Just a week after publishing a post on the new James J. Fox Selección cigar range, I was lucky enough to attend its official London launch at the iconic St James’s Street store. The evening marked the first of two launch events, with James J. Fox hosting a second celebration in Dublin next week.
If you’re looking for the full story behind the new cigars — including the blend, packaging, history and how the range came to life — you can read my previous post, “James J. Fox unveils new Selección cigar range for UK and Ireland“.
This post is a little different, I wanted to share what it was actually like to attend the launch, sample the new Selección cigars for the first time and hear directly from the people responsible for bringing the project to life.
Dressing for a heatwave
The first challenge of the evening wasn’t choosing a cigar though — it was deciding what on earth to wear. The launch happened to fall on one of the hottest days we’ve had this year.
My original plan was to wear a white shirt with blue linen trousers and a jacket, but within minutes the shirt was completely drenched. So swapped for a dark polo style top. James J. Fox is somewhere I always feel deserves making a bit of an effort, but looking around the room later on, there were plenty of people sensibly wearing shorts and polo shirts. In hindsight, they probably had the right idea.
If anyone has mastered dressing smartly for indoor cigar events during a British heatwave, for the larger lad, I’d genuinely welcome the advice 😁. The sweat was real.
Queue outside
I arrived on St James’s Street just before the event started at 6:30pm and was genuinely surprised to see a queue stretching outside the shop.
I’ve attended plenty of events at James J. Fox over the years, but this was the first time I’d ever seen people lining up outside before the doors opened. It immediately showed just how much anticipation there was surrounding the launch.
As always, there were plenty of familiar faces. I quickly bumped into fellow cigar smoker Steven 🫡, who always seems to be at a lot of London’s cigar events (usually at No 6 Cavendish), and it was great catching up before we headed inside.
Once inside, every guest was handed the Selección No. 7 Duke, the largest vitola in the new range, along with a Selección No. 1 Petit Robusto in a box to take home. The box even featured a QR code inviting customers to leave feedback on the cigar — a nice touch that shows James J. Fox wants to hear what smokers genuinely think.
As soon as everyone had settled in, the room filled with the familiar sound of cutters, torch lighters and the first draws of the evening.
First impressions of the Selección No. 7 Duke
Launch events are always interesting because I’m usually spending more time talking than actually concentrating on the cigar. It’s a very different experience to sitting quietly with one at home or a sampling lounge when you are there on your own. Even so, the Duke made an immediate impression.
From the first third onwards it felt incredibly smooth and balanced. At times it even reminded me of a Cuban cigar, particularly in its rounded, medium-bodied character.
While chatting with Yiorgos Manesis, Managing Director of James J. Fox Dublin, he explained that much of that profile comes from the predominately Honduran tobacco used throughout the blend. Compared with many Nicaraguan cigars, Honduran tobacco often produces a softer, gentler style of smoke, which immediately made sense given what I was experiencing.
After folk were settled in, Jimmy McGhee introduced the evening and welcomed everyone in attendance.
It was fascinating hearing Stuart Fox (Group Managing Director) speak about the project. Rather than simply introducing another cigar, he explained how the Selección range revives a historic James J. Fox tradition dating back to the late nineteenth century, when the company worked alongside famous Cuban manufacturers to produce exclusive cigars for customers in London and Dublin.
This new range may now be produced in Honduras under the guidance of master blender Hamlet Paredes (sadly he wasn’t in attendance last night), but the philosophy remains exactly the same — creating cigars that have been genuinely “specially selected” by the James J. Fox team.
What I found particularly interesting was hearing how much collaboration went into the project. Teams from both London and Dublin spent almost two years tasting numerous blends and vitolas before finally agreeing on these three cigars. Not a bad job I must say! 😄
It’s easy to look at a finished product and forget just how much work happens behind the scenes.
How much are the cigars?
Before attending the launch I’d already received several DM’s after my first post on it, asking one question: How much will they cost? The prices are:
Selección No. 1 Petit Robusto – £25
Selección No. 4 Corona Gorda – £29
Selección No. 7 Duke – £35
Another question that kept appearing in my inbox was whether the cigars would only be available in-store. Thankfully, the answer is no. The Selección range will also be available to purchase online through the James J. Fox website, which will be welcome news for those unable to visit either the London or Dublin stores in person here in the UK. I’m not sure what the situation will be for international folk.
Dalmore
As with many James J. Fox events, excellent whisky was flowing throughout the evening.
Guests were treated to several drams from Dalmore, with brand representative Charles Rennick speaking about the long-standing relationship between fine whisky and premium cigars. It’s a pairing I’ve enjoyed before, and I can definitely vouch that they complement each other beautifully.
That said, I was trying to take it a little easier on the booze last night. So when still water was doing the rounds… I went absolutely nuts for it! 😁💧
A surprise interview
Towards the end of the evening I was invited upstairs where a video production crew were filming content about the launch. I think that’s why guests were on the ground floor for the evening. I’ll admit it — I get nervous whenever someone points a video camera at me, especially in a video interview set up. But I couldn’t say no to the opportunity — it was an honour to be asked.
It was also so warm inside that someone actually had to wipe the sweat off my forehead before filming started! 😂
One of the questions I was asked was how I’d rate the Duke. I gave it an 8.5 out of 10. For me it delivered exactly what James J. Fox had set out to achieve — a smooth, mild-to-medium cigar that was easy to smoke, and beautifully balanced throughout. Whether any of the footage makes a final cut who knows 🤷♂️. I defo need more practice at this kind of stuff!
I’m definitely looking forward to smoking another one in quieter surroundings, but based on my first impressions, I was extremely impressed. In fact, I may even have to admit that it may outdo the Fox House Blend cigar… and that’s saying something!
A real highlight of the evening
As much as I enjoy discovering new cigars, the people are always what make these evenings memorable. It was lovely catching up with familiar faces, but what really made my night was meeting some of the folk that came up to me who have followed my cigar journey over the years.
Honestly I never could have imagined back in the day that I’d be going 5 years on when I first started that first blog post back in the day. And the feedback was much appreciated! Honestly I don’t take any of that for granted 🙏
If you ever spot me at a cigar event, please don’t hesitate to come and introduce yourself. I always enjoy chatting with fellow cigar smokers, and I’d love to hear more about your own cigar journeys. A big shout out to Nassim from Luxembourg and Amir from Iran! 👋
Final thoughts
I left James J. Fox with a huge smile on my face.
The Selección range feels like a natural evolution of the Fox House Blend while establishing its own identity, and judging by the atmosphere inside the shop, there was a real sense that everyone present appreciated being part of the beginning of something new.
Before heading home, I stopped off in Green Park and lit the Selección No. 1 Petit Robusto I’d been given earlier in the evening. Sitting on a bench as London slowly cooled after such a hot day turned out to be the perfect way to round off a fantastic launch.
With so many cigar events taking place across the UK over the coming weeks, it’s an exciting time to be part of the hobby.
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