I’ve been wanting to try and visit ALL of the cigar shops with sampling lounges across the UK. I’ve been tracking some of that here. A couple of weeks back I was up in Liverpool visiting The Puffin Rooms. As I don’t drive and rely on trains and buses to get around, I try to make the most of each and every trip. These trips turn into mini cigar breaks for me. The next day, I decided to travel by train from Liverpool to Chester to go visit Turmeaus Chester — part of CGars Ltd, the business founded by Mitchell Orchant and now owned by Dominique London — which also houses a La Casa del Habano.

Yep I get all these names mixed up too 🙈😬 — Turmeaus, CGars, La Casa del Habano, and Dominique London — here’s a simple breakdown of how they fit together 👇.

Background

Turmeaus Tobacconist was founded in Liverpool in 1817 and according to their website are ‘the second oldest cigar shops in the UK’. Through the 19th and 20th centuries it built a strong reputation, operating multiple cigar and pipe shops and acting as a Havana cigar importer.

After changing hands multiple times and declining under previous ownership, the business was revived in 2002/3 when Mitchell Orchant — owner of CGars Ltd (founded in 1997 as one of the UK’s early online cigar retailers) — acquired it to establish a bricks-and-mortar presence (a physical retail shop).

The Chester location opened in 2004/5 after taking over “Tobacco World” on Watergate Street, later being refurbished with a walk-in humidor and expanded into neighbouring units to include a La Casa del Habano with a whisky and cigar sampling lounge.

Additional stores followed in Knutsford (2005), London (2011), Norfolk (2015) and Leeds (2022).

In 2021, CGars Ltd merged with Belgium’s La Casa Del Tabaco Group to form Dominique London — now one of Europe’s largest cigar retail groups. Turmeaus and CGars still operate under their established names, but sit within this wider structure.

My experience

I visited just over two weeks ago, leaving on a Wednesday morning and arriving in Chester that afternoon by train from Liverpool, a journey of about an hour.

From Chester station, it was then around a 20-minute walk to Watergate Street (CH1 2LA).

If you’re driving, there are several city centre car parks nearby as well.

The area itself has a historic, slightly upmarket feel — a bit posher than Liverpool — somewhat reminiscent of Canterbury.

Lots of independent food and drink spots, with pub gardens dotted around.

The shop sits right on the high street, but it’s surprisingly easy to overlook from the outside. Despite the bright red signage, it feels quite discreet — likely due to regulations and the way the business is divided into separate sections. Cigars, pipes, and whisky each have their own entrances and spaces. I was there for cigars, so I headed straight through the cigar door.

Inside, Roy Price manages the shop.

Roy gave me some great historical context about the site. The building itself sits underneath Booth Mansion on original medieval street levels, with layers of history visible throughout. Some fittings are decades old, while certain cabinets date back to the 18th or 19th century.

There are also displays of original documents, photographs, and 19th-century order forms, reinforcing just how far back Turmeaus as a business goes.

The space has evolved over time — from storerooms into humidors and, eventually, expanded retail rooms. Today, it feels like some kind of labyrinth, with separate areas for Cuban cigars (La Casa del Habanos), New World cigars, pipes, and whisky.

One of the more striking features is a large bespoke table (around 300kg), made from cigar boxes set in resin and steel. It took multiple joiners to build and requires several people to move.

Just before you get into the cigar sampling lounge there is a whisky sampling area.

Cigar sampling lounge

Then the highlight… it was time to sample a cigar in their sampling lounge.

It’s designed like a 1950s Cuban apartment — (it even has a front door!!! 😄) deliberately mismatched vintage furniture, aged paintwork, and period styling. There are medieval arches, Cuban memorabilia (including references to Castro), a record player playing Cuban music, and seating for around 12 people.

It feels intimate but relaxed, shared between cigar and whisky drinkers.

I sampled a Cuaba Distinguidos cigar, priced at about £44, paired with a David Baker Café 20-year-old heritage cognac.

Length: 6 3/8″
Ring Gauge: 52
Strength: Medium to Full

A few whisky drinkers popped into the sampling lounge with whom I had a chat with. And the cigar went down a treat 👌.

Here’s a little video tour:

Final thoughts

The sampling lounge is the real standout — unique, atmospheric, and somewhere I’d definitely return to. The decor took me back to my trip to Cuba last year. Especially as I sat by the window.

The cigar selection is strong, well-curated, and fairly priced. A mix of Cuban and New World cigars 🙌.

Mitchell, Roy and his team have done a smashing job with this venue and I’d totally recommend 👏.

My rating 8.5 out of 10

Is it worth traveling across the country for? Probably not, as there are plenty of other cigar spots to explore. But if you’re local to Chester, or even Manchester or Liverpool — you lucky sods 😄 — having a place like this nearby is definitely worth a visit!

Interested in visiting?

Turmeaus Cigars & Tobacco Chester
34 Watergate Street, Chester, CH1 2LA
Website | View on Google Maps

La Casa del Habano Chester
32 Watergate Street, Chester, CH1 2LA
Website | View on Google Maps

If you like this review, check out my others at Cigar shops, sampling lounges, and terraces in England.