Photography by Nic Wing

If you know a little of the geography of St James’s Street you will know that behind many of the stately and anonymous buildings lining the street are some of London’s most exclusive gentleman’s clubs. You will also find many shops which grew up to supply the members with their many requirements including wines, hats and boots. But Londonist was more interested in a good cigar when stepping over the threshold of London’s oldest cigar store which was founded in 1787 and can claim to be one of the three oldest surviving retailers in St James’s Street.

Today the store has been updated from the days when it was Sir Winston Churchill’s cigar store but in the basement you will find the Cigar Museum containing many items gathered over the stores two hundred year history of which the most evocative are the ledgers of Churchill and Oscar Wilde. There are also pictures of the store as it was back in the day.

Today there is a state of the art walk in humidor containing a huge collection of Cuban and New World cigars. Upstairs you will find a compact sampling lounge where it is possible to sample the store’s wares before you make your selection. A most important facility if you are planning on making an investment in a box of Havana’s very finest hand made production.

JJ Fox & Robert Lewis is located at 19 St James’s Street (SW1A 1ES). Visit the shop online at www.jjfox.co.uk.

By Nic Wing

Photograph by Nic Wing

Opposite the charming Connaught Hotel in the effortlessly chic Mount Street stands one of the great cigar stores of London: Sautter. Back in 1963, Desmond Sautter set up this cigar haven and decided that, to satisfy the demands of the many American customers who wandered across the road from the grand hotel they loved so much, he would install London’s very first ‘walk in’ humidor.

American cigar smokers, many of whom lived in arid states, were used to keeping their cigars damp and turned their noses up at the British habit of keeping their cigars dry.

Sautter built up a large and loyal clientele from both sides of the Atlantic and discovered that London had many hidden pockets of old Cuban cigars which were treasured by aficionados all over the world. Over time he built up a stock of rare cigars, many of which were sold through auctions at Christie’s as the world became educated in the delights of this rare exotica.

Sautter maintains its reputation for having a wonderful selection of aged and special cigars. As a specialist store customers are able to sample cigars on the premises. As the store approaches its 50th anniversary, Londonist calculates that the staff themselves have over one hundred years of experience in the business. So you could do worse than to put yourself in their hands whether you are a beginner or an old hand.

Sautter is located at 106 Mount Street (W1K 2TW). Visit www.sauttercigars.com for more information.

By Nic Wing

Photography by Nic Wing

Londonist often likes to take a small dram to accompany a fine Cuban cigar. So, we were delighted to find that both can now be sourced in this hitherto barren quarter of the metropolis.

Robert Graham’s new cigar store is compact but perfectly packed with cigars and rare whiskies. Here you will find numerous rare whiskies. At the back of the store is a small but perfectly stocked walk in humidor containing a range of cigars that defies the limits of space. A few lucky regular customers have access to locked ‘keeps’ which means that they can keep their prized boxes of cigars in perfect condition allowing them to pop in to collect a few when they fancy. Good cigars mature like fine wine and will continue to do so for many years. Londonist is currently enjoying some fine Cuban Trinindad Fundadores which are now 12 years old.

Further expansion is planned with the next door shop having been recently purchased. There are tables and chairs outside; so having made your way out of the cigar dessert of the northern reaches of the city, it’s a great place to rest with your freshly purchased stogie.

Whisky and Cigars by Robert Graham is located at 4 Broadwell Parade, Broadhurst Gardens (NW6 3BQ). Visit the shop online at www.whisky-cigars.co.uk.

By Nic Wing

Photo by Nic Wing

London’s cigar scene is peopled by some of the most charming and knowledgeable folks in the business. Put yourself in their hands and revel in the delights you can discover.

Londonist recently popped in to the compact but wonderfully stocked cigar store in what is now acknowledged as the world’s greatest department store: Selfridges on Oxford Street. Despite it’s compact size this warm humid little store holds a wealth of treasures from Cuba and the ‘new world’

Located on the ground floor in the wines and spirits department it is managed by Magali who comes from Cuba. A trip to see her is always a pleasure because she knows so much about cigars.

We talked cigars for a while, which is always great as Magali, like so many of her colleagues, is so giving of her wealth of knowledge and experience.

Londonist admitted to a fondness for the Trinidad cigars. A relatively recent addition to the list of famous Cuban cigar brands. Trinidads were originally made just for diplomatic gifts.

Warming to her task, Magali suggested the original gold banded ‘Fundadores’ made at the famous El Laguito factory. A relatively short search around some of the other London stores yielded gold and a truly memorable cigar experience. A visit to see Magali always yields some inspiring new suggestion of something new or a recently found aged treasure from the depths of the humidor.

That’s is what proper expertise and customer service are really all about.

By Nic Wing

Photograph courtesy of Ten Manchester Street

Londonist was recently making our way to this delightful modern hotel for a quiet afternoon cigar with a friend when a French couple asked for directions to the hotel. You couldn’t blame them, it is not easy to locate, but for the ‘in the know’ cigar smokers of London it has become the spot to enjoy a cigar.

When the smoking ban came into effect, cigar smokers were treated like lepars and sent out to smoke on the streets with cigarette smokers. A small group of smart hoteliers and store owners worked out that cigar smokers were actually some of their higher spending customers and started to make plans to accommodate them in style and comfort all year round.

10 Manchester Street’s Humidor and Cigar Terrace opened about six months ago and it has quickly become one of London’s most popular cigar smoking venues.

A well stocked humidor lines the passageway into to the terrace and provides a great selection for both beginner and connoisseur. The long covered terrace at the rear of the hotel has perforated screens to protect customers from the elements. Gas heaters built into the ceiling generate a warm cosy glow that has seen friends sitting out through the winds and snow of this coldest of winters. It also has comfortable seating and attentive waiter service providing drinks and light snacks that mean you can enjoy your cigar in total comfort.

Located in Marylebone, just a short walk from Marylebone High Street and Oxford Street this is the best possible location whether you live in London and want somewhere to smoke or live outside London and want a bolt hole for the weekend where you can also enjoy a good cigar.

Ten Manchester Street is located at … well … it’s obvious isn’t it (W1U 4DG). Visit the hotel’s website for more details about its cigar terrace.

by Nic Wing

Photography by Nic Wing

Londonist was recently invited to the opening of what could well become one of its favourite London summer haunts. The brand new Terrace Garden at the Langham in Portland Place is a surprisingly peaceful oasis considering it’s proximity to the bustle of Regents street and Oxford street.

The Hotel is coming to the end of a major refurbishment and one of the final flourishes is a beautiful flower lined terrace at basement level adjoining a compact Champagne bar.

The Terrace is a great place to relax with a cigar and ease your feet after a prolonged sortie into the shopping delights of the west end or a key destination for all major sporting events.

Rattan tables and chairs nestle under huge umbrellas which will shade you from the sun or possible a light English summer shower. The whole area is surrounded by shrubs, trees and planters giving it an almost colonial feel and a great place to take time over a cigar from their well stocked humidor.

The Champagne bar, which in addition to Laurent Perrier Champagne will also provide cocktails and the staple of all English summers, a large jug of Pimms, is equipped with a large plasma screen television which will show all major sporting events while you make yourself comfortable in the soft brown leather chesterfield settees.

We can’t think of a more civilised spot to watch the World Cup and the hotel and cigar team have done exhaustive research to bring you a recommended quick half time cigar and something more substantial to smoke with a glass of Laurent Perrier Rose to celebrate that all important victory.

The Langham is located at 1c Portland Place, Regent Street (W1B 1JA). Its new Terrace Garden is open Monday to Saturday 4pm-11pm. Visit the hotel’s website for more information.

Written by Nic Wing

Photography by Nic Wing

Londonist was lucky enough to be the first customer to sample a cigar in the wonderful surroundings of No 1 St James’s Street when it opened its doors to the public on the day the election was called. This beautifully designed store and lounge is right on the corner of St James’s Street and Pall Mall.

Despite the recent changes to the smoking laws, the customers of “proper cigar stores” are allowed to sample cigars on the premises. The comfortable white leather chairs, plasma screen television and coffee here made it the ideal spot to watch the election drama unfold as ministerial Jaguars swept by outside.

This is the second new cigar store to open in London in the last few months and together with some fantastic new smoking terraces, London’s cigar scene is certainly looking up.

Like so many of London’s stores, this has a wonderful history. Louis Rothman, was born into the tobacco industry. His family owned a large tobacco factory in the Ukraine and he emigrated to London in 1887. At that time there was a demand for handmade cigarettes using the blends of Balkan, Crimean, Turkish, and Oriental tobaccos.

His first business was a small kiosk on Fleet street where he was so successful that by 1900 he opened a showroom on Pall Mall selling his own brand of Pall Mall Cigarettes.

The store has a substantial walk-in humidor stocked with a wide range of ‘New World’ and a somewhat limited range of Cuban cigars. The experienced staff are extremely helpful and will help with your selection and make you a coffee so that you can luxuriate in London’s most stylish new cigar smoking venue.

By Nic Wing

Photography by Chris Osburn

Londonist has noticed that despite the continued legislation against smoking, the London cigar scene is currently going from strength to strength, spelling a new golden age for resident and visiting cigar smokers.

London has a fascinating cigar history and has always been a great city for buying high quality cigars. Until the late 18th century, most tobacco in Britain was smoked in pipes because that was the way Native Americans in Britain’s North American colonies smoked it. Only a few Cuban cigars trickled into Britain until early in the 19th century when the British Army under the Duke of Wellington fought the Peninsular War in Spain against the French.

Wellington’s officers quickly got a taste for the cigars smoked by their Spanish comrades. On their return home after the war, these same officers began to press for a reduction in duties on Cuban cigars. By 1820 they had succeeded and the first golden age for Cuban cigars in Britain began.

JJ Fox and Robert Lewis in St James’s Street is the last remaining of the cigar stores which grew up to supply the London Gentlemen’s clubs. Today the traditional Mayfair cigar stores are being augmented with modern new stores and outdoor smoking lounges in hotels.

New places to buy and to smoke cigars are opening regularly. Two new cigar stores have opened in the last month. Stores are adding sampling lounges where customers can check out the best cigars in a comfortable environment and very clever hotels are converting areas into pleasant outdoor smoking lounges which allow keen cigar smokers to delight in smoking with their friends all year round.

With this post we introduce our new London Cigar Scene series, sharing our views about the best places in London to buy and to enjoy a good cigar.

By Nic Wing