I love herfing with different cigar communities across the UK. This week I was invited to the Irish Guards Veterans Cigar Club — “Bearskins & Burners” — for their second cigar event (the first being in 2024) at Puffin Rooms in Liverpool, hosted by Mitchell Orchant of CGars Ltd.

I’d heard a lot about this Puffin Rooms’ — the OG — and had previously visited the Edinburgh location which was pretty awesome, so I was looking forward to seeing this Liverpool one.

Who are the Irish Guards?

The Irish Guards are one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and part of the Guards Division. Alongside ceremonial duties, they are a fully operational infantry regiment with deployments including the First World War, Second World War, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

They are one of the two Irish infantry regiments in the British Army and have earned a distinguished record, including multiple Victoria Cross recipients.

Known affectionately as “The Micks”, the regiment recruits from Ireland, the UK, and beyond. They also have a strong ceremonial role, guarding royal residences such as Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace, and Windsor Castle, and taking part in major state events like Trooping the Colour and state visits.

Senior members of the Royal Family maintain ceremonial links with the regiment, reinforcing its close connection to the Crown.

Veterans and the transition to civilian life

When veterans leave service, the transition to civilian life can be challenging. Many face difficulties such as:

• Physical injuries and mental health conditions like PTSD, anxiety, and depression
• Employment challenges translating military experience into civilian roles
• Financial pressures and housing instability
• Social isolation and difficulties rebuilding community connections
• Accessing healthcare and education support

The Irish Guards Association North of England Branch works to support veterans by connecting them with appropriate services and building a strong support network. Their aim is to help veterans reintegrate and rebuild their lives with dignity and stability.

Bearskin & Burners Cigar Club

The cigar club, Bearskin & Burners, was founded by volunteers Andy Williamson and Laurie Jacobson. Its purpose is to build a supportive community for veterans and improve wellbeing through connection and shared experience.

The group leans on cigars as a social tool, as a way to bring people together in a relaxed environment where conversations can happen naturally.

The club’s identity is tied to the Irish Wolfhound, the regiment’s historic mascot. The first mascot, Brian Boru, dates back to 1902. The wolfhound became an official Army mascot in 1961 and has since become a symbol of the regiment’s identity and heritage.

My experience

I’ve been wanting to visit Puffin Rooms Liverpool for a long time. Having already been to the Edinburgh location, I knew the venue had a strong reputation, and I’d also had so many DMs from you lot recommending I try it 🙏.

A couple of weeks before the event, I met Andy at Boisdales of Belgravia for a cigar, where he told me all about Bearskins & Burners and the incredible work he and Laurie have been doing. He also mentioned the event, and I knew straight away I had to be there. It felt like this visit was meant to be, and part of my ongoing journey trying to visit every single UK cigar establishment with sampling lounge.

I travelled from London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street, which took around two and a half hours.

I stayed at The Shankly Hotel, which was about a 15-minute walk from Turmeaus, where Puffin Rooms is located.

Turmeaus

What I hadn’t realised is that Puffin Rooms is located right next door to Turmeaus, the cigar and whisky retailer acquired by C.Gars Ltd in 2003 and later folded into Mitchell Orchant’s growing retail portfolio. In 2021, C.Gars became part of the broader Dominique London group, bringing Turmeaus under that umbrella while the brand itself continues to trade in its established form.

Before the main event, I met Andy and Laurie, and we stopped by to sample a cigar.

There, we met Chris Dickson (who’d I’d been in contact with on my socials, but never met in person!), he is the store’s manager, and he took me on a tour of the humidor – the UK’s largest walk-in humidor! 🤩

It was then I also realised they had a cigar sampling lounge, which is great during the daytime.

We were joined by Mitchell, Paul, and Roy, and also had a chance encounter with Alfonso of Tor Imports.

I sampled a great Aladino Cameroon Elegante — a lancero style cigar which was pretty decent cost wise — £14!

Puffin Rooms, Liverpool

As the cigar event was about to start, we moved next door. From the street, you’d never guess what’s hidden beneath the steps at Puffin Rooms — once you go downstairs, the atmosphere shifts entirely into something unexpected: part jazz club, part cigar shop, and sampling lounge.

The space is low lit, atmospheric, and intentionally intimate.

The humidor lighting adds to the mood, and the overall feel is relaxed and immersive.

The cigar selection is predominantly focused on Cuban cigars, with a smaller range of New World options and Davidoff also on offer.

The event

The evening kicked off with Andy and Laurie introducing and welcoming us all to the event, they spoke about the purpose behind Bearskin & Burners and its role in supporting veterans through community and of course through cigars!

A charity shield was presented to Mitchell Orchant, continuing a tradition from a previous event in 2024.

These shields are displayed next to the humidor as part of the club’s ongoing story.

We sampled a Puffin Rooms Shorty house blend cigar, which I’ve had before and this went down a treat — along with a Mitchellero Peru cigar, and enjoyed excellent canapés throughout the evening. The staff were exceptional — Vladimir and his team were welcoming, attentive, and a big part of the experience.

What stood out most was the atmosphere. There was a genuine sense of openness and support in the room, with people connecting naturally over conversation and cigars.

What Andy and Laurie have created goes beyond cigars. It’s a community space that helps veterans connect, talk, and support one another — unfiltered. Importantly, they do this voluntarily, which makes it even more meaningful.

They also run an Instagram group and WhatsApp community for anyone interested in getting involved, particularly veterans looking for support and connection.

Cigar culture, in this sense, isn’t just about the cigar — it’s about giving these veterans permission to slow down for a minute. It’s about sitting beside other veterans, sharing a bit of space, and having the kind of quiet, unforced conversations that don’t always come easily elsewhere. It becomes a place where you can open up a little, or at least not feel like you have to carry everything on your own.

That kind of informal support from veteran to veteran — just being around others who get it, even without saying much — can mean a lot. It builds a sense of belonging that’s hard to find, and easy to overlook. And these veterans aren’t just older men as people sometimes assume, but come at all ages, often carrying experiences they don’t always have space to talk about elsewhere.

What’s striking is that this side of cigar culture and its mental health benefits hasn’t really come up in the recent debates around the Tobacco and Vapes bill — on the way up to Liverpool I was alerted to this BBC news story ‘Smoking ban for people born after 2008 in the UK agreed, stating that the generational smoking ban has been agreed in Parliament and is now waiting for Royal Assent to become law. Most of the focus has been on the health side, which absolutely matters. But the social side — the quiet role these events can play in how blokes (in this instance) connect and support each other — hasn’t really been part of that conversation. While it’s not a replacement for professional support, it complements it by giving people a space to decompress and connect.

As the evening flew by, it was soon time to bring things to a close and head home or return to nearby hotels. Mitchell did an excellent job hosting and supporting these veterans, and it was a real pleasure to see him in his element speaking about his own cigar brands. Credit is also due to Andy and Laurie for bringing this veterans’ forum together and making the whole event possible.

Final thoughts

I’d absolutely recommend visiting Puffin Rooms if you’re in Liverpool.

It exceeded my expectations, and it’s a shame there isn’t something quite like it in London.

Most importantly, as highlighted above, the true strength of this event lay in the community behind it. The cigar serves as the common thread that brings everyone together, but the real value comes from the people and the connections being formed.

The Turmeaus shop operates perfectly during the day, while the cocktail, jazz bar and sampling lounge at Puffin Rooms next door comes alive in the evening.

For more information

Follow Bearskins and Burners on Instagram at instagram.com/bearskinsandburners

Read all about the Irish Guard Veterans: https://www.iga-noe.co.uk/

Visit Turmeus shop and sampling lounge at The Albany, 8 Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L3 9PA

Visit Puffin Rooms at 8 Old Hall Street, Liverpool, L3 9PA – there is a dress code and it’s worth booking if you do attend especially towards the weekend!