Live coverage from IGNITE 2025 — the UK’s premier trade show for independent tobacco retailers, running from the 16th to 18th May in Northamptonshire, UK.
Discover more about the cigars debuting this weekend here.
16.00
And that’s a wrap! 🎉 What an incredible event — AITS did a fantastic job hosting. This was truly a highlight of the year for me. Once again, I felt incredibly welcomed by the wonderful cigar community.
Thank you to everyone I had the pleasure of meeting — I had some great conversations with so many amazing people. I’m already looking forward to what our cigar stores have in store for us next!
There’s so much hard work happening behind the scenes in this industry, and events like this really shine a light on that. Huge shoutout to all the distributors and retailers who showed up and made the weekend so special.
15:30
Over the past several years, I’ve been encountering different types of humidors, all shapes and sizes.
One brand that’s really stood out is Raching Humidors —they just keep getting bigger, better, and introducing more innovation to the humidor scene.
Check out their latest model: a massive tower humidor that includes a dedicated cigar drawer. It’s a clever feature that lets you easily test the draw on your cigars—so you can quickly tell which ones are smooth and which might be tight. A really smart addition to an already impressive unit.
15:00
After the sampling session, it was time to explore the exhibition. It had been quite challenging to do this between all the seminars taking place. There were some outstanding distributors and brands on display, showcasing cigars ready for UK retailers and then hopefully into our hands across the country 🙌🏻
Here are some of the cigars that stood out to me…
Tor Imports obviously has the Blackened cigars that were launched on Friday night! Then of course the Charatan London cigars 🙌🏻
The new Oliva piano-based cigars sound amazing—I love the idea!
French musician and classical pianist Paul Montag for a “duet” between his music and a limited-edition Oliva Serie V Melanio cigar. By scanning the QR code on the inside of the cigar band, consumers can listen to a 45-minute recording of Montag playing piano inspired by cigar smoking as they light up their own.
The Global Cigar Co showcased their new Aladino 85 Aniversario Reserva cigars.
They have a wonderful collection of Arturo Fuente cigars, especially the impressive Arturo Fuente Opus X 20th Anniversary cigars. 🤩
It was fantastic to see Martin and new addition to the team, the brilliant James Drew 🚀, of Kiskeya Cigars. They are definitely worth checking out, as these cigars are crafted by master blender Eladio Diaz.
Check out my article about Kiskeya cigars that I published earlier this year. You can read it here.
It was also great to hear all about Las Villas cigars under Barkers of Harrogate – being a southern softy I wasn’t familiar with them 🙈 but they’ve been around for years in the North (of England) and got a whole host of wonderful cigars in their portfolio including Karen Berger, Kristoff and Gurkha cigars.
I can’t wait to try the new Las Villas cigars though, these look like a treat – from master blender Guillermo Pena created in his factory in Nicaragua!
14:00
Guests of the seminar were invited to sample the new Montecristo Open Slam cigar in the garden area.
I found this cigar enjoyable to smoke. It felt similar to the other cigars in the Open series that I’ve tried. The predominant flavour notes for me were nutty, and that remained consistent throughout the smoking experience. It felt like a medium-bodied profile. I didn’t notice much change in the flavour as I smoked it. Additionally, the dark ash was quite noticeable. I think this cigar will go down a treat with a bit more aging, but I’m not sure it surpasses the Montecristo Wide Edmundo for me – which I love! Is it fair to compare, who knows! But I am so glad I have had the opportunity to sample this cigar 🙏 I’ve been super keen to try it since its announcement at the Habanos Festival in 2023. Cant wait to hear your thoughts on it!
12:30
Ana Lopez of Hunters & Frankau delivered an excellent talk about the history of Montecristo. The information she shared highlighted some of the true treasure artifacts that H&F own.
These were some of my notes from the talk…
Montecristo Cigars: 90 Years of Legacy
Montecristo cigars were founded in Cuba on August 5, 1935, by Alonso Menéndez and José “Pepe” García under the company Menéndez, García y Cía.
The brand name was inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Count of Monte Cristo, which was frequently read aloud to cigar rollers by factory lectores.
Montecristo was first made at the historic H. Upmann factory, which the founders acquired in 1937. The brand quickly became a flagship of Cuban cigars and gained international recognition, helped by distribution through British firm John Hunter, Morris & Elkan, led by Jack Benham.
Before Montecristo, the founders were involved with the Byron Particulares brand. They ultimately chose to focus on Montecristo due to its premium potential.
Ana discussed brand positioning, noting that in the 1990s, Montecristo was positioned just below Cohiba. Today, that spot has been taken by Trinidad.
We then explored the history of releases from the Montecristo brand.
An interesting fact Ana mentioned after a question from the audience, while discussing the Open Series cigars: the ‘Junior’ label had to be removed by Hunters & Frankau for the UK market at the time of its release, as the name implied a connection to youth, which would have been legally problematic.F
Last forward to now in 2025, Montecristo celebrates its 90th anniversary and launches the new Montecristo Open Slam.
Later in the year, the Montecristo Elba Limited Edition cigar will be released a 54 ring gauge cigar measuring 5 3/4 inches in length.
This was my first experience at an H&F seminar, and I loved it! 👏 It was so thorough that I could spend days listening to Ana and Sea. Please sign me up for H&F school, haha!
11:00
Busy, busy room for the Hunters and Frankau Montecristo Open Slam seminar. There are lots of people behind me.
09:00 – Sunday 18 May 2025
Day 3 of the IGNITE2025 trade show has just begun.
Today’s full agenda (as featured on the IGNITE website) can be found here:
Many attendees are eager for the unveiling of the Montecristo Slam by Hunters & Frankau today!
23:15
After enjoying a delightful three-course meal, it was time to unwind and sample the new CigarKings cigar. What a fantastic smoke!
It was also the perfect opportunity for everyone to mingle, with industry professionals all around. I felt very welcomed by everyone! I’ve absolutely loved today! There was so much to take in, and it was great to meet so many people. Honestly, it has been a real pleasure to attend such an event, and we get to do it all over again tomorrow! 🙏
21:00
It’s gala dinner time! David Worsfold of Farrants and AITS gave an opening speech, and then it was time to enjoy our meal. The dinner was hosted by Bright Leaf, UK cigar distributors.
18:00
The final talk of the day was a panel discussion led by the excellent Nick Hammond, along with representatives from AJ Fernandez, Drew Estate, EP Carrillo, now known as Casa Carrillo, and Scott Vines of Tor Imports.
The most fascinating part of the discussion was hearing Nick chat with Steven Kron about the recent fire at AJ Fernandez in Nicaragua.
For those that don’t know, on March 31, 2025, a significant fire broke out at the AJ Fernandez cigar factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. The blaze originated in the packaging area, prompting the evacuation of approximately 1,500 workers and 70 children from an on-site daycare. Fortunately, no injuries were reported 🙏. However, the fire caused substantial damage, resulting in the loss of 2 million finished cigars 😲.
Nine days after the incident, production has resumed. AJ Fernandez has had to prioritise their own cigars to get back on track, as they also supply tobacco to other brands. Everything is expected to be back to normal by December.
Read more about this on Cigar Aficianado!
It was also great hearing Scott Vines talk about the forthcoming Meet The Makers event due to take place in Scotland – read all about that here!
There’s only a few tickets left so don’t miss out and them at https://meetthemakersuk.com/
17:00
The talk about legislation seemed pretty grim! Read more about it here.
16:15
I caught up with Philip Kugler from CigarKings earlier today; he flew in from Germany this morning and is heading to Poland tomorrow! Read my interview with Phillip from a few years back here. Tonight his cigar will make an appearance at the Gala Dinner 🙌🏻
In between seminars and visiting the exhibition a lot of folk can be found outside area.
15:45
Wow what a day so far! So much taking place so much to say. But will elaborate later. Will drop some key events that have happened.
We got presented the new Alma del Cielo cigar from Plasencia cigars by Rodrigo Medina, introduced by Roy Sommer.
Wow what a cigar! This felt like a full bodied beast to me, felt like a natural progressor to the Plasencia 149, 151 Cosecha cigar. Definitely keen to sample another! Very impressed.
11:00
Terrific talk by Paresh Patel of Havana House all about his history in the cigar industry conducted by the brilliant Colin Cameron 👏
09:00
Doors are open for Day 2! 🚀
Distributors and retailers are all set up and ready to meet attendees.
08:45
Ok so Ive just got here… a proper fancy venue! Haha some of you may recognise that car’s registration plate number CGars Ltd 🚀
07:15
Day two of the IGNITE 2025 trade show kicks off later this morning at 09:00.
I’ll be attending in person today and will share first hand updates when I can. Not sure how reliable the internet will be, but I’m really looking forward to it – but anxious about rocking up solo too! But lets do this 🚀
Today’s full agenda (as featured on the IGNITE website) can be found here:
00:00 – Saturday 17 May 2025
Word is spreading that Hunters & Frankau will mark Montecristo’s 90th Anniversary with a special launch, featuring not only the unveiling of the Montecristo Open Slam but also the debut of the highly anticipated Montecristo Elba Edición Limitada 2025 🤩.
23:05
Photos are starting to surface online showing the impressive setup inside The Brooklands Suite, where The Exhibition will officially open tomorrow at 9 AM.
Global Leaf Co is fully set up and ready to go, proudly showcasing their exciting collaboration with Arturo Fuente cigars.
And look closely — the Aarron Signond book about Arturo Fuente is prominently displayed at the centre of the table 👆.
1573 Cigars is also exhibition-ready! As the official UK distributor for Foundation Cigars, they’re making a strong impression. According to James Barbers Tobacconist, they’ll be launching The Wise Man and the DC vitola at the event.
Be sure to check out their post-IGNITE event — [event details here].
22:45
Here’s some additional information about the Blackened cigar brand, as featured on Drew Estate’s website. This is the cigar that guests had the opportunity to sample at tonight’s Tor Imports Fiesta Friday event.
“BLACKENED Cigars by Drew Estate is a passion project that brings together three immensely talented and vastly experienced cigar enthusiasts—Jonathan Drew, Founder and President of Drew Estate; James Hetfield, Metallica co-founder, singer and guitarist; and Rob Dietrich, the Master Distiller and Blender of BLACKENED American Whiskey. The collaboration began with Hetfield and Dietrich, who frequently enjoy cigars together.
“It is really a fun social thing for me, a fellowship, to have a few buddies sit around with a few sticks,” Hetfield says. “My buddy, Rob Dietrich, BLACKENED’s Master Distiller, and I frequently enjoy cigars together and he introduced me to Jonathan from Drew Estate. The three of us connected and shared each other’s vision and story about where we’ve been, what we like to see and what is important to us now, and we all came up with what a BLACKENED ‘M81’ Cigar would look and taste like. I love the Maduro leaf and I’m super excited for everyone to try this.”
Having been friends for well over a decade, Dietrich and Drew always wanted to combine their talents to collaborate on something special, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity. Samples from the Drew Estate portfolio were sent to Hetfield and Dietrich who kept cigar journals to critique the cigars and identify what they liked and disliked about each one. After two years of enjoying and sampling cigars together, the group decided on the exact flavor profile that would become BLACKENED Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate.
“This was a project that was purely born from passion …for music, for fellowship, for life, and all the in-between moments within,” says Dietrich. “James, Jonathan and I worked together to create what we feel like is the perfect cigar. The result is truly a monster of flavor—all-maduro, designed with definitive depth for darker and bolder palates.”
You can learn more about BLACKENED Cigars at: https://drewestate.com/blackened/
22:15
The Fiesta Friday event has officially wrapped up — but knowing the cigar community, the celebrations are probably still going strong well into the night! 🕺
Haven’t heard much more yet, which likely means it’s been an unforgettable evening.
While Metallica didn’t make an appearance, attendees were treated to a live performance by acclaimed Nicaraguan composer Omar Rios Melendez.
20:30
BBQ time 🍔
19:50
Someone just shared a photo of the cigars 🙏 — it looks like folks have received a sampler pack featuring three Drew Estate cigars.
The lineup appears to be:
- Drew Estate Liga Privada Unico Serie Papas Bravas
- Drew Estate Blackened M81
- Drew Estate Blackened S84
It looks like Tor Imports officially launched the Blackened cigar tonight 🚀.
Last September, Halfwheel reported that Blackened cigars would hit markets outside the U.S.
These cigars are a collaboration between Drew Estate and the band Metallica!
Now, the big question on everyone’s mind: Will Metallica be providing the entertainment at tonight’s event? 😄
19:30
Cigars are lit and ready for sampling, with drinks flowing freely. 🔥
I spot some familiar faces in the crowd — folks from The Cigar Box (Edinburgh), Robert Graham 1874 – Whisky & Cigars, City of London Cigars, No 6 Cavendish, GQ Tobaccos, Davidoff UK, Buster Cigars and Cigar Club London.
The drinks seem to be from Tomintoul Distillery, but it’s unclear which cigars everyone is sampling. 🤔
19:00
And its off… IGNITE 2025 has officially begun! 🚀 Scott Vines is doing the honours and introducing the event!
17:00
The team at Tor Imports, the UK distributor of New World Cigars, is set to launch their new Charatan London cigars this weekend.
You might remember hearing about this cigar at last year’s Intertabac event in Dortmund, Germany.
After a short wait, these cigars finally appear ready to hit the UK market! 🚀
For more details, check out the official website: https://www.charatanlondon.com/
The exact launch date and time haven’t been announced yet, but the Fiesta Friday BBQ they’re hosting tonight is all set and ready to go!
15:25 – Friday 16 May 2025
Distributors and retailers are finalising preparations for the first evening of IGNITE 2025 at Whittlebury Hall in Northamptonshire, UK.
The sun is shining brightly and looks pretty decent for the rest of the weekend 😎
Tor Imports and James Barbers Tobacconist are setting up displays in The Brooklands Suite and The Sampling Garden, providing updates from the event on their social media, so it’s worth giving them a follow!
Keep coming back throughout the weekend for updates on the event!
Also keep your eyes posted on the IGNITE 2025 social media page 👇https://www.instagram.com/ignite_aits
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