boisdale Belgravia earlier this week, followed by a Partagas Serie E no.2 on the rather cold terrace where Ranald and I planned our next vintage cigar auction. This will take place on Monday the 2^nd July at Boisdale Canary Wharf. It promises to be the usual lively event with quite a few interesting vintage boxes of Havanas arriving daily. You can see updates on our auction website.

For a change of pace and some different flavour profiles check out our growing and massively popular Fuente range on this link.  My partner Guy Hancock from Decent Cigar Emporium in Dublin spent a day of serious Fuente herfing in the office on Wednesday as we discussed and tested out many of the new additions to the range.

Montecristo Gran Reserva first allocation came in… and then went back out. 5000 cabinets made but few seem to be into the marketplace as of yet. So, if you got hold of them – cherish and enjoy! We hope to have more substantial allocations available over the next few months although we already have many back orders. These cigars are made with tobacco aged from 2005 and don’t taste anything like regular production Monte  2’s. They are far more full bodied as well as stronger, bags of long term aging potential and no doubt an interesting potential investment. Drop me a line if you would like some [email protected]

 Valentines coming up soon 🙂 great range of Romeo cigars on the website and we are always delighted to gift wrap and add personalised messages of course!

Have a smokey weekend.

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell

Delayed blog due to rather manic week starting with a trip to my shops in Liverpool and Chester on Monday which is always fun for me as I love searching through the walk in humidors to see if there are any goodies. Managed to find a few boxes of the now sold out Por Larranaga Regalias del Londres, Flor de Cano Short  Robusto, El Rey Del Mundo Choix De L’ Epoque, Punch Serie D’ Oro no.1, H Upmann Magnum 46 2001 vintage (no bands)Cohiba Gran Reserva (singles) and a few other great smokes that are hard to come by.

Congrats to our new Manageress Jayne at Chester and best of luck for the future to our retiring Manageress Fiona. Chester Turmeaus has gone through a bit of a face lift over the last few months finishing with lovely comfortable new leather chairs that have just arrived and are perfect for in store cigar sampling 🙂

Our professional photographer Tillman Prestcher from Hamburg arrived on Tuesday to photograph some vintage cigars for a client and was rapidly grabbed by the camera strap to do a load of Cuban antique cabinet photographs for me instead! Setting up studio in one of our offices, Tillmann did his usual excellent work for which I am always grateful.

Wednesday was Lanesborough herfing evening with friends from overseas. Packed as ever on the terrace and service as good as ever- this is the premier spot for a smoke/drink in Town. We herfed our way through a few UK regionals with some good single malt which was perfect on the cold evening.

Thursday was my annual meeting at Hunters and Frankau to go through all the new products expected to be launched through the year. Sampled my way through a Monte Open Eagle whilst chatting with Jemma and Sean and discussing how I could top last year’s record sales. Montecristo Gran Reserva will finally be released in the UK late this week but don’t get too excited yet as the allocations are quite tiny and it may be some time before we have enough stock coming through to satisfy the huge demand for these fine smokes. Limited edition of 5000.

We expect the UK Bolivar RE early march and that should prove to be hugely popular too. 3000 numbered wooden boxes of 10 Bolivar Britanicas measuring 5 1/3” length and 46 ring gauge specially double banded for the UK. Best to email and register interest soonest because if these sell as fast as we expect, they won’t be around for too long. The other UK regional will be a Punch Medaille D’Oro  but I don’t w3ant to hazard a guess on when this will become available!

Racing back to the office from my H&F meeting and just in time for an office herf that had started with a swing or at least a lot of cigar smoke and pink champagne as our pre herf to the Burns night dinner we have every year at Boisdale. This year we changed venue from Belgravia to Canary Wharf and it was good if not better than ever. Monte 2’s on the cigar terrace, dinner followed by cigars in the Cigar Library. My herfing chums and I love Boisdale!

Having my usual fun tweeting on Twitter and have sussed out that just about any time I tweet that I am heading to Alfie Turmeaus cigar shop in Mayfair, friends/clients show up for a smoke and a drink! (which is just fine by me 🙂 ) 

No fly zone for me this week (thank goodness) but just as well, I have a lot of serious Office and Boisdale herfing scheduled for this week!

Have a smokey week

Peaceful puffing

Mitchell