Last Wednesday evening, I had the pleasure of visiting The Manor House in Dronfield, just outside Sheffield, for a fantastic evening celebrating two of the most distinctive names in Cuban cigars — Cuaba and Cohiba.
Organised by Mitchells Wines and La Casa del Habano Sheffield, the evening brought together cigar enthusiasts, friends and partners to celebrate 30 years of Cuaba and 60 years of Cohiba.
I first discovered Mitchells Wines a couple of years back while browsing the 55 Trinidad Tasting Time events held across the UK as part of Habanos World Days. After comparing the different offerings, Mitchells Wines stood out as particularly good value, with tickets priced at just £35. Interestingly, the post generated quite a few enquiries about the Trinidad Fundadores included with the ticket. At the time, a Fundadores retailed for around £65–£75 in the UK, so having one included in a £35 ticket was certainly a rather nice bonus 😄.
Since then, I’ve been back for their Green Dragon cigar events…
… and the opening of La Casa del Habano Sheffield.
And it was great to return and see so many familiar faces 🙏🏻.
The event
For this Cuaba x Cohiba celebration, the outside terrace at The Manor House had been transformed for the evening, we even got the red carpet treatment!
A big shout out to Tim Owen of Hunters & Frankau, who was working behind the scenes with James Mellor, Katie Garfitt and the team at Mitchells Wines to get everything set up and ready. There’s so much hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make an event like this happen, long before the first guest even arrives.
Upon arrival, guests received a Cuaba Distinguidos and a Cohiba Siglo II, along with a special cigar selected for the evening’s blind-tasting competition. All of this was included in the £135 ticket price. Guest tickets for non-smokers were available for £30.
Here are those cigars in a little more detail:
Cuaba Distinguidos
Length: 6 3/8″ / 162 mm
Ring Gauge: 52
Strength: Medium to Full
Vitola: Romeo
Cohiba Siglo II
Length: 5″ 1/8 / 129 mm
Ring Gauge: 42
Strength: Medium
Vitola: Marevas
The mystery unbranded blind-tasting cigar was the Romeo y Julieta Millie Fleurs.
There was also a selection of cigars available to purchase too in a pop-up version of the shop towards the back of the venue.
A warm welcome
Tim Owen kicked things off with a warm welcome, setting the scene for the evening and giving us a glimpse of what was in store.
30 years of Cuaba
We were then introduced to José Antonio Cejas Diaz, Corporate Director at Hunters & Frankau, whom I’ve met a couple of times before. He told us more about Cuaba, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, having been launched in 1996.
Cuaba is particularly recognisable for its traditional Doble – Figurado cigars, tapered at both ends, and the story behind the brand has a fascinating connection with the UK.
Cuaba was officially launched at a glittering dinner at Claridge’s in London in 1996, with Francisco Linares, then President of Habanos, presenting the new brand to around 200 guests.
The brand was created by Habanos S.A. who put together a team led by Ana Lopez and with the participation of different people from Habanos and the industry, including Carlos Izquierdo, top cigar roller from Romeo y Julieta factory at that time, whose favourite vitola was precisely the Romeo which had been discontinued in 1978.
The “Doble – Figurado”, not to be confused with the Figurado, which is a completely different shape, had been hugely popular among Havana cigars in the late 19th and early 20th centuries but had largely disappeared from production.
José also gave us a glimpse of what lies further ahead, with the mention of a new Cuaba Yara cigar, a special 30th-anniversary release that is expected to arrive at UK La Casa del Habano outlets at a later date.
60 years of Cohiba
José then moved on to the evening’s main focus: 60 years of Cohiba.
Cohiba was created in Cuba in 1966 and, for many years, was reserved for presentation as gifts to government figures and dignitaries, including Fidel Castro, before being introduced internationally in 1982.
The brand has been produced at the prestigious El Laguito factory in Havana since its creation.
And there was no better person to take us through that story than José.
Originally from Cuba, José worked at El Laguito, eventually becoming Deputy Director before moving to the UK.
His presentation took us through the history of Cohiba and its different ranges, including the Classic, 1492, Maduro 5 and Behike Lines.
He also explained the importance of the extra fermentation process used for Cohiba and the distinctive Medio Tiempo tobacco leave used in the Behike range.
But what really stood out to me wasn’t just the technical information. It was José Antonio’s personal connection to El Laguito. For him, this isn’t simply one of the world’s most famous cigar factories. “It’s home”. And you could really feel that when he talked about it.
Then the music began…
Rose Sweeney and her band took to the stage, and what a ball it was. They regularly perform at Cubana in Sheffield, the city’s Cuban tapas bar, but for one night only they were with us.
The music, the buffet of Cuban-inspired food prepared by the chefs at The Manor House, and the premium Ron Santiago de Cuba rum all added to the atmosphere.
Honestly, I couldn’t believe how it genuinely felt like a little piece of Cuba had been brought to Dronfield – god knows what the neighbours thought haha! 😄
One of the things I really enjoy about events at Mitchells is that they never seem to be simply about buying or sampling cigars. Yes, the cigars are obviously important. But so are the people.
There was plenty of catching up with the shops regular customers, meeting new people, talking cigars, sharing stories and just enjoying being part of the evening. James and his wife Frankie Mitchell (who sadly couldn’t join us on the night) have created something very special here with their cigar community.
I arrive at these cigar events on my own, but I never feel like I’m on my own for long. And this evening was no different. I had a brilliant night along with the rest!
It was great to see Phil from Save Cigars and Usman from Cigar Inspector.
A big shout-out to Phil H, The Fargher’s, Toby L, Dino, Andy C, Oliver, Jonathan, Ryan amongst others who made my night absolutely MEGA! 🙏🏻
And of course, the night wouldn’t be complete without… a James Mellor raffle! 🎟️ It’s fast becoming a signature part of all Mitchells Wines/LCDH Sheffield events 😄.
A night I won’t forget 🙏🏻
Visit them!
La Casa Del Habano – Sheffield / Mitchells Wine Merchants Ltd
354A Meadowhead
Sheffield, South Yorkshire
S8 7UJ
Explore their range online at: https://mitchellstobacco.co.uk/
And connect with them on social media:
Facebook – Mitchells Wine
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