Events this week!
This week we have some fantastic tasting events lined up at our Liverpool, Chester and Norfolk stores!
As many of you know our events are not to be missed, they offer a great opportunity to try new cigars and pairing, meet our staff and also speak to fellow aficionados .
Liverpool – Book here
Chester – Book here
Norfolk – Book here
Cigar School
Some of our newer staff are in school this week with Tim Owen from Hunters and Frankau, who is taking them through their Habanos Academy training.
Our teams are constantly training and learning so that we can bring you the best possible service.
James, Anthony and Georgina will also be starting revision for their Masters of Cigars Certification, this prestigious award has only been given to a handful of people worldwide, be sure to follow the blog for updates on how they are all getting on.
Buy your ‘The World of Habano Book – All You Need To Know’ here
Happy herfing
Mr Orchant is in the building!
Last week saw the man himself, Mitchell Orchant attend a very special event at out Turmeaus Norfolk store. Co-hosted by Hunters & Frankau and Dictador Colombian Rum.
Guests enjoyed not one, but TWO cuban cigars; the exquisite Cuaba Divinos followed by the ultimate stogie…made famous by Mitchell – the Bolivar Belicoso Finos!
These cigars were paired with 12 and 20 year old rums from Dictador, brand ambassador Oleh was on hand to tell all about the history of this fantastic tipple.
Our events are not to be missed, make sure to book tickets for the next one near you here
Until next time,
Stay Smokey
Davidoff Awards 2019 – Turmeaus Norfolk
We have been working really hard to complete the Davidoff Cigars training last month and this weekend we’ll be getting together for a presentation evening to congratulate our staff on all their hard work.
We are working closely with Davidoff, and have been making some big changes to our website to promote our joint partnership with them in bringing their cigars to the forefront, because they are without a doubt the ultimate new world luxury!
Watch this space for pictures from the event, and we have even more exclusive offers coming very very soon!
Check out our full Davidoff range here
Happy Herfing
From the Ashes
If there’s one thing that’s been on the tip of pipe smokers’ collective tongues for the last year or so, it has been “What’s going on with Dunhill tobacco?” When I first got into this trade nearly ten years ago (Man, were has the time gone?) They had totally vanished from the UK market, but they returned a few years after, to massive fanfare from diehard pipe smokers. It started as a small cross section of the range initially, but over the years it gradually grew and grew. However, a year or so ago, rumours began to circulate that they would be disappearing from UK shelves once again. Sadly, at the end of 2018, these rumours got confirmed and we once again had to say goodbye to Dunhill’s legendary range of pipe tobacco. At the time of writing, we do still have some Dunhill blends available: You can see them here. But that’s it, when they’re gone, they’re gone. For good.
However, another brand has emerged from the ashes left behind by Dunhill to take up their mantle. You might be familiar with Charatan cigars? If you’ve read many of my blogs before you’ll know I’m quite as big fan of them, for excellently priced mellow cigars that I often recommend for newer cigar smokers or people working with a budget. Well, they’ve gone up in my estimation even more now, as they have released their own range of pipe tobacco that has been “Inspired” by the Dunhill range.
So as is tradition, I’m shouldering the arduous work and tasting my way through the range to see how they measure up and reporting my findings here. It’s quite a big range so I’ll be spreading my reviews out across a few blogs in the coming weeks.
Here’s what I’ve tasted so far:
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this is an interpretation of “Early Morning” from Dunhill. As the name(s) suggest(s), this blend is designed to be the first bowl smoked in the morning. So, it is delicately flavoured, but complex enough that it stimulates your palate without overwhelming it. Early Morning was always one of my favourite Dunhill blends, so I’m pleased to report that First Bowl is a very faithful interpretation. It is a blend of Red Virginia and Oriental, with a touch of medium fired Latakia that gives a delicately sweet taste, with a subtly crisp, smoky edge.
This is an inclusion that also makes me very happy. As Charatan take inspiration from Dunhill’s legendary “De Luxe Navy Rolls” it takes the form of the criminally underutilised “Coin/Medallion” cut;
small disks of tobacco that are prepared in the same manner as a flake.
Charatan’s take on this classic feature contains Flue cured African tobacco with a hint of perique. Nice and simple, right? However, Charatan have added their own twist of this tobacco, by adding a core of Black Cavendish. This is often referred to as a “Bullseye,” but it isn’t used very often these days (Orlik Bullseye was a great example, which I used to love, but has been off the market for years now.) The Bullseye style means you can choose how much or little Black Cavendish is included in your final rub, giving you even more control over the taste.
Speaking of the taste, this doesn’t taste exactly like the Navy Rolls, but it isn’t far off. There is an almost Virginia-esque, sweet and tangy quality to the base tobacco, with a hint of crackling, peppery spice from the perique, while the Black Cavendish (should you choose to include it, of course) Rounds it off with a subtle creaminess.
I’d definitely recommend trying this one, even if it’s just to experience what smoking a Bullseye is like, as it’s really uncommon these days!
I’m generally a pretty big fan of flake tobacco (Or the similar “Medallions” as mentioned above) so I was relieved to see that Charatan were releasing their own blend inspired by Dunhill Dark Flake, as it was easily one of my favourite Dunhill Blends. However, as one of the last new Dunhill blends reduced in the UK, it was quite late to the party, so I feared it might get left out in favour of their more established classics. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case. The tin that I sampled this from was technically more of a “Very dark brown flake” than a “Black Flake” but I’m not going to complain. These very dark brown flakes contain Dark Virginia with air-cured Perique. This makes for an excellent combination of flavours. The Virginia gives an extremely deep, sweet and rich taste with natural hints of fruit, while the perique adds a tiny hint of spice to invigorate the blend and prevent it from becoming sickly or cloying. It is full bodied, but still palatable and in no way overwhelming. One of my favourites I’ve tasted so far.
When Dunhill was still widely available, I repeatedly wrote about how much I loved the concept of the combo of the “Early Morning” and “Nightcap” blends. The former being intended for a palate stimulating, first bowl of the day, whilst the latter was a powerful, heady blend intended to help you relax as a final bowl of the day. So, I’m glad to see that these have both inspired blends from Charatan, for fulfilling the same purposes. I’m actually having my first bowl of this one as I type, but being the rebel I am, it is roughly 10am. It is definitely extremely powerful, with quite an intense nicotine content, but not in an unpleasant way (although, I am now thinking that maybe I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast.) While all the blends have clearly been inspired by the originals and are fairly faithful interpretations, I have to say that this one undoubtedly the one that has come closest to its original so far. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I actually have a bowl of Nightcap in my pipe at the moment!
The blend is a combination of American and Turkish tobacco, with Latakia and a hint of Perique. The Turkish and Latakia take point on the taste, with a potently crisp smokiness, which mingles wonderfully with the naturally sweet base of the American tobacco. I think this has to be my favourite of what I’ve tasted so far, but if you’ll excuse me, I need to go have a nap for a few hours…
So that’s all for today. I’ll pick up where I left off next week!
Until then: Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
-Calum
St. Patricks Day!
This week at Chester we have some great offers on Irish Whisky to celebrate St Patrick’s Day on 17th March. If Irish Whisky is not your tipple then we also have Flor De Cana Rum on offer, with the beautiful expressions of 7 year old, 12 year old and 18 year old. The 12 year old and 18 year old come with a beautiful poetry book, it is written in Spanish so if you want to impress your other half with some Spanish poetry you know what you have to buy : )
Friday 8th March saw is celebrate International Women’s day and we some wonderful ladies who work for us but as there is no International Man’s day a big shout out to everyone of you who is an inspiration to others. Sara celebrated as she only knows how……….. A BIG CIGAR !!!!
I’m sure she was able to find one within the two highly stocked humidors at Chester : )
Remember Chester is open 7 days a week and our staff are always on hand to help you choose your favourite tobacco products and a nice tipple to accompany it!
It’s been a while, but we are back!
This week saw Sara at Chester practise her Daryl Hannah from Kill Bill look however it certainly did not stop her sampling the magnificent Partagas Maduro No 1… however her current favourite daytime cigar is the Orchant Seleccion Avo Robusto which luckily for you all is available in stores across the UK and online………… but you better hurry before she smokes them all !!!
We love to host a tasting event in Chester and Wednesday 20th February saw our first Cuban event of 2019 and as with all our events, it was sold out !! Who can blame you fine people for buying a ticket though with the wonderful cigars and cognac we had to offer !!
Make sure you check out the event pages here regularly for all up to date information on any future events and remember to book your tickets fast as we really hate the sulky faces when we have to tell you its sold out !! 😜
We also have some amazing offers coming in store over the next few weeks but until then its hush hush 🤐 but remember the Chester store is open 7 days a week and we are always on hand to help put in any we can, because let’s face it we LOVE our jobs ! 😍
Christmas has begun!!!
As we enter December we have some amazing offers and gifts for you to get for all your loved ones. Whether it be the perfect pipe, cigars or Whisky we will have it for you. I have gone through to find the best gifts for you this Christmas and give you some recommendations, check them out below.
AVO Syncro Nicaragua Selection Christmas Gift Box Sampler
The perfect Christmas gift for any cigar lover! Presented in an AVO Syncro Nicaragua empty cigar box. Medium strength cigars that are not too overpowering, so the perfect gift for an cigar smoker, and is also very easy to wrap.
Just a few notes on the cigars included:
The AVO Syncro Nicaragua is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. Known for its wild character and peppery notes, they carefully fuse their tobacco with earthy flavours from their estate in the Dominican Republic. The composition is an experience that is perfectly in sync with the moments worth sharing.
Liam’s Mystery Pipe Tobacco Presented in Leather Pouch
My Mystery pouch is a nice surprise at a great price of just £9.99. I don’t choose anything too overbearing so whatever tobacco you receive im sure who you’re it buying t for will enjoy it, not only that it comes presented in a Leather tobacco pouch. If you would like to know what tobacco you have received you just have to email me at [email protected] and I will let you know.
Aber Falls Gin Selection – 5x5cl Gift Pack
Here is your oppotunity to try all the flavours from the Aber Falls range. From salter toffee to orange marmalade, this gift pack promises to offer some amazing tastes. These little tasters are perfect throughout Christmas and up to New Year, but hurry because these will fly off the shelf.
These are just a small selection of what we have to offer, so make sure you have a browse because the gifts we have are endless.
Have a great Christmas,
Liam
Something a little strange has happened…
I was having a look around the Chester shop recently and I realised something that is very odd. It has always been accepted that cigars are a “rich man’s hobby” whereas cigarettes are reserved for us regular folk. However, as cigarettes have been gradually edging further up in price over the years, many are starting to cross over into being in the £10-£12 per pack, range. Bafflingly, this means we’ve reached a point where it is possible to find some small cigars that are actually cheaper than cigarettes. It’s not just me, is it? That is some crazy stuff right there! So naturally, that means that for this blog, I’m going to go through some of my favourites! Now, naturally we aren’t going to see any Havanas or other large cigars on this list. But when you consider how much more enjoyable even the most basic of cigars is when compared to a cigarette, it’s still very impressive!
Online Price at time of writing: £3.82 for 10. (Equivalent of £7.64 for 20)
These are very popular in Chester, boasting a sweet, smooth and easy smoking experience. They are also cheaper than even the cheapest of cigarettes! There is something of double-edged sword with these though: Did you notice the “Double filter” part of the name? Well, that means the filter is double the length of the usual cigarillo filter. So, the downside is that it takes up roughly half of the length of the cigar. However, the plus side here is that it counters the hot burning issues that can be a common issue with small cigars/cigarillos. So they’re not the longest of smokes, but they’re well designed and definitely extremely good value.
Online price at time of writing: £5.09 for 17 (Equivalent of £5.99 for 20)
There are a few bargains on this list, but this one takes the cake. A lot of the cigars I’ve mentioned are cheaper than some cigarettes, but will still be beaten out on price by the cheaper end of the scale. These, however, are cheaper than pretty much any pack of cigarettes you can find in the UK.
These are probably the most unusual cigars on this list. If I recall correctly, they were first released around the time when the rules around cigarettes were really being stepped up a notch (plain packaging, minimum pack size of 20, you know the score.) So, it’s no coincidence that they’ve clearly been made with cigarette smokers in mind. They are the same size and shape and a standard cigarette and sport a cigarette-style filter. The only real difference is that they’re wrapped in tobacco leaf. So, they’re really suitable for cigarette smokers and cigar smokers alike. They also have the unique boast of being the only cigar that is available in MENTHOL. The pack of 17 is a nice reminder of when cigarettes weren’t prohibitively awkward to buy, but they still somehow wind up being cheaper than pretty much any equivalent on the market!
Al Capone Cigarillos
Chester Shop Price: £4.99 for pack of 10 (Equivalent of £9.98 for 20)
These are a new one for us and are clearly also influenced by cigarette-style smokes. They are roughly the same size as a cigarette and sport the traditional cigarette filter. They also come in a traditional style of “Soft pack” that used to be common for cigarettes, but are now more or less non-existent. You have a couple of options with these too; you can go for the traditional blend, which has a pleasantly robust, natural taste. Or – if you have something of a sweet-tooth – you have the option of the “Flame” variety, which is topped with a warming, sweet flavour, with hints of cognac and aniseed. They vaguely remind me of those “Fireball” gobstopper sweets. Very very tasty! If you’re interested in trying them, they also do a handy “Taster pack” of 3 cigars in either flavour.
As these are fairly new, they’re currently only available directly from our Chester shop. If you can’t make it to us, don’t fret: you can order over the phone on 01244 348821 or email me on [email protected] for more info.
In other news…
Finally, I’d just like to end with a quick announcement. I’m very happy to inform you that due to popular demand, we’ve decided to add an extra tasting night to our calendar for this year. We will be having a Havana sampling night at La Casa in Chester on Wednesday October 10th. As it’s a special bonus tasting, we are only doing a single session from 7pm-9pm, so spaces are extremely limited. We do still have some spaces available, so don’t delay if you’re interested. Tickets can be bought online here. Alternatively, you can reserve your place over the phone on 01244 348821, or just email me on [email protected].
Hopefully we’ll see some of you there!
Until next time: Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
Calum
Jean Claude Pipes!!!
Jean Claude pipes are made to an incredible quality and you don’t have to break the bank, and the beauty of pipe smoking is you can never have too many pipes. We pride ourselves on stocking a huge range of pipes and being the
best one stop shop for all your smoking needs. The only problem you have is choosing from our unbeatable range, this could make life difficult. So hopefully this can help you start your pipe smoking journey or add to your already wonderful collection.
Our Jean Claude range is an amazing seller, it appeals to the new and old smoker with its classic design, good quality and extremely smooth smoke. These pipes will last you a lifetime, which is a lot to be said considering the price, sodefinitely perfect for any beginner.
The pipes have a tradional style, are fairly light so will hold in the mouth well. The bowl size is perfect fitting just past the knuckle of the Thumb so plenty of room for a good amount of tobacco. Stem is a good fit not too lose or too tight. Each one has an interesting grain and intricut style stamped clean and clear with the Jean Claude Logo. If like me you prefer a filter it will also fit a 9mm one, so you are able to smoke with and without one.
So if you’re looking to start your journey into pipe smoking or just add to your collection, it’s definitely worth giving one of these Jean Claude pipes a go.
Have a good week
Liam
er
ak – Filter Cigarillos