In September 2023, The Tasting Room at The Peninsula, London’s newest cigar venue featuring a sampling lounge, was unveiled to the public. Located in the vibrant neighbourhood of Belgravia, the lounge boasts stunning views of Hyde Park Corner and Wellington Arch. Positioned on the hotel’s rooftop in an exclusive area, it provides an elegant and laid-back atmosphere for indulging in carefully selected cigars from the walk-in humidor and a choice assortment of rare top-shelf whiskies. Both the lounge and its adjoining terrace provide sweeping panoramic vistas of London.
The design of The Tasting Room is inspired by the world of automobiles. Its sitting room, decorated with mahogany panels, embodies the design spirit of The Delage 155B, a French racing car that achieved victory at the first Grand Prix held at Brooklands in 1926.
The lounge is situated next to the Michelin-starred Brooklands restaurant, led by cigar aficionado Chef Claude Bosi, who was awarded the title of Davidoff Cigar Chef of the Year at Boisdales in 2022, and the Brooklands bar. Access to these areas is available through a dedicated lift and connecting walkway.
Manu Harit, the visionary behind this venue, boasts unparalleled mastery in Havana cigars. For those unfamiliar with Manu, his career began humbly as a cigar shop assistant at The Bulgari Hotel’s Edward Sahakian Lounge. He then advanced to the esteemed position of cigar sommelier at Corinthia and later served as the group head cigar sommelier at The Arts Club. With such a distinguished background, visitors to The Tasting Room can expect nothing short of an exceptional experience curated by Manu.
Those interested will have the option to store their cigar purchases in exclusive, climate-controlled lockers located in the “cigar vault,” a few floors below. However, this facility is currently under preparation and will be accessible shortly.
As for the hotel, this comprises 190 light-filled guest rooms and suites. It aligns with the trend of extravagant luxury, with room rates starting at £1,400 per night.
The Tasting Room stands as a distinguished venue in the city, positioned amidst London’s esteemed cigar destinations, such as The Wellesley and The Garden Room at The Lanesborough.
My experience
I first learned about the impending arrival of this new cigar venue when I stumbled upon a job advertisement last year seeking staff for a forthcoming cigar lounge within a new hotel under construction in London. I shared this discovery on my social media platforms, hoping to uncover more details about it, and later discovered it was associated with the construction of the lavish £1.8 billion Peninsula Hotel.
As the opening drew nearer, I also heard whispers that there were problems trying to get the humidor up to the roof of the building. I may have taken this illustration too literally, though, because when I asked the staff about it, they looked at me like a complete weirdo 😂.
The hotel is 3 minutes from Hyde Park Corner station on the Piccadilly Line. As soon I got out, I realised that I recognised the area, as it’s next door to The Garden Room at The Lanesborough and The Wellesley cigar terraces – venues I’ve previously written reviews about. Is this becoming the equivalent of St James ‘cigar mile’? The perfect place for a ‘cigar crawl’?
The building looks impressive from the outside. It’s huge.
Looking up, you can see inside the rooms; they look incredibly spacious. I also spotted security by the entrances.
Walking in feels pretty intimidating; I’m not gonna lie – I felt like a complete intruder going inside – I’m not sure whether it’s just me – if you’re a millionaire and used to getting on private jets – you’ll probably feel right at home. I also felt the need to dress up to visit this venue, so I wore a suit. Would I feel comfortable walking in more casual attire? Probably not. Although later on I did see folk in more casual wear.
I approached the security at the door and informed them of my destination, The Tasting Room cigar lounge. They kindly provided me with directions inside the building. Following their instructions, I walked through the main lobby, which looked fairly quiet.
I turned right and made my way to the lifts. I couldn’t help but notice the unmistakable motorsports decor adorning the surroundings — the Brooklands effect in full display – a nod to British motorsports history.
As I went up to the 8th floor, the bellboy in the lift explained that the lift was designed to look like a hot air balloon. Look up, and it looks like you’re in one!
Once on the 8th floor, I was escorted to The Tasting Room cigar humidor door that looks like you’re about to enter a secret time capsule through a silver bolted door in a corridor between the Brooklands restaurant and the bar – at this point I was genuinely excited to step into the place, eagerly wondering what awaited me on the other side.
The door opened, I felt like I was on the Crystal Maze going into a new zone (for those of you that have no idea what I’m talking about – I apologise in advance) – it was very futuristic – then I came across the walk-in humidor, the cigar sommelier ready to serve – and the skyline of London in the background.
Immediately, I was invited inside the walk-in humidor.
It’s beautifully designed, made by Manu and Massimo of DeArt, who is known for creating the humidors for JJ Fox in Harrods, The Wellesley, Tom Toms and Oscars at The Arts Club. A wonderful design!
The cigar selection offered a pleasing mix of Cuban and New World/non-Cuban varieties, including some custom made cigars.
However, the absence of visible prices made it challenging to select a smoke. It seemed a deliberate tactic to encourage focus on the cigar’s quality before considering its cost – a tactic that left me feeling apprehensive about potential expenses, which, as expected, turned out to be on the higher end, fitting for a prestigious establishment like a £1.8 billion hotel. Whilst this matched my expectations, I’m sure they didn’t appreciated me going ‘how much is this one’, ‘how much is that one’, but I do want the prices on display. This is where a cigar newbie would struggle here, hence, it feels like this lounge is targeted towards more experienced cigar enthusiasts and aficionados.
I chose an Aging Room cigar. After making my selection, I was guided to the sampling lounge, where my cigar was expertly cut and lit.
I met my friend Cem – he runs a brilliant blog in English/Turkish – and it was such an honour to hang out with him! I’ve met him a couple of times at a few cigar events recently – he likes to review a cigar venue too – so it felt like the perfect opportunity to go together to a new venue neither had visited before. Do check out his blog at https://www.ellector.info/en.
The lounge had approximately 12 big comfy seats, all facing the window view over Hyde Park Corner.
During the summer, they will open the terrace, where you’ll get to see more of the view – or pop next door to the bar before you leave, as the view is much better from there over London.
Once I’d settled with my cigar, what struck me next was the incredible objects on our table – The Katana Samurai cigar scissors:
The cigar ashtray (If anyone knows the brand, do let me know!):
and that cigar lighter – which looked like it could do more than just cut the cap off your cigar (If anyone knows the brand, do let me know!):
They were just unbelievable objects, masterpieces in their own right.
I was sceptical about this place – before entering, but as I looked around, I was really impressed with the space. It’s a little smaller than I imagined, but wow, it’s super zen-like and tranquil here, and the perfect place to relax with a cigar.
The interior has been designed to make you feel totally relaxed. I could spend hours here – if I had the money – the ventilation is second to none – I could smell a cigar smoker’s guest’s perfume from one side of the room but not their cigar.
Interestingly we had just missed out on spotting British snooker player Stephen Hendry, who popped in for a Ramon Allones Number 2 cigar 👌
My rating: 8.5 out of 10
This place is clearly designed for wealthy, high-end individuals – probably one of the most expensive places I’ve bought cigars in London. I am definitely not in that target market. I don’t think it’s suitable for beginner cigar smokers—I think this place could be quite intimidating for newcomers. It’s also not affordable for everyone.
However, it is a very relaxing place – like I’ve never experienced before in a cigar lounge. I want to go back and relax there with a cigar in the morning, and outside in the summer.
Manu and Massimo have done a brilliant job with this space, and it’s a great addition to the cigar scene in London. If you are like me and want to visit every single cigar lounge in London, then it’s inevitable that you’ll need to visit it. Also, if you do, make a day of it, pop to the Wellesley and The Garden Room at the Lanesborough after – but be warned – this will break your bank! 😬😬😬
The staff mentioned that they hope to run some cigar events later in the year. So, one to watch out for!
Here’s a little video I made from the trip:
If you’re keen to visit The Peninsula, the details are as follows:
The Peninsula London
Address: 8/F, 1 Grosvenor Pl, London SW1X 7HJ
Phone: 020 3959 2888
Website: https://www.peninsula.com/en/london
If you like this review, check out my other reviews at cigars, bars, terraces and smoking lounges.
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