Throughout my cigar journey, I’ve had the opportunity to visit only a handful of cigar shops and sampling lounges within London’s private members’ clubs. Recently, I learned from folk that follow me on social media that Birley Cigars, a private members’ club, welcomes the public on weekdays from 11 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday. While guests can sample cigars directly in the shop, access to the broader club remains restricted.
I had been eyeing a visit for some time, but weekdays have been tricky for me due to work commitments. Fortunately, as the festive season approached, I managed to snag an afternoon off on a Friday, and I wasted no time heading to Birley Cigars.
Background
Birley Cigars, located in the heart of Mayfair at the corner of Shepherd Market, is a prestigious cigar shop known for its rare Cuban cigar collection – I believe its been open for approx 11 years.
Source: Birley Cigars
Open to the public, it features a small sampling lounge and a walk-in Spanish cedar humidor, designed and built by Massimo from DeArt, which showcases 27 premium cigar brands and state-of-the-art facilities.
Source: Cecil Wright
The shop also includes an exclusive climate-controlled vault with 260 private lockers, providing ideal aging conditions for cigars. While this area is off-limits to the public, glimpses of it are often shared on social media.
Birley Cigars is part of the elite 5 Hertford Street private members’ club, which also houses the vibrant nightclub, Loulou’s. Owned by Robin Birley, an English businessman, the club attracts celebrities, politicians, and royalty. Notable visitors include Harry Styles, Margot Robbie, Mick Jagger, Lupita Nyong’o, George and Amal Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, the Prince of Wales, and Princess Eugenie. It was also where Meghan Markle had drinks before her first meeting with Prince Harry.
The Birley Clubs consist of five private members’ clubs, each of them distinct from one another and utterly unique in London – Annabel’s, Harry’s Bar, George, Mark’s Club and Bath & Racquets.
Customer service is led by Alexandru Codori and Róbert Tomko, Masters of Havana cigars.
Róbert, you may recognise from his presentation at this year’s Habanos World Days event, where he teamed up with Antonis Giannousakis to showcase the Trinidad Topes cigar, paired with a twist on the classic Cuban Canchanchara cocktail. They also introduced the Canchancharita, a non-alcoholic alternative made with lemon verbena tea.
A fun fact: Alexander Groom from the Cuban Cigar Website visited Birley Cigars during the summer and captured stunning photographs of Birley’s rare Cuban cigars for his website. If you haven’t explored the Cuban Cigar Website yet, I highly recommend it—it’s a great resource for all things related to Cuban cigars!
My experience
After recently visiting Fumar, a new cigar shop and sampling lounge just a few doors down from Birley Cigars, I discovered that the Birley cigar shop is tucked away in Shepherd’s Market. I made my way to Green Park, the nearest tube station, and arrived at the venue around 4 PM.
Before my visit, I checked their website to familiarise myself with cigar prices, expecting a bit of a splurge given its location and private club status. However, I later found that their website isn’t always up-to-date with the latest stock in the shop – but it’s good to get a sense of prices. I had my eye on a Diplomaticos Leal Cigar (Exclusivo Cuba 2021) priced at £55, and I also spotted a couple of La Gloria Cubana – Podium cigars (the Olympics cigar) featured on social media.
Google list two addresses on for this venue, 6A and 5 Hereford Street. The actual cigar shop is at 5 Hereford Street.
From the street, discrete curtains line the windows, creating a mysterious private club members vibe.
Upon arrival, I found myself face to face with a door displaying an open sign and a gold plaque proclaiming ‘Birley cigar shop.’ To enter, you need to ring the doorbell.
Before heading over, I sent them an email to confirm they were open to the public and to reserve a spot, ensuring I wouldn’t waste a trip. They replied promptly, reassuring me that they were open and mentioning, “currently, we do not take any reservations in advance.” This gave me peace of mind that they were expecting visitors.
Once the door opened, I turned left into the cigar shop.
This cigar shop and sampling lounge is compact and tucked away in a quiet corner of the larger building that accommodates the private members’ club, well away from the members themselves.
Inside, you’ll find a till area, seven seats, three tables, and an impressive humidor stocked with Cuban cigars.
Source: cigar_master79
The decor is vibrant, with red and gold interiors, cigar memorabilia on the walls, and a warm ambiance created by low lighting.
I made a beeline for the humidor to check out the cigars. They had all the big hitters, including Cohiba, Trinidad, Partagas, Romeo Y Julieta, Hoyo, and Montecristo. Among the selection was a Cuban Davidoff cigar, accompanied by a range of vintage Cuban cigars. There were also some cigar jars, humidors, and an astonishing piano humidor filled with Cohiba and Montecristo cigars.
When I inquired about the Diplomaticos, they were brought out from a box, as they weren’t on display. This cigar turned out to be incredibly impressive—a mild and mellow Cuban gem, beautifully soft and a true example of a well-cared-for cigar. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to buy another one to take home – and I managed to pick up one of the Podium cigars – I was delighted!
The details:
| Origin: | Cuba |
| Manufacture: | Handmade |
| Galeras: | Duke |
| Ring Gauge: | 54 |
| Length: | 140mm |
Once I settled in, I had the pleasure of chatting with the highly knowledgeable masters of Havana cigars trained at Hunters and Frankau HQ. These cigar sommeliers truly know their craft. A special shout-out to Jimmy McGhee and the entire H&F team for their exceptional work in supporting cigar sommeliers through rigorous training and examinations. Their dedication ensures that cigar folk like us benefit from their expertise in Cuban cigars. The depth of their knowledge is unparalleled, and I find this especially noticeable when I travel outside the UK. It’s during these trips that I realise many staff members aren’t trained to the same high standard. Hope I don’t sound bias to the UK here. We’re fortunate to have such talented masters offering valuable insights into the world of Cuban cigars.
Alexandru and Robert made me feel incredibly welcome inside the shop. Members of the club were coming and going from the humidor. I even recognised a few from Sautters, who kindly invited me to join them in the main private members’ lounge—but I had to dash, so I couldn’t stay too long.
After spending about an hour and a half in the shop, it was time to bid farewell and move on.
My rating is 8 out of 10
I’m glad I had the opportunity to visit this place. It is definitely a destination for true cigar connoisseurs, and the prices reflect that. They offer a fantastic selection of Cuban cigars. However, I’m not sure this is an ideal spot for newbie cigar smokers.
Now that I’ve experienced it, I probably wouldn’t go back on my own, but if I were invited to the private members’ area again, I’d be there in a heartbeat.
The cigars are impeccably maintained, and the staff’s expertise is top-notch.
However, the space is very small and can get busy quickly.
I’d recommend stopping by to pick up a cigar, sampling one here, and then heading to Fumar for another—make an afternoon of it! The cigar I smoked was beautifully cared for: smooth, rich, and absolutely wonderful. I was thrilled with my choice.
It’s a shame the vault, where the private cigar keeps are, isn’t open to the public—but I suppose that’s reserved for members. I’m now super eager to explore the tasting rooms at Annabel’s, The Arts Club, The East India Club, and Mark’s Club – putting it out in there in the world! If anyone reads this and is a member – do feel free to invite me along haha! I gotta try my luck I guess.
Interested in visiting?
Birley Cigars
5 Hereford Street,
Mayfair,
London,
W1J 7RB
Telephone: 020 3928 1468
Website: http://www.birleycigars.com/
Email: cigars@birleycigars.com
Leave a Reply to London Cigar SmokerCancel reply