A favourite pastime of ours - coffee with a fine Cuban Cigar, such as this Juan Lopez Cigar
LEATHER FURNITURE. HARDWOOD FLOORS. SECRET DENS
Being able to ship to anywhere in the world, we often wonder where our Cuban Cigars online are smoked. Perhaps on a quiet street in Italy, or in a bustling group of friends, gathered indoors to protect themselves from the splattering rain in England. Such is the case at Mayfair’s Luxury Annabel’s – a private members’ club which has the most spectacular cigar room indoors. We greatly believe that the place is one of the most luxurious to smoke – the epitome of cigar extravagance. However, for some home owners, a bespoke cigar area in the comfort of their own home is the new lavish way forward. This once common house occurrence, is today a rare indulgence.
CIGAR ROOMS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY - Published in 2016 in the publication Country Life, an article on ‘The rise and fall of the smoking room’. The piece discusses how a smoking room was once essential in English country houses during the late nineteenth century. It goes on to say how the period's increasing gender separation in homes – male and female divisions, led men to create smoking rooms where they can enjoy cigars and conversation, alone from women. Written by Michael Hall, he interestingly mentioned how most rooms probably mimicked the look of luxury smoking rooms in London clubs, without paying much attention to hygiene or suggested interior to accommodate smoke. In Annabel’s cigar room for instance, the leather-lined walls air themselves out overnight, meaning the tobacco scent is absent in the morning.
Despite evidence of female cigar smokers throughout history, as we documented in Female Cigar Smokers: How They Broke Taboo, smoking a cigar was fiercely a man pursuit, while cigarettes were seen as feminine. In an 1889 Hand-book detailing official and social etiquette in Washington, the book notes “It is customary in some houses for gentleman to smoke at the close of dinner, but this should only be after the ladies have retired from the table. Sometimes the gentleman are invited into another apartment for smoking, and rejoin the ladies in the drawing-room after they have disposed of their cigars”. Because it was considered poor-form for a man to smoke a cigar in the presence of a woman – particularly out in public, a cigar room helped men to pursue their passion without judgement.
Images of luxury cigar rooms via Pinterest
"a sense of peace and tranquility undisturbed"
THE SMOKING DENS OF LUXURY HOMEOWNERS – For cigar aficionado’s fortunate enough to have the space for a cigar area, the walls are much more than the sides of a room. It’s a den – retreat – an escapist enclosure to find a sense of peace and tranquillity undisturbed. For many, this relaxation is a new necessity, worthy of savouring. Recently printed in The Wall Street Journal online, an editorial on Americans who have created large cigar dens. Speaking to one, they confessed to spending $75,000 on a cigar den which is also used for reflection – presumably while smoking. The expense is significantly due to the equipment and technology used to remove minimal smoke and cigar scents. This includes leather furniture, hardwood floors and an energy-recovery ventilation system. Not forgetting of course, the importance of a humidor.
In a cigar room, this is probably hand-built and displayed as a centrepiece, comprising a wide selection of Cuban Cigars. Showing our Cigar Accessories on our blog, we mentioned a few of our humidors to purchase, suitable for office, travel and while at home. For example, The S.T Dupont Humidor comprises of natural lacquer and cedar wood hand-crafted. Additionally, the magnificent piece has a hygrometer inside, ensuring your cigars are well-protected and stored optimally.
Top Left and Top Right: Two of our favourite Cuban Cigar brands - Bolivar Cigars and San Juan Cigars, Bottom: London's Mark's Club meeting director Darius Namdar
"women are now more free to enjoy"
CHANGES TO MODERN CIGAR ROOMS – As noted with the décor, nineteenth century cigar/smoke rooms placed emphasis on appearance - an attractive, masculine look with lavish furnishings to impress. With the return in modern times, people are becoming savvy to understanding how best to minimise smoke and the lingering scent of tobacco – cigar smoke has a lesser overpowering aroma than cigarettes. There’s also a movement towards using your cigar room as a space for self-expression – an artistic creation revealing your personality. So while the expected dark-walls and affluent sculptures, artwork and wine bottles are typically found, you’ll secondary see anything from a library stack of books, a Hollywood favourite such as Humphrey Bogart, a pool table, chess and sometimes sports team memorabilia.
One of the biggest changes to modern cigar rooms, is the fact that women are now more free to enjoy the surroundings and smoke cigars alongside their partners. Private members’ clubs and hotels are finding ways to accommodate females; The May Fair and No. Ten Manchester Street hotel, have routine ladies’ cigar evenings. Romeo y Julieta Cigars launched a ‘female-friendly’ habano – smaller in size and with a ring gauge under 50, like the Romeo y Julieta Petit Royales Cigar, nevertheless, most women smoke the same or a larger vitola than men.
There is a beautiful luxury to being able to buy Cuban Cigars and smoke them leisurely in a cigar room at home. It’s a cigar connoisseur’s freedom, and for those able to indulge, it’s surely worth acquiring. Regardless of a cigar room nonetheless, our Bolivar 681 Cigar (Ex. Bulgaria 2011) is an exquisite piece to treasure in your humidor. The very first Regional Edition Cigar for Bulgaria, this fine habano compromises a taste of cinnamon and sweet cacao, marrying a layer of spice.