DJ Khaled’s first visit to London has already seen the US music producer and DJ exploring the capital’s high-end cigar scene alongside London cigar specialist Manu Harit. But yesterday, the pair continued their cigar adventure with a visit to Davidoff of London, where Khaled met Edward and Eddie Sahakian.
If you’ve been following Khaled’s recent cigar journey, the visit marked the latest chapter in his developing relationship with Harit. The pair were first seen enjoying Cuban cigars together earlier this year, before Khaled arrived in London and visited The Tasting Room at The Peninsula London with Harit in the early hours of Friday morning.
Now, accompanied by Harit, Khaled headed to St James’s to meet the legendary father-and-son team behind Davidoff of London and explore some of the rare and historic cigars in their remarkable collection.
Later that evening, Khaled’s London adventure took a very different turn when he headed to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, appearing on stage as a special guest at Jay-Z’s concert before later making his way into the crowd with Harit while smoking Cohiba cigars.
“My first time in London”
Khaled had previously described the trip as his first visit to London, telling his social media followers that he had dreamed of coming to the capital.
His visit to Davidoff of London quickly turned into an opportunity to explore some of the rarest and most historic cigars in the shop’s collection.
Among the cigars shown to him was the legendary Cuban Davidoff Aniversario No1, a Cuban-made Gran Corona created to commemorate Zino Davidoff’s 80th birthday.
Eddie explained that this particular box had been kept at the shop for decades and had never left the premises. It’s from Edward Sahakian’s private collection and is not usually on display in the shop or listed on the Davidoff of London website.
The Aniversario No. 1 was produced in two presentations. The example shown here is the fold box containing 10 cigars, with two presented in tubes and the remaining eight without tubes.
There is also a sliding box presentation of 10 cigars, which appears to be currently listed by No. 6 Cavendish for £18,500.
This should not be taken as an indication of what the private-collection box was worth or what, if anything, changed hands during Khaled’s visit, as pricing and sales arrangements vary between retailers.
For Khaled, this was clearly not an ordinary cigar.
“This ain’t regular, degular,” he said. “This unicorn.”
He added that the cigar was the kind of thing “you might see a picture of only”.
The Davidoff 80th Anniversary particularly impressed Khaled because of its history and rarity. At one point, he marvelled at the age of the cigars being shown to him.
“Look at this,” he said. “I don’t think y’all understand. You know what this is? This is 40 years old.”
A remarkable collection
The Sahakians also showed Khaled other rare and exceptional cigars, including vintage Cohibas.
Cohiba 1966 Limited Edition 2011
Among them was a cigar Khaled referred to as the “Michael Jordan”, while Eddie explained the significance of some of the historic Cohibas in the collection.
Cohiba Robusto Supremos Limited Edition 2014
A box of 10 is selling on the Davidoff of London website for £6,500.
Khaled appeared genuinely fascinated by the opportunity to see cigars that many collectors may never encounter.
The visit highlighted the remarkable collection at Davidoff of London, which has built an international reputation among cigar collectors over several decades.
For Khaled, who has been developing a growing interest in premium and rare cigars, it was clearly a memorable stop on his first visit to London.
“What I love about it is this… father and son”
However, it was not simply the cigars that impressed Khaled.
The relationship between Edward and Eddie Sahakian appeared to resonate particularly strongly with him.
“You know what I love about it more?” Khaled said. “I’ve always loved your cigars, but what I love about it is this… father and son.”
The moment was clearly a personal one for Khaled, who spoke about his own children while praising the relationship between Edward and Eddie.
Edward also spoke warmly about his son, saying he felt blessed to have Eddie looking after the business.
Khaled again returned to the family connection.
“That’s what I love the most, that the father and son,” he said.
The Sahakians’ connection with Manu also adds another link to the story. Harit’s career in London’s cigar world began working under Eddie Sahakian at the Edward Sahakian Cigar Shop and Sampling Lounge at the Bulgari Hotel London, making the visit something of a return to where his career began.
Khaled was clearly appreciative of the welcome he received.
“This is beautiful,” he said. “It’s a pleasure. It’s a blessing.”
Cigars for the Jay-Z concert
As the visit came to an end, Khaled revealed that his evening was far from over.
He was in London for Jay-Z’s concert and told Edward and Eddie that one of the rare cigars would be going with him.
“Listen, I’m smoking on one of these tonight at the Jay-Z concert,” he said.
Khaled was clearly grateful for the exceptional cigars he had been shown during the visit, adding that they would go to “only the finest place”.
From one of London’s most historic cigar shops, Khaled’s attention then turned to one of the biggest music events in the capital.
On stage with Jay-Z at Tottenham
Later that evening, Khaled headed to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Jay-Z’s London concert.
Khaled appeared on stage as a special guest, joining the rapper in front of thousands of fans.
But the cigar story did not end when he left the stage.
Later in the evening, Khaled was seen making his way into the crowd alongside Manu Harit, smoking Cohiba cigars among the concertgoers.
It was a remarkable end to another day in Khaled’s first London visit.
From his earlier cigar session with Harit, to The Tasting Room at The Peninsula London, and now Davidoff of London, Khaled’s trip has offered a fascinating glimpse into his growing interest in premium cigars and his developing connection with London’s cigar scene.
And after a day spent with Edward and Eddie Sahakian and some of the rarest cigars in their collection, the story ended in rather spectacular fashion — on stage with Jay-Z at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before Khaled and Manu headed into the crowd with Cohibas.
Watch footage from this visit here:
Visit the Davidoff of London shop
Address: 35 St. James’s Street London SW1A 1HD
Phone: 020 7930 3079
Email: info@davidofflondon.co.uk
Website: Davidoff London
Social Media: Instagram | Facebook
Read my review of the cigar shop here.
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