I’ve just returned from a fantastic weekend celebrating the third anniversary of The Lord’s Cigar Lounge in Gosport, located just across the harbour from Portsmouth on England’s south coast. The lounge is owned and run by Mario Afuza, who has built a fantastic cigar community over the past three years.
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you may recognise the name. I first visited the lounge for its first anniversary a couple of years ago. Since then, the business has actually moved into a new premises directly opposite the original location from 5 to 10 Bemisters Lane. Mario, a builder by day, cigar boss at night, spent three months working evenings to transform the new venue before moving across, and the results are impressive! Although a little smaller, the new lounge feels more refined, and even more welcoming than before.
My first visit to The Lord’s was memorable for another reason. It was there that I met my good friend Alastair, who I later travelled to Cuba with. I also met some of Mario’s regulars, including Guy “Middy” Midwinter and his son Adam, who still frequent the lounge today.
In fact, Guy celebrated his retirement there during this anniversary weekend. It’s amazing how many friendships and connections are formed through cigars.
I also met James of Hunters & Frankau (distributor of Habanos cigars to the UK) during that first visit, and it was great to see him back again hosting this year’s event. Alongside familiar faces were plenty of new regulars, showing just how successfully Mario has built a thriving cigar community around the lounge.
The Lounge
The Lord’s Cigar Lounge is tucked away on a side street just off Gosport High Street, only a short walk from the Gosport Ferry terminal.
Travelling down from London for me involves a train journey from Waterloo to Portsmouth followed by a quick ferry crossing, so it’s a bit of an adventure using public transport. However, it’s much more straightforward if you’re travelling by car, and are local to that neck of the woods.
From the outside, the shop is fairly discreet, you’d never know what kind of hidden treasure sits behind the shop front, but stepping through the door reveals a super cool gentleman’s cigar sampling lounge.
The walk-in humidor contains a selection of Cuban cigars alongside offerings from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Honduras.
One cigar that seemed particularly popular among customers during this recent visit was the Amazon Basin, with many regulars telling me they enjoy trying something different on each visit.
I was also fortunate enough to sample one of the biggest cigars I’ve ever sampled during the weekend. But THAT experience deserves its own article, so I’ll save the details for a future blog post 😁.
The Anniversary event
The celebration began from 4pm on Saturday afternoon. The lounge comfortably seats around ten people in large leather armchairs, creating an intimate environment for cigar tastings and conversation.
While the lounge normally has a relaxed dress code, this special Hunters & Frankau event encouraged guests to make an effort. Many arrived in shirts and smart attire. Naturally, I went all in with a suit, waist coat, shirt and tie.
The Cigars
To mark three years of The Lord’s Cigar Lounge, guests sampled three cigars — one for each year of the lounge’s existence — with James of Hunters & Frankau guiding us through each cigar. The cost of our ticket was £85.
The lineup consisted of:
- Rafael González Panetelas Extra
- Romeo y Julieta Sport Largos
- Partagás Línea Maestra Origen
Two of these cigars had recently been showcased at the Ignite UK cigar trade show.
Rafael González Panetelas Extra
James explained that Rafael González is generally regarded as one of Cuba’s lighter cigar brands.
What makes the Panetelas Extra particularly interesting is that it is a handmade short-filler cigar. Unlike premium long-filler cigars, which use whole tobacco leaves throughout, short-filler cigars use smaller pieces of tobacco while still utilising the same tobacco-growing regions and blending philosophy.
I found it to be an enjoyable smoke. It’s not my usual choice, as I tend to prefer larger cigars, but I understand that smaller formats are ideal for those short on time who still want to enjoy a cigar. Despite its size, it delivered consistently pleasant notes of light creaminess and nuttiness throughout.
Romeo y Julieta Sport Largos
The second cigar of the evening was the Sport Largos, another new release. That said, it appears to have been available for some time when I look this up online, so I’m not entirely sure what makes it “new.” It may simply be a recent introduction to the UK market?
Unlike the Rafael González, this is a traditional handmade long-filler cigar. Romeo y Julieta is one of Cuba’s oldest cigar brands, dating back to 1875. James explained that the brand’s name originates from the tradition of factory lectors in Cuban cigar factories.
During the nineteenth century, readers would sit among cigar rollers and read newspapers and novels aloud while they worked. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet became so popular that a cigar brand was eventually named in its honour.
Other famous Cuban brands share similar origins, including Montecristo, inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo, and Sancho Panza, inspired by Don Quixote.
Interestingly, when I went to Cuba last year, I remember seeing cigar rollers watching videos on their phones. It makes me wonder that in this modern age, if things were done the same way, we might end up with something like a Squid Game, Succession, or Bridgerton cigar brand 😆.
James described Romeo y Julieta as a medium-strength cigar. My cigar had a slightly tight draw initially, but opened up as the cigar progressed. It was an ok smoke I picked up some light floral notes in the first third, but I preferred the Rafael González over this one.
Partagás Línea Maestra Origen
The final cigar was the Partagás Línea Maestra Origen.
Interestingly, I’d smoked this cigar a couple of years ago and wasn’t particularly impressed at the time. My feeling then was that it needed additional aging. It also didn’t feel like a Partagas cigar somehow – I’m a huge fan of the Partagas Serie E No 2.
This box carried a 2024 date stamp, likely from the original UK launch period, and the difference was noticeable. The cigar had developed beautifully and was far more enjoyable than I remembered. Several guests commented on a couple of tight draws, but fortunately mine performed perfectly 👌.
The most fascinating aspect of the event was the opportunity to ask James questions throughout the evening, particularly on topics such as Cuban cigar production, the challenges currently facing the industry, and the future outlook for the market.
Challenges facing Cuba
Cuba has faced a series of significant challenges in recent years. Hurricanes have damaged key tobacco-growing regions, tobacco yields have been lower than expected, and the country has continued to struggle with the economic effects of the pandemic, declining tourism revenue, aging infrastructure, and persistent electricity shortages. One particularly devastating hurricane destroyed curing barns and tobacco-processing facilities, creating disruptions that are still being felt across the industry today.
More recently, however, the country’s energy situation has become one of the biggest concerns. Cuba has long relied on oil imports from Venezuela, but as those supplies have declined, the country has experienced fuel shortages, transportation difficulties, challenges getting workers to factories, and widespread power outages. In some areas, blackouts are reportedly lasting between 16 and 24 hours per day.
Interestingly, tobacco cultivation itself has remained relatively unaffected, as much of the growing, fermenting, and ageing process is still carried out using traditional methods that require little electrical infrastructure. The greatest bottlenecks now exist elsewhere in the supply chain, particularly in factory production, packaging, transportation, and export logistics.
James estimated that even if conditions were to improve immediately, full recovery may take a while due to the lengthy production cycle involved in premium cigars. From planting tobacco to producing a finished cigar can take anywhere between two and two and a half years.
As a result, supply remains difficult at present. Hunters & Frankau are carefully monitoring and managing stock strategically, while prioritising key brands and product lines. Smaller, niche Cuban cigar brands could become increasingly difficult to source compared with more mainstream offerings.
Cake!!!
To round off the event, everyone enjoyed a slice of cake to celebrate the lounge’s third anniversary.
Final thoughts
What a fantastic weekend it was. The BIG cigar I sampled on Friday night deserves a blog post of its own, which I’ll be sharing soon. Saturday’s cigar event with James from Hunters & Frankau was equally enjoyable, with great cigars to sample, great company, and the opportunity to experience Mario’s impressive new lounge.
The new lounge is a significant step up from the previous one, offering a more refined and comfortable space while retaining everything that made the original such a success. More importantly, the community Mario has built around it continues to grow year after year.
The atmosphere remains friendly, welcoming, and filled with a genuine passion for cigars. Seeing familiar faces alongside a growing number of new regulars (big shout out to Leon and his Dad!) is a testament to just how successful The Lord Cigar Lounge has become.
I’m excited to see how the lounge continues to evolve and where Mario takes it over the coming years.
My rating of the cigar shop and lounge: 8.5 out of 10
Interested in visiting?
The Lord’s Cigar Lounge
10 Bemisters Lane
Gosport, Hampshire
PO12 1HB
Current opening hours:
Mon – Closed
Tue 19:00 – 22:00
Wed 19:00 – 22:00
Thu 19:00 – 22:00
Fri 19:00 – 22:00
Sat 12:00 – 22:00
Sun 12:00 – 22:00
Contact:
Email: thelords_cigarlounge@yahoo.com
Telephone: 07891634104
Website: lordscigarlounge.com
Follow on social media: Instagram | YouTube
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