Last night Friday, 4th July 2025, cigar enthusiasts and aficionados gathered for a standout event in the cigar calendar: the annual Windsor Cigar Cruise. Hosted aboard The Georgian, the cruise offered a brilliant evening of cigars, food, drink, and stunning views along the River Thames. We were very lucky last night because the sun had its hat on and was shining in all its glory! (I think I may have even said at one point, that it was too hot haha – never happy 😁). Last year, I went and it sadly rained (gotta love the British weather).
This year’s event was a landmark celebration, marking two decades since the Havana House Windsor cigar cruise first set sail. The highlight of the evening was the exclusive UK launch of the Foundation Askum Robusto cigar, lit for the first time on British soil.
Guests were also treated to the Wise Man Maduro, delivering a bold, complex profile that paired well with the evening’s drinks.
The cigars were presented by George Frakes of 1573 Cigars, the official UK distributor for Foundation Cigars.
As The Georgian cruised past the picturesque backdrops of Windsor and some proper fancy houses, guests enjoyed great cigars, engaging conversations, live music, a buffet, and drinks from the onboard bar. There was also the opportunity to buy cigars from the onboard Havana House cigar shop, as well as a raffle (though I never win raffles) that added a bit of fun to the night!
Background
The Windsor Cigar Cruise was the brainchild of Paresh Patel, CEO of Havana House—one of the largest independent chain of tobacconists in the UK. What began in 2000 as a single shop in Windsor has grown into a network of nine stores, in cities including Bath, Oxford, Cardiff, and Stratford-upon-Avon. Over the years, Havana House has evolved into more than just a retailer—it’s become a central hub for the UK’s cigar community.
From small in-store tastings in the early 2000s to the launch of the first Cigar Cruise in 2010, Paresh and his team have consistently redefined what cigar retail can be. Their calendar now includes everything from golf & cigar events, distillery pairings, clay pigeon shooting, and this year, the launch of the UK’s first cigar festival in August 2025: The Summertime Smoke—which you’d be mad to miss!
My experience
2022
I first heard about Havana House and the Cigar Cruise years ago. It sounded like something I’d love, but not knowing anyone in the cigar community made me hesitant to go alone. Over time, I started attending more of their events—visiting both shops in Windsor, attending the Rocky Patel Sixty launch, and taking part in a few heats of the Cigar Smoking World Championship. The cruise kept popping up, and by 2022, I finally decided to buy a ticket.
Unfortunately, just weeks before the event, I was scheduled to go into hospital for surgery and had to cancel. What stood out to me was that Havana House refunded my ticket in full—no questions asked. That level of customer service and care meant a lot to me.
2024
By 2024, I was able to rebook and attend. While the weather let us down that year, it was still a great evening.
2025
So this year, with the proper summer heat in full swing, I was absolutely buzzing.
The cruise departs about a 10–15-minute walk from The Windsor Cigar Emporium, not far from the train station. When I arrived, the atmosphere was chilled—people chatting, laughing, and queuing up to board The Georgian.
Upon check in each guest got given 2x cigars along with a raffle ticket and a discount voucher for upcoming Havana House events.
I was especially excited knowing that familiar faces from Twitter/X would be there again—shoutout to Mark, Ryan, and Paul this time around. Next year we need to rope in Rich and Nick too! Also got to meet Max 🙏
A complimentary drink was handed to us. The bar is also a popular destination before everyone finds a good place to relax. The best views—and the finest smoke—can definitely be enjoyed on the top deck, which overlooks the Thames as the sun sets. Unfortunately, smoking is not allowed in the downstairs area, but you are permitted to smoke in the back.
Once the boat set sail, Paresh introduced George, and we learned more about the history of the cigars we sampled in the evening.
Source: JimmyCigarShack
The Aksum Claro is a tribute to the ancient Aksumite Empire, offering a light-to-medium strength smoke with rich historical roots. It features an Indonesian Sumatra wrapper developed using early 1900s shade-grown techniques, paired with a rare Connecticut Broadleaf binder—an unusual and premium choice known for its high sugar, oil, and mineral content. The filler includes rare Nicaraguan tobaccos with genetic ties tracing as far back as the 1500s, when Ethiopians and Nicaraguans first collaborated over cigars. It’s a complex, nuanced cigar designed to tell a story with every draw.
One interesting, though unfortunate, detail I learned later in the evening is that Aksum is currently in a soft launch phase. This is due to many of its cigars being damaged in the recent AJ Fernandez factory fire. Since Foundation Cigars sources some of their tobacco from AJ Fernandez in Nicaragua, availability will be limited for the foreseeable future.
The details:
Wrapper: Ecuador (Sumatra Seed)
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí & Jalapa)
Vitola: Robusto
Size: 5″ x 50
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Over the course of the evening I had the opportunity to meet many folk both old and new – even some of you that have been following my cigar journey on this blog 🙏 and it was a real pleasure hang out.
After a couple of hours – that absolutely whizzed by – the evening wound down around 10:30 p.m., with guests disembarking in high spirits—cigars still in hand, already talking about next year’s cruise. And honestly? I’ll be right there with them! 👏
If you missed this year’s Windsor Cigar Cruise, don’t worry; there’s always next year. Tickets typically become available on the Havana House website around April or May, from what I remember.
Also don’t miss out on The Summertime Smoke – the UK’s first cigar festival on 2nd August 2025 – read more about that here!
In the meantime I’ll leave you this video footage I took from this year’s Windsor Cigar Cruise:
Leave a Reply