250 years since the English landed in Cuba

On the 6th June 1762 an English expeditionary force started landing troops in Cuba. The force under the command of the Earl of Albermarle had left Portsmouth in March with the aim of capturing Havana which had been held by the Spanish for over 200 years and was their main 'hub' for transport and treasures from South America. Havana was considered to be impregnable.

The English force was made up of five warships and thirty transport ships carrying some 4,000 battle hardened troops. The first group of English forces set foot on Cuban soil on the 6th June at the mouth of the Cojimar river five miles to the east of Havana.

To read the full account of the English Campaign in Cuba and the history of the Island of Wonder from that day to the revolution I recommend you read Cuba a History by Hugh Thomas published by Penguin.

Rare Meerschaum pipes in London antiques market

Until recently I had not fully appreciated just how many people treasured and collected old pipes. 

Then I met Michael Clements who runs a regular stall on one of London's best known antique markets and he explained to me how old pipes are so prized by collectors and in particular the fantastic carved Meerschaum pipes made from the rare fine clay. 

The highest quality Meerschaum (from the German - sea spray) is only found in sufficient quantities in two places in the world. 

Craftsmen have long prized this fantastic material and carved the most incredible and ornate pipes.

Over many years, as the pipes are smoked they take on a beautiful colour as the tars from the tobacco infuse the fine clay. For this reason older pipes are much prized by collectors. 

Michael explained to me that in many cases the pipes are waxed when they have been finished so that different parts of the pipe colour at different rates.

This can be clearly seen on this magnificent  example where the hat and clothes of this figure have been waxed and the face has coloured as the pipe has been smoked to create the most wonderful contrast.

Many of the very finest examples of Meerschaum pipes come in their own beautiful shaped wooden boxes, covered in leather and lined with velvet to ensure these masterpieces have a long life.

The craftsmen who made these pipes produced many weird and wonderful creations and I like to think that if Keith Richards were ever in the market for a pipe he would beat a path to Michael's door for this particularly wonderful example. 

Michael is one of London's foremost pipe experts and his stall includes many old and collectable pipes. 

His stall is only open on a Saturday but if you would like more details on his regular stall please contact Nic Wing via this blog

Opening of another wonderful new smoking spot in London -The Terrace Garden, at the Langham, London

I was lucky to be invited to attend the opening evening of  what could well be one of my favourite London summer haunts. 

The compact and surprisingly peaceful Terrace Garden at the Langham in Portland place. The hotel is right opposite the BBC and a very short walk from Oxford Circus and the hustle and bustle of Regents street and Oxford street.

This great old Hotel is coming to the end of a major refurbishment and one of the final pieces in the jigsaw is the stunning flower lined terrace at basement level. As you head out to the terrace you will pass the compact Champagne bar and cocktail bar on the left.

Either inside or out this is going to be a great place to relax and take the weight off your feet after a prolonged shopping trip in the west end or after walking the Cuban Cigar Walk London.

It will also become one of London's favourite spots for a fine Cuban cigar and to top it all it's the ideal  destination for all major sporting events. Thinking about it I may well just move in!

Outside on the Terrace there are  rattan tables and chairs which nestle under huge umbrellas to shade you from the sun or possible a light English summer shower. 

The whole area is surrounded by greenery; shrubs, trees and planters giving it an almost colonial feel and a great place to take time over a cigar from the well stocked humidor.

Inside and the Champagne bar is replete with an excellent selection of Laurent Perrier Champagne. It also serves a wide range of cocktails and that cooling and moreish staple of every British summer event;  a jug of Pimms.

To top all of that it has large comfortable leather chesterfield chairs and settees surrounding a large plasma screen television which will show major sporting events while you make yourself comfortable.

I can’t think of a more civilised spot to watch the World Cup and they serve a fantastic meze platter which will keep you happy until full time.

The Hotel and cigar team have done some research to bring you a recommended quick half time cigar and something more substantial to smoke with a glass champagne to celebrate that all important victory. 

The sales team at Hunter & Frankau (the UK's importer of Cuban Cigars) have recently undertaken a rigorous few days of champagne and cigar tasting in order to provide us champagne and cigar lovers with the perfect match.

The results of their labours reveal that for a short break between sets or at half time the perfect cigar is a tubed H.Upmann Junior which you can just get through during half time if you put your mind to it. It combines beautifully with Laurent Perrier NV Champagne.

Assuming your team or favourite achieves a famous victory and you are heading out to the terrace for a celebration and with a little more time the recommended combinations are a Romeo y Julieta short Churchill with Laurent Perrier Rose champagne or a Cohiba Siglo VI with Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle champagne.    

To celebrate the opening of The Terrace Garden The Langham, are giving you the chance to win an evening on The Terrace but you will need to be quick as the competition closes on Friday 18th June. 

G Smith & Sons - One of the oldest purveyors of cigars and snuff in London

Please note, unfortunately this store has now closed. It's a shame but like many London Cigar stores; it's history.


When we put the Cuban Cigar Walk London together we focussed on St James's and Mayfair but there are some really excellent stores in other areas of town, I feel a Cuban Cigar Walk 2 coming on!

If you are searching London for some well kept cigars, a pipe of tobacco or a pinch of snuff you may well miss the unique old Tobacconist in Charring Cross road if you didn’t know it was there.

 

I suspect there was a time in London when many of London’s gentlemen would take a pinch of snuff, but today I find it amazing that such a huge range is still available from a store in London.

G. Smith & sons in the Charring Cross road is a totally unreconstructed snuff store and tobacconist which was established in 1869 and it looks as though it hasn’t has a major refit since that day, Fantastic!

The taking of Snuff is first documented from the second visit of Christopher Columbus to the Americas where he found the Taino-Indians on Haiti taking this form of ground up tobacco in 1497.

It was first brought to Europe in 1561 when Catherine de Medici is first reported to have taken it and she was followed by other famous French snuff takers including  Napolean and King Louis XIII.

Snuff became more common through the 20^th century until it was gradually replaced by cigarettes.  However snuff taking did still remain popular in certain communities such as Ireland, Western Scotland, Iceland and Southern Germany and it also appears there must be a rump of users in London judging by the wide range available here.

G Smith & sons blend their own snuffs and although I have taken it I can’t pretend to be an expert. Those who are recommend the George IV  and Café Royale blends.  

So if you want to try something that your great grandfather probably did then the knowledgeable young men at G Smith & sons will be able to help you select the blend to suit you and I will almost guarantee that you will be the only person in the pub gently teasing a small pile of snuff onto the back of your hand tonight! 

The store also sells pipes and  cigars.


You may well miss the humidor which is in a room through a door on the right of the shop. It obviously used to be a back room and it must be the only humidor in the world with a fireplace.

The shelves are stocked with a few Cuban cigars but my advice is to take a good look at the Non Cuban cigars here including a number of Rocky Patel cigars.

The full address of the store is 74 Charring Cross Road, WC2H 0BG but if you have an iPhone you should download a great new iPhone app called Topsee and it will guide you to Smith as well as showing you over 270 other Top things to eat, drink, do, see and buy in London. 

Auction of Cuban Cigars in London including Pre Revolution Cuban Cigars

You will need some where to rest when you have completed the Cuban Cigar Walk London and we include a list of recommended places to eat, drink and smoke on our web site which are useful during and after the walk.

One of our favourite spots if Boisdale of Belgravia and if you pop along there on the 1^st of December at 7.00pm there is a fantastic auction of some  142 lots including some exceptional Cuban cigars.

There are some great Pre Revolution/Pre Castro Cuban Cigars and a number  humidors in the early lots including a Cubatobacco 1492 original humidor with 15 original cigars with an estimate of between £3,500 to £6,000.

To find a link to the full catalogue of the lots for sale follow this link

If you wish to attend the auction you will need to register. If you are unable to attend the auction you can still bid by email up to 24 hours before the event.  If you are not an existing client you will need to register by emailing your details with details of which Lots you wish to bid for as well as your maximum bids.

Looks like a great opportunity to pick up some Christmas presents for the Cigar lover.

Trinidad Robusto T launch seminar at Boisdale

A short while ago I wrote here that I had seen the new Trinidad Robusto T cigars at Davidoff in London which is one of the stores on the route of the Cuban Cigar Walk London, and today I got to sample one in illustrious company on the wonderful cigar terrace at Boisdale

And what a great evening, when you consider that these cigars retail for £21 each, we got a cigar a glass of the new house no 4 claret and an extremely instructive introduction on this great new cigar from Simon Chase of Hunter and Frankau for just £25. 

There were only 10 lovers of fine cigars at this inaugural Monday evening event and Simon started the evening by giving us a potted history of the Trinidad brand, which is named after the beautiful 16th century city of La Santisima Trinidad which is on the south coast of Cuba and is a Unesco World Heritage site.

Simon explained that Trinidad cigars were first released to the public at the beginning of 1998 but long before that they had been Havana’s mystery cigars having been first produced at El Laguito, the Cohiba factory , but in very small quantities for distribution by the Cuban Council of State.

Cigar Aficianado confirmed their existence in it’s first issue. Trinidads became the holy grail of cigar enthusiasts, mainly because they were almost impossible to obtain. Prices rocketed and it did not take the cigar industry long to decide to fully launch the brand.

The essence of the original cigars was taken by Raul Valladares who is a Master blender of tobacco, known as the ‘Maestro de Maestros’ (Master of Masters), he softened the flavour to produce an aromatic fragrance with a medium flavour.

The new Trinidad Robusto T was announced at the Festival del Habano in February 2009 and has just landed in England.

The Trinidad Reyes has been one of my favourite cigars for a while now, I find it extremely complex and tasty without being too strong and overbearing.

It’s big brother the Robusto T has the same complexity but is more muscular. Simon took time to explain to us the way the cigars are constructed and why we should anticipate different strengths and we worked through each third of the cigar due to the construction of the cigar and it’s filler.

I always learn something when I smoke a cigar with Simon and it’s not surprising with the years he has spent in the business but what also helps is that he is such a charming host.

If you are in the London area I suggest you quickly get the details of a future event and try it for yourself.

The next event is on the 26th October between 6pm and 7pm at Boisdale and will include the Bolivar Petit Belicoso (5’’ 52 RG) and a large glass of Hennessy 1982 Grand Champagne Cognac to drink as you smoke.

With the masterful Simon Chase to host the event, talk you through the background and history of the brand and the new cigar, I can't imagine a better place to be on a cool Monday evening in October than on the Terrace of Boisdale under the heaters with some good friends and a warming drink.


For more details and to get tickets go to the Boisdale web site  You can also register here for updates on future events.

Partagas Culebras – the twisted cigar

I was recently given a Patagas Culebras which is the wonderful twisted three cigars in one.

On Friday I was in London visiting the cigar stores featured on the Cuban Cigar Walk London and I spent some time at Davidoff where Armando, who is in the UK on a break from his usual job as a roller at the Partagas factory in Havana.



I spoke to Armando and Edward Sahakian about the Culebras and got some really interesting details.



I asked Armando about rolling the Culebras and he told me that in order to achieve the twist it was necessary to roll the very loosely and also with very moist tobacco.



Edward told me that he had been told the history of the Culebras by one of the old Cigar importers.

The rollers are apparently allowed to smoke any number of cigars while they are rolling but are only allowed to take 3 cigars home every evening.


In order to discourage them from selling them the three cigars were twisted together.


However as they were for their own consumption the rollers made sure they always used the very best tobacco.

I told Edward and Armando that I intended to smoke mine with a couple of my friends who love cigars. Remember said Edward "that you are smoking the tobacco not the shape".

Newly released Trinidad Robusto T

Just a quick note this evening, while I was at Davidoff in London today I saw the new Trinidad Robusto T cigars which were released today.

Just look at that lovely little piggy tail there!

Yummy!

I haven't smoked one yet but James Suckling likes them:
Cigar Aficionado

Sir Winston Churchill's cigar part of War Time bunker exhibition

The Cuban Cigar Walk London naturally has many references to the life and cigars of Sir Winston Churchill  as on our Audio guide we visit two of the Cigar stores (Robert Lewis and Alfred Dunhill) which supplied Sir Winston during his long life.

The Cuban Cigar Walk London finishes at the Churchill Museum Cabinet War Rooms just next to Downing street and a new exhibition revealing the day to day workings of life inside Sir Winston Churchill's secret World War II headquarters is being opened to the public this week.





Marking the 70th anniversary of the start of the conflict, the exhibition will showcase the stories of the people who worked alongside Churchill in the secret bunker.

For those of you who are keen Cigar smokers interested in the specific cigar that Sir Winston smoked you can see an example of one of his cigars in the museum.

It's partly smoked and well chewed but it's a contact with the great man himself.



Whether you can get to the exhibition or not I strongly recommend that you buy a copy of the book "Churchill's Cigar" by Stephen McGinty.

Stephen was kind enough to read extracts of his wonderful book for inclusion in the Cuban Cigar Walk London and it's a authorative and beautifully written book.

For more details see :

BBC News Article
Churchill Museum Cabinet War Rooms Web site.

The Ultimate Humidor? (Part 1)

If you like good Cuban Cigars then you need somewhere to keep them and while working on a group version of my Audio Guide the Cuban Cigar Walk London I recently met Simon Chase of Hunters and Frankau who told me about the new Humidors which Hunters had commissioned from Linley the famous bespoke furniture company which is run by the Queen’s nephew.

The Cuban Cigar Walk London passes very close to the Linley store in Mayfair and you can be sure that we will be making a detour on group walks to ensure that we get to see these wonderful pieces of design.

Of the three designs, the reproduction of the El Laguito factory in Havana, the home of the world famous Cohiba cigars is the most stunning.
Only one of these humidors will be made and it will be available filled with a fabulous selection of Cigars all carefully selected by Hunters and Frankau.

Slightly more accessible to mere mortals are the two other designs in this exclusive range. The Skyline Humidor is the second in the collection and five of these will be produced. This humidor contains 50 cigars and features the panoramic skyline of London in marquetry detailing around the box.


Finally The third humidor in the collection marks the bicentenary of the Cuban Revolution. Only fifty of the Cuban Flag humidors will be available and each one is numbered.

The box features marquetry inlay depicting the Cuban national flag in ripple sycamore, satin walnut and Santos rosewood encased within walnut lippings.

The box is distinguished by an undulating ‘ripple’ effect on the surface which evokes a flag fluttering in the wind.

For full details and to place your orders go to the Hunters and Frankau web site:
Hunters and Frankau Humidors

H Upmann Magnum 48 Limited Edition

I had a wonderful afternoon yesterday and I sat with Edward Sahakian at Davidoff in London . It was the first day of the release of the 2009 limited edition Cuban Cigars and I sat with him and smoked one of the new H Upmann Magnum 48 Limited Edition 2009.


It’s a great cigar, not to strong, which is ideal for me. It is made with tobacco which as been aged for a minimum of 2 years. Edward had smoked one the day before and he says they will age very well.

We will be heading back to Davidoff on the Cuban Cigar Walk London on the 19th September for a group walk which will be followed by a Herf.

http://www.citiesinsound.com/shopWebSite/php/showProducts.php?plu=13

Make the most of the smoke

Quite simply, it was one of the most pleasant and informative afternoons I’ve had in London”
Mark Hedges, Editor – Country Life, May 2009


I recently spent a sunny afternoon doing the Cuban Cigar Walk London with the editor of Country Life and you can read his article on the Country Life web site:

http://www.countrylife.co.uk/blogs/article/341534/Country-mouse-on-a-pleasant-tour-of-London.html