Ok so let me tell you a secret, I go by the name of London Cigar Smoker, having lived in London for the past 14 years, but I was actually born and bred in Essex. Despite my Essex roots, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been in the loop about any cigar spots in the county. Recently, I stumbled upon Shenfield Wines, an independent merchant in Essex dealing in wine, spirits, beer, and Cuban cigars!
I became more aware of this establishment through their recent social media posts, displaying the cigars they have in stock and announce upcoming cigar events.
In January of this year, I came across an Instagram story about a ‘Sip & Smoke‘ event that they were hosting. I felt this would be an ideal opportunity to visit the store and explore their range of cigars.
My experience:
Getting to the venue from London is relatively easy. The Elizabeth Line can take you from Liverpool Street to Shenfield, but to be honest, it’s better and faster to hop on the ‘overground’ train at those stops. You’ll get there in no time!
Upon arriving at Shenfield train station, Shenfield Wines is just a 10-minute walk away.
I arrived at the venue at 1 pm for the ‘Sip & Smoke’ event.
Walking towards the entrance, I noticed tables and seats arranged outside, giving me outdoor pub vibes; there were about 24 seats.
As soon as you walk in, it becomes clear that this venue is primarily a wine merchant. However, looking towards the back of the room on the right-hand side, you’ll spot a tall wooden glass humidor.
I immediately informed Penny, the person behind the till that I was there for the cigar event and she ticked me off the list – approx 7 or 8 of us were due to turn up, but only 6 made it – from what I recall.
At that point I met Nish Patel, the owner of the store, and he opened up the humidor – wow what a sight! He explained that the humidor was skillfully crafted by Matthew Mason (matthewmasoncarpentry.co.uk). Matthew also designed the humidor at Edmundos, JJ Fox in Selfridges, and Farrants. If you’re in need of a top-notch humidor, Matthew is your go-to person. This tall wooden humidor not only features unique smart glass functionality supplied by @intelligentglass…
… but most importantly, houses an extensive collection of cigars.
Including all the top Cuban cigar brands:
Trinidad
Cohiba
Partagas
Montecristo
Romeo & Julieta
H Upmann
Hoyo
Quai d’Orsay
Jose L Piera
As well as New World (cigars made outside of Cuba) varieties, predominantly from Nicaragua, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and the US, featuring brands like:
Oliva
Perdomo
A J Fernandez
New world
Drew Estate
Camacho
Plasencia
E.P Carrillo
My Father
Alec Bradly
La Aurora
Eiroa
Zino
La Flor Dominicans
Hoya de Nicaragua
Davidoff
Charatan
NUB
Vega Fina
La Invictar
Interestingly, this was a recent additional to the store, preceding this humidor, the wine shop had a smaller wooden cigar humidor from Hunters & Frankua which you can see in the photo below.
The transition from a petite tabletop cigar humidor to this towering, expansive version prompts the question: what comes next, a cigar sampling lounge? 😄🙏
Nish whilst not a cigar smoker himself, is 💯 committed to providing his customers with high-quality and well-preserved cigars. He explained to me the measures he takes to ensure that the cigars are kept at the proper humidity level, and he always guarantees that his customers receive top-quality cigars.
Source: Shenfield Wines Facebook
Recently, Nish has been establishing a community of cigar enthusiasts, primarily consisting of loyal customers who consistently return to the store to purchase cigars and partake in herf sessions. To facilitate these gatherings, Nish regularly hosts ‘Sip & Smoke’ events. While these events initially occurred on Wednesday nights, this time around, they took place on the weekend, which suited me perfectly. Notably, these gatherings have also attracted individuals from Hunters & Frankau, sparking discussions about the latest cigar offerings.
One thing to note in the store is the tasting room (see photo below) – it looks like THE perfect spot for a cigar sampling lounge 👌, but it’s reserved for wine events only – for the ‘Sip & Smoke’, we were outside.
Having selected the Montecristo Wide Edmundo, one of my recent favourite cigars, I headed outside to join fellow customers and cigar enthusiasts. Relaxing and enjoying the cigars, I engaged in enjoyable conversations with the regulars, delving into various topics related to cigars. Fortunately, the outdoor area was equipped with some heaters (see top left corner of the photo below), but it was still quite chilly.
I chatted with a guy who stumbled upon the Shenfield Wine store quite by chance. While watching an episode of “The Only Way is Essex” on ITV with his wife, they noticed cigars being featured in the store and were intrigued enough to visit it themselves.
The staff made sure we had plenty of drinks. I had a whisky, Glen Scotia Double Cask (46%) from Cambeltown.
The cigar as expected was top notch! You can see my previous review of the Montecristo Wide Edmundo here.
My rating: is 6 out of 10 – Despite the slightly chilly day, it seems like an excellent spot for people-watching. I reckon this will be the perfect spot to smoke cigars with a mate, or a group of mates, especially in the summer. Nish is an excellent host, and an all round lovely human. His staff are awesome too! If you’re new to smoking cigars, they’ll help you choose the right one for you.
It might feel a bit awkward if you’re the only one smoking outside the shop, so I highly recommend solo cigar newbies/enthusiasts to attend one of their cigar events. This way, you can connect with other cigar smokers. Keep an eye out for upcoming events at their Instagram page
If you’re a local and haven’t heard about this place – get over there and take a look ASAP!
Interested in visiting this venue? The details are below:
Shenfield Wine Company
86 Hutton Road
Brentwood
Essex
CM15 8NB
Telephone: 01277 204899
Visit their Website
Social media:
Facebook | Instagram
If you like this review, check out my other reviews at Cigar bars, terraces and smoking-lounges
Leave a Reply