As you’re probably aware by now, I’ve become quite hooked on visiting the various different cigar sampling lounges and terraces across London, and increasingly beyond, in cities throughout the UK, Europe and even the US! Recently, I found myself venturing down to the south coast of England in Gosport – located approximately 80 miles south of London – a place I wouldn’t have typically visited.
I went on this trip with the sole purpose of checking out The Lord’s Cigar Lounge, a relatively new cigar shop and sampling lounge. It opened its doors in May 2023 and has been operating for a year now.
The cigar lounge is owned by Mario, originally from Transylvania, Romania, he has been living in Britain since 2010. Mario works in construction and runs the lounge as his hobby and passion. He says it’s not just a lounge, it’s an experience. He wants to create a space that is both luxurious and welcoming. “From the moment you walk through our doors, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to another world. Come discover our unique atmosphere for yourself!
You can dress as smart or as casually as you want, and all are welcome at the lounge. There is seating available for approximately 12 guests, refreshments upon request, and plenty of opportunities to network or delve deeper into the world of cigars with other cigar smokers.
Background
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting another cigar shop and sampling lounge called Astoria Cigars, situated in Margate, Kent. Margate is well-known for its sandy beach located on England’s south-east coast. The owner of the shop, Jason, a smashing guy – has a lounge that attracts a loyal group of cigar enthusiasts, one of whom was a man named Mario, also known as Lord Mario.
He frequented Jason’s lounge often and showed up frequently on Astoria Cigars’ social media feed, so I decided to follow him. He was so fond of the cigar lounge scene that he eventually opened his own establishment, called The Lord’s Cigar Lounge.
If you follow me on social media, you may have seen me post about him and his lounge.
Most recently, Mario and his friend Derren live-streamed themselves smoking one of the world’s biggest cigars – The Woody by Oscar Valladares – the cigar has a ring gauge of 80 and is 21 inches in length. The stream lasts for approximately six hours, but Mario is still unable to finish it all! 😁
My experience
I had been eagerly waiting for an opportunity to visit this lounge. I never knew when the right time would be to go to Gosport, Hampshire, which I now know is just across the harbour from Portsmouth. It’s quite a trek from where I live in London. While browsing through the events pages at the Hunters and Frankau website, I stumbled upon an event that they were going to host at Mario’s lounge – an evening of Cuban cigars. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to make the trip!
I quickly booked the ticket on Lord Cigar Lounge’s website, which is still in its early days – I believe there are two website domains – one is a .co.uk and the other is a .com. Use lordscigarlounge.com. The ticket cost £80 and included a chance to sample two Cuban cigars.
Getting to the cigar lounge
I don’t drive, so getting to Gosport was quite an adventure for me. I had to book a room at the nearest Premier Inn to the lounge because I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it back home in one day, and I would have to stay overnight. After taking a couple of trains and buses, I finally checked into the hotel. I then took an Uber to the venue.
The Lord’s Cigar Lounge is located on Benister’s Lane, which branches off from Gosport High Street – down a side alley. There is a nearby car park that you can use. I would highly recommend going there by car instead of the various forms of transport I had to entail.
First impressions
As you approach the shop, it might seem a bit rough and ready on the outside. Upon entering, you’ll be greeted by luxurious red and green leather seats and walls adorned with cigar-related photos, paintings, and objects. The atmosphere is vibrant and full of character.
There is a walk-in humidor located at the back on the left-hand side. There aren’t tons of cigars but enough of a variety available to keep you busy, including both Cuban and non-Cuban / New World options, as well as a few custom rolls.
As I was a little early, I decided to smoke one of the custom rolled cigars – quite a large cigar – decent price too! 👌
I had enjoyable conversations with some regular customers. Among them were a father and son who both loved cigars, and Alistair, who works at the dockyard in Portsmouth and enjoys cigars too. We had a fantastic chat about everything related to cigars!
More and more people showed up at the lounge, and our host for the evening, James from Hunters & Frankau arrived.
I have had the pleasure of attending several cigar events across the country and was thrilled to meet representatives from H&F for the first time. I have heard a lot about them as a company. They were established in 1790 and Cuban cigars have been their core business since the 1820s. In 1935, they played a significant role in the design and launch of Montecristo, which is now one of the world’s best-selling Havana brand. In 1990, their links with Cuba were strengthened as they were appointed as the UK’s exclusive distributor for all Havana brands by Habanos S.A., the Havana-based company responsible for distributing Cuban tobacco products worldwide.
I don’t know why, but I also expected the H&F rep to be quite guarded in how they speak – as they don’t always seem that visible or as accessible across social media – in comparison to some of the non-Cuban /New World distributors.
How wrong I was, their rep James was amazing and had a whole history of knowledge – he was open to share with us all! I loved hearing stories about H&F’s relationship with Cuba and the amazing people who work there, including Jemma Freeman, Ana Lopez, and the late Simon Chase.
The event officially begins
Once the final group of customers/ticket holders had arrived, the event began! Intros from Mario and James took place along with an introduction to the cigars we were about to sample.
We were handed the Punch Punch Corona Gordo, the first Cuban cigar of the night.
Strength – Medium
Length – 5 5/8″
Ring Gauge – 46
Origin – Cuban
Smoking Time – 50-60 minutes
This cigar brand is one of the oldest Cuban varieties, originally created for the UK market. It was named after the popular British puppet Punch and Judy, and first featured in Punch magazine during the 1840s.
This cigar is medium-bodied, slightly dry, with a hint of spice and wood. It features a good draw and combustion. It was an enjoyable cigar.
Once that was complete we were then handed our second cigar of the night… a Cuaba Exclusivos cigar.
Strength – Medium to Full
Length – 5 3/4″
Ring Gauge – 46
Origin – Cuban
Smoking Time: 45 Minutes
This was a figurados, I’m not a big fan of the shape of this cigar, but it was a great smoke – it feels like it’s becoming quite a rare sight these days to see boxes of these types of Cuban cigar.
As I relaxed with this cigar I got chatting to a few other folk in the lounge – big up to southcoastcigarsmoker – was great to finally meet you in person and smoke cigars together!
We had some drinks and the evening went on till late.
One of my favourite conversations of the night was finding out that you can become a Lord too – like Lord Mario at The Lord’s Cigar Lounge – you can buy a lordship at lordtitles.co.uk – haha!
On the website you can purchase legal titles of nobility, such as Lord or Lady, for novelty or ceremonial purposes. While these titles do not confer official aristocratic status or privileges, they can be a fun way to add a touch of nobility to your name. I’m very tempted to buy one! Lord London Cigar Smoker 😁
Check out Lord Mario’s crest below:
My rating: 8 out of 10
What a unique venue! This place is special. While it is a bit rough around the edges, it has real character. It is the perfect setting for a great cigar experience and conversation with other cigar smokers. Honestly, if you live near the area or are close by, you must visit this place. If you are based outside the area, it is still worth a visit. You could mix it with a day out in Portsmouth, and then hop onto the ferry to Gosport for cigars later.
Mario is a great host and he wants to ensure you have the very best cigar experience inside his cigar shop and lounge.
I also think it’s super important to support these smaller independent shops and lounges across the country – it’s essential our cigar community swarm around places like this.
Plus some very affordable cigars.
Interested in visiting?
The Lord’s Cigar Lounge
5 Bemisters Lane
Hants
PO12 1HB
Current opening hours:
Friday 18.00-22.00
Saturday and Sunday 12.00-22.00
– but best to reach out to venue in advance to confirm visit.
Contact:
Email: thelords_cigarlounge@yahoo.com
Telephone: 07891634104
Website: lordscigarlounge.com
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