As I continue in documenting my exploration of the world of cigars and strive to explore numerous cigar establishments in London and beyond, I can honestly say I have experienced some of the most unforgettable days and nights. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting intriguing individuals, both cigar enthusiasts and cigar connoisseurs, with whom I’ve had the pleasure to share a cigar and engage in meaningful conversations. In my most recent adventure, I visited Guildford in West Surrey, England, around 27 miles southwest of central London. My destination was Surrey Cigars, a reasonably new cigar shop that opened in November 2022.
Their website states that Surrey Cigars boasts an impressive collection of cigars, showcasing approximately 300 brands, including the finest Cuban Havanas and exceptional New World selections from across the globe. The store features a bespoke walk-in humidor and a cosy sampling lounge, where complimentary coffee and Wi-Fi add to the overall experience.
This particular trip felt like a ‘cigar mini-break’ over a specific day or night, as I attended one of the shop’s monthly cigar events, followed by a visit to their cigar shop and lounge the next day.
I first heard about Surrey Cigars across my social media feeds a few months back – a new cigar venue always grabs my attention. When I hear one I’m unfamiliar with, it gets added to a bucket list of cigar venues I want to visit. (Yep I’m a bit of a geek! 😆)
Fast forward a couple of weeks, and I bump into the owner of Surrey Cigars, James Quantrell, at a JJ Fox cigar event in town – celebrating the pre-release of Joya De Nicargua’s ‘Cinco de Cinco’ cigar – he is a huge cigar enthusiast and he was telling me that this shop is his passion project – he told me about some of the monthly cigar events he hosts and recommended I come down for a visit.
Cigar event
A couple of weeks later, I saw on a post on their Instagram page that they would be hosting an event on the 7th of December, 2023.
The cigar event was a Davidoff cigar night with a festive three-course meal with Roy Sommer of Davidoff – and a couple of cigars and accessories thrown in. It was a bit pricey compared to the usual cigar events I attend, but why not? It’s Christmas, let’s go large, so I made a payment on the Surrey cigars website and chucked the date in my diary. There’s also quite a lot included here for your money – so not too bad in terms of what you get in return e.g.
– Nyetimer on arrival
– 3 course Meal
– 2 x Davidoff Cigars
– 2 x whiskey
– Triple flame Cigar lighter
– Davidoff Cigar stand Keyring
– Surrey Cigars Cigar stand
– Cigar matches
– Chocolates
A couple of days later, I got a text message from James with a list of food choices – as meals needed to be pre-booked as part of our ticket.
I went for Cauliflower soup as a starter, Crown of English Turkey for mains and Christmas pudding as a dessert.
Since the event was happening at The Weyside pub, which wasn’t at the cigar venue, I decided that if I was in Guildford, I should also explore the shop and sampling lounge. Therefore, I reserved a room at a Travelodge hotel for the night, even though it was relatively expensive for a Travelodge in Guildford.
As the event date approached, my anxiety skyrocketed. Once again, I found myself apprehensive about attending a cigar event solo, fearing I might be the only one without company—a classic case of going solo, feeling like Billy-no-mates.
I started making my way down to Guildford from the southeast of London, and it was a bit of a trek via public transport. What didn’t help were the train strikes. I suspect this trek wouldn’t be so bad when the trains are running fine.
After getting settled at the hotel, I snagged an Uber to head over to The Weyside. On the way, I noticed Roy from Davidoff had dropped a video on his socials, showing off the setup at the venue. Take a peek at the weather and the cool vibes he whipped up inside that little hut on the outdoor pub terrace.
The Uber driver inquired about my destination, and I mentioned it was an event associated with the Surrey Cigars cigar shop. Surprisingly, he admitted not being familiar with it but recognised the prevalence of estate agents in that area of the cigar shop. He expressed interest in looking it up and attending.
Upon reaching The Weyside, I approached the pub staff to verify if I had arrived at the correct venue for the Surrey Cigar evening.He promptly directed me in the right direction. Roy was already present as the guests began to arrive. I engaged in conversations with fellow attendees (shoutout to Lee and Steven, if you’re reading this!).
Cigars circulated, and we commenced the evening with the Davidoff Winston Churchill Petit Corona. It was a delightful start!
An hour or so passed, and food started to arrive – so we took our seats – were given drinks – and listened to Roy tell us more about the Davidoff cigars we were about to smoke and the Tomintoul Whisky we were about to drink. The dinner was bleeding lovely! Here’s some footage I recorded from the night.
The conversation at our table was fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. After dinner, we were presented with our Churchill Late Hour Toro cigars, and upon lighting them, I couldn’t help but appreciate what a wonderful cigar it was. Read my initial impressions from the first time I enjoyed one of these cigars when I reviewed it a couple of years back. Honestly, it’s the perfect full-bodied treat to enjoy after a substantial meal.
I continued engaging in more conversations and ended up chatting with most of the attendees. A big shout out to James and Roy, who proved to be fantastic hosts 🙏
Cigar shop and sampling lounge
On the second day, I worked from the hotel before heading out for cigars, where I reunited with a couple of fellow cigar enthusiasts I had met the previous night.
Finding the entrance to the cigar shop on Epsom Road can be tricky when you arrive at the location. It takes work to spot on Google Maps.
But take a closer look at the estate agent’s front door, and you will see some branding promoting the Surrey Cigars shop and sampling lounge.
Entrance through the estate agent
Accessed through an estate agent, it imparts a sense of entering a clandestine club where a special password might be required for the next stage. However, if you confidently walk in and express your intent to visit the cigar shop and lounge upstairs, the staff will promptly guide you to your destination. They pointed me to the back of the office and mentioned I needed to head up some stairs.
On the first floor, you’ll find the cigar shop, with a walk-in humidor and a collection of cigar memorabilia and accessories.
This is the spot to explore and choose your cigar before purchasing. The selection boasts an impressive range of cigars. Check out some of the photos below:
These Partagas Maduro No 1 cigars immediately caught my attention, and I couldn’t resist choosing that as my cigar to smoke.
There are various cigar accessories available to purchase, including cigar lighters, ashtrays, and even a cigar advent calendar. Look at Oliva at the top of the picture, featuring one cigar for each day leading up to Christmas!
Once you have purchased a cigar to sample, the next flight of stairs takes you to the attic space, where the cigar lounge is – a very spacious place to relax with a cigar.
The first thing that strikes you as you enter the cigar lounge is the Union Jack ambience – which I loved! I felt like walking into a giant cigar cave – a great place to make yourself at home and relax with a cigar amongst other cigar enthusiasts sharing stories – it feels so homely. Also, there are many comfy leather chairs and complimentary coffee and Wi-Fi—a giant TV to watch events and a poker table in the corner.
I cut and lit my Partagas cigar and relaxed in the lounge for a couple of hours. It was great, as more and more folk entered the lounge throughout the visit, and it was an opportunity to meet and chat with other fellow cigar smokers.
My rating: 7.5 out of 10
Well worth checking out – James is not only a brilliant host, but also a fantastic guy with a lot of passion for cigars. If u get the chance to visit, don’t miss out! Our cigar community must support these smaller independent stores- outside of the big names in St James, London. If I were a local here, I would visit at least once a week – some cigar smokers do!
If you would like to visit Surrey Cigars, the details are below:
Address: Surrey Cigars, 1 Epsom Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3JT
Website: https://www.surreycigars.com/
Email: info@surreycigars.com
Telephone: 01483 397906
Opening hours: 9am-7pm Mon to Sat
For additional reviews of cigar lounges, check out my other recommendations at https://londoncigarsmoker.com/cigar-bars-terraces-smoking-lounges/
Leave a Reply